# XIII explained — The Innocents Abroad

> Chapter companion for The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.

## What happens

The narrator and his companions hire a Parisian guide named Billfinger, whom they quickly rename Ferguson. They attend the International Exposition and witness a grand military review featuring Emperor Napoleon III and Sultan Abdul-Aziz of Turkey, contrasting the two leaders and their respective civilizations.

## Themes in this chapter

### American vs. European Culture

The Americans' reaction to the guide's name and their renaming him reflects cultural differences and a desire for romantic European names.

### Satire of Tourism

The hiring process and the guide's pretentious English satirize the tourist experience and the search for authenticity.

### Colonialism and Otherness

The stark contrast drawn between Napoleon III (progressive Europe) and Abdul-Aziz (backward Orient) reflects colonial attitudes.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

Describes the hiring of the guide and the military review.

### Dan

Suggests renaming Billfinger to Ferguson.

### The Doctor

Comments on the guide's name and suggests romantic alternatives.

### Billfinger

The Parisian guide hired by the group, later renamed Ferguson.

### Jack

Mentioned as part of the group.

## Key lines

> He said the great International Exposition had drawn such multitudes of Englishmen and Americans to Paris that it would be next to impossible to find a good guide unemployed.

The hotel clerk explained that the Exposition had attracted so many visitors that few good guides were available.

_Highlights the impact of the Exposition on tourism._

> Napoleon III, the representative of the highest modern civilization, progress, and refinement; Abdul-Aziz, the representative of a people by nature and training filthy, brutish, ignorant, unprogressive, superstitious—and a government whose Three Graces are Tyranny, Rapacity, Blood.

Napoleon symbolized modern progress, while Abdul-Aziz embodied a backward, oppressive culture.

_Contrast between Western and Eastern civilizations._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_innocents_abroad_se/chapters/xiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_innocents_abroad_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_innocents_abroad_se/chapters