Friends of Words

Author: Swati

  • Was It Heaven? Or Hell? by Mark Twain: Summary and Review

    Was It Heaven? Or Hell? by Mark Twain: Summary and Review

    Was it Heaven? Or Hell? is a short story that was published in early 1900s as part of Mark Twain’s short story collection The 30000 Bequest.

    As a child, have you ever been told not to lie? 

    Or lying is bad?

    Or lying brings you terrible misfortune?

    Lying is possibly the worst thing that you can do?

    And what puzzled you as you grew was the same people that told you all those things resorted to lying themselves, correcting you when you pointed it out to them saying ‘ ‘that was for good reason’ and ‘not all sorts of lying is bad’?

    Leaving you confused where exactly was the line that separated a good lie from a bad one?

    This short story is going to take you a trip down that memory lane.

    Was It Heaven? Or Hell?: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story revolves around a female family of four, Margaret Lester, a widow in her late thirties, her teenage daughter Helen, and two righteous maiden twin aunts, Hannah and Hester Gray.

    The story opens with the aunts confronting Helen for a lie she confessed to have said.

    Theirs was a world where lies had no place. It was something unthinkable. So having their darling Helen confess to lying evokes consternation from the elderly women and they demanded that she confess to the lie in front of her sick mother.

    The child implores them to excuse her behavior just that once and spare her mother the agony of her confession of a lie, but her requests fall on deaf ears.

    After all, with a duty no compromise is possible.

    All said and done, the decision is made. Helen is to visit her mother in the sick room and confess to her lie.

    Sobbing and desolate, Helen begs for forgiveness from her mother.

    The doting mother, caring not for the lie, immediately forgives her and embraces her to calm her down, as the elderly aunts witness the scene.

    It’s at this time that the family doctor makes his presence felt and softly whispers to the aunts to clear out the space and give the sick woman some time to rest.

    He appears half an hour later with Helen, who seemed to have returned to her natural cheery self. He quickly examines her, declares her fit  and healthy. He asks her to go back to her room, and excuses himself from her company to talk to the aunts.

    Expressing his disappointment at the women for creating a ruckus, he lets them know that Margaret was suffering from typhoid.

    The women, terrified of this news, when attempting to rush back to Margaret are stopped by the doctor, who demands a reason from them behind creating a scene.

    They  tell him that it was Helen’s lie that started it all.

    Infuriated at hearing this, he reprimands the women for their inability to differentiate a helpful lie from a hurtful one and causing incredible danger to both Helen and her mother in the process.

    In an attempt to understand why the women were so hell bent on exposing the lie, he discovers that women feared that lying would cost them their soul if they died without the time to repent.

    Shaking his head in disbelief he asks the women to reform and learn to be able to tell lies. He then appraises them about the state of health of both Margaret and Helen and indicates that a night and day watch would soon be required for them.

    The health of the mother and child continues to deteriorate while the old women continue to dedicate themselves in their service.

    The mother implores to see her child but Hester forbade it, fearing that exposure to typhoid might put Helen’s health at risk.

    Understanding the gravity of the situation at the drop of a hat/ immediately, the mother accepts the separation from her kid to keep her from harm’s way.

    When asked if her daughter was well, Hester ends up lying to say that Helen was well. Hester speaks to Hannah about the lie and Hannah takes it upon herself to expose the truth to her.

    Hester begs her not to, as she thinks that this would have grave consequences on Margaret’s health. Hannah, upon seeing Margaret, ends up lying as well, much to the relief of her sister.

    Helen’s health continues to deteriorate and she succumbs to the disease soon after in Hester’s arms, happy in her final moments mistaking her for Margaret.

    Margaret continues to enquire about letters from her daughter. In an attempt to comfort her , they fake a letter from her and continue to lie about her well being. 

    Margaret’s final day comes soon after and she dies never knowing that her child died before her. Hannah and Hester are happy knowing that she was spared the grief.

    An angel visits Hannah and Hester at midnight. The women confessed to their human weakness in front of the angel and lifted their heads in supplication. The angel whispered the decree.

    Was it Heaven? Or Hell?

    Was It Heaven? Or Hell? Review and My Thoughts

    For a moment, let’s assume that heaven and hell exist, what do you think happened to the women?

    Should they be going to hell because they lied? They bent the rules. They were lost.

    Should they be going to heaven because being dedicated in their service to Margaret and Hester all their lives, they made sure they comforted them all through their dying days and spared both of them unwanted grief in their final moments?

    If nothing else, making you feel the itch of not knowing a definite answer to this question, is going to make me feel good. Misery loves company, doesn’t it?

    And Yes, I am definitely going to hell for saying that.

    But seriously, what do you think of the ending of the story?

    I would be happy to hear your thoughts on what happened in the end because I admit that I am torn. And thanks to Mr Twain’s characteristic writing in this piece haven’t been able to brush the ending off my mind.

  • Goodbye and Good Luck: Summary, Plot Analysis, Review

    Goodbye and Good Luck: Summary, Plot Analysis, Review

    Goodbye and Goodluck is a short story written by Grace Paley that was published in her collection called The Little Disturbances of Man by Doubleday in 1959. One of the more known stories from her collection, this story is a heartwarming tale of a woman in pursuit of love and her struggles with tradition in her journey to attaining it.

    Goodbye and Good Luck: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story opens with Rosie Lieber telling Lillie, her niece, a story about her youth. Rosie used to be an overweight, clear thinking and kind woman in her youth.

    She used to work in a novelty wear shop and had lost her job once speaking her mind.

    The next job that she applied for, was one where they needed a refined young lady in a cultural organization. She responded and got the job shortly.

    The job gave her, in addition to a weekly salary of nine dollars, a free ticket every week and opportunity to watch rehearsals as many times as she wanted.

    She settles in her job quickly. The theatre manager, Mr Krimberg introduces her to one of the actors, shortly after.

    Volodya Vlashkin, also known as the Valentino of Second avenue, soon got into a blossoming friendship with Rosie.

    Rosie watched and praised Vlashkin for his theater performances and Vlashkin, finding a comfortable companionship with Rosie, continues to show interest in her. The attention that she continued to receive from him baffled her at times.

    She receives a raise as a result of him putting in a good word for her. In addition, she also got to be part of a crowd scene at fifty cents a night.

    Vlaskhin finds an apartment for her close to the theater and that is when Rosie informs her mother of this, and kisses her Mama goodbye.

    She professes her love for him in front of her mother, who is disgusted by Rosie’s blatant disregard for tradition. She calls Rosie a rotten hole in a piece of cheese and cries relentlessly.

    In the years that followed, Rosie got to know many people, most of them admiring her for her youth and terrific listening skills. She gets to know that Vlashkin is a married man with a family-wife and kids, the whole package.

    She confronts him about it and Vlashkin comes clean. She accepts it to be true and convinces Rosie that it is with her that he is really happy. Rosie is convinced, until one day where she gets to see Mrs. Vlashkin.

    Feeling guilty to be a home breaker, she confronts Vlashkin again and removes herself from his life. She continues on with her life – meeting different men, but finding none of them interesting enough.

    Meanwhile, Vlashkin toured abroad for a few years and even wrote a book about his experiences. In a chance meeting with Vlashkin on the street, she congratulates him for his success. They continue to be friendly and supportive of each other.

    Many years pass by, the theater closes and she gets a buzz on the phone. Vlashkin has called  to inform her about his divorce and that now he was a free man. Feeling insulted by the idea of accompanying Vlashkin only as a mistress, she proposes that they marry. Vlashkin agrees.

    The story ends with Rosie telling Lillie that she needs to leave soon as she will be late for her wedding and asks her to tell her mama – Goodbye and Good luck.

    Goodbye and Good Luck: Review and My Thoughts

    The story revolves around Rosie’s love for Vlashkin and her struggle balancing her love with tradition and her desire for independence.

    She follows tradition, no questions asked, until she meets Vlashkin.

    She finds it difficult to follow tradition when doing that comes at the cost of proximity to him. Throughout the story, Paley has demonstrated this. 

    Consider this example from one of Rosie’s dates.

    Why do you hide your young throat. These are not old times, my child, to live in shame.

    Who’s ashamed? I said taking off the kerchief, but my hand right away went to take the kerchief’s place, because the truth is, it really was old times, and I was still of the nature to melt with shame.

    And one where she sadly kisses her mom Goodbye to live a ‘life of love’.

    This is a different way of living Mama. Besides, I am driven by love.

    Her love for Vlashkin is not the only thing that is exceptional about Rosie. I love how she faces her problems head on and has such a positive disposition and a very healthy sense of self respect. 

    Upon receiving a comment from the theater manager about her burly figure, instead of questioning her own self worth, she responds in good humor (Everyone likes kindness.)

    Rosie Leiber , you got a build on you.

    It takes all kinds, Mr Krimberg.

    Her human fears make Rosie all the more likeable. Consider, for example, her fear of not being able to live a life of companionship.

    This is your lonesome bed. A lady who they call fat and fifty. You made it personally. From this lonesome bed , you will fall to a bed not as lonesome,only crowded with a million bones.

    I was personally happy when Rosie tells Lillie that she is going to be wed?

    And that’s the power of Grace Paley.

  • A Dog’s Tale by Mark Twain: Summary, Analysis and Review

    A Dog’s Tale by Mark Twain: Summary, Analysis and Review

    A Dog’s Tale is a short story written by Mark Twain. It was first published in 1903. The story is told from the perspective of a dog and narrates the journey of a dog’s life..

    Mark Twain had once said:

    If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.

    If you are a dog lover, whether or not you own one right now, you will understand in an instant what Mr Twain is saying here.

    You come home tired from a bad day in office, the minute you open the door, you get the welcome reserved only for kings and queens, the dog is so happy to see you that for a minute there you forgot you had a bad day.

    You sit restfully on a weekend with coffee in one hand and your favorite crossword in other, your dog calmly climbs on to your lap and sits there comfortably staring at the crossword in amazement, like that was the best thing in the world at the moment, you feel your sense of calm multiply manifold.

    There is something ethereal about the connection between a man and his dog. I stand corrected: a dog and his man, which explains why we see so many on-screen adaptations of this beautiful relationship.

    I have a huge list of movies that I would recommend if you are planning to start on what I call the Dog Movie journey, but more on that later..

    This is about a Dog’s tale. Twainspeak.

    A Dog’s Tale: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Aileen Mavoureen is a Presbyterian. As the story opens, she reminisces about her mother, an ‘educated’ Collie, she likes big words and shows off her prowess to the rest of them, leaving them surprised and envious.

    Although Aileen did think of her mother as a rather vain character, she believed her virtues more than made up for that flaw. There was more to  Collie than just her education.

    Aileen grows up fully and is eventually sold to another family. Broken hearted at their impending separation, they cry.

    Aileen’s mother comforts her the best way she could leaving her with the wisdom to perform her duties as a dog with the utmost dedication. To think not of oneself but others in the times of danger.

    Aileen finds her new home charming. Her Grays are a loving family. She feels like a part of the family and enjoys the affections people send her way.

    Mr Gray is a scientist, Mrs Gray a homemaker, Sadie, their elder kid, a 10-year old girl and a one-year old baby.

    a white puppy sits and looks at the screen
    Humans’ best friend.

    Aileen’s days are mostly spent being petted by the family, watching the baby in nursery, playing with Sadie on the grass and in occasional visits to the neighboring dogs.

    Aileen is positively pleased with her life and has nothing more to ask for. Her happiness multiplies manifold when she welcomes her pup into the world.

    Aileen finds her world too perfect until one day where an incident happens during her nursery watch.

    The baby and Aileen were both sleeping when the baby’s crib caught fire. Awakened by the baby’s cries, the dog darts, and is half way on her way out when the parting words from her mother strike her.

    When in danger, don’t think about yourself.

    Aileen ran towards the baby in the nursery and drags the crying baby out and is almost out of the door, feeling proud and happy about her feat, when Mr Gray mistaking it for a dog’s mischief strikes at her with his cane.

    She is able to duck all but one painful blow to her left foreleg, which leaves her whimpering in pain. Mr Gray soon realises his mistake upon noticing the fire in nursery and runs in that direction.

    The dog thinking that Mr Gray would soon return for her escapes to the storage trying to hide away from further torture, all the while licking her wound for comfort.

    After a while the frenzy from the fire dies down and the family begins looking for her, calling out his name, whereas she continues to hide.

    She eventually devises a plan to escape the house but stops dead in her tracks in despair when she realises she does not have her puppy.

    Accepting her fate, she decides to stay back dreading her fate, for she was sure that torture would continue when she is found.

    She is eventually discovered by Sadie and is very happy when she realises that she is actually being celebrated for being a hero that saved the baby. She is happy again being the object of the family’s worship.

    The days pass by and one day Mr Gray invites a few of his colleagues over to his laboratory. They discussed the fire at the house, the dog’s role in saving his child and went on comparing intelligence and reasoning in a human and a beast.

    She feels proud that she is an object of their conversations and thinks about her mother wondering how proud she would have been of her that day.

    One day, Mr Gray and his friends take the pup to the laboratory for an ‘experiment’. Aileen is excited and proud for her pup but is horrified to see that they have blinded the pup to prove a point.

    As the pup staggers, Aileen runs to comfort him but the pup succumbs to his injuries shortly after. Aileen observes the footman burying the pup in the ground and mistaking it to be the same as the process of planting a seed resulting in a fresh healthy plant to come out, sits there in anticipation of her pup coming alive.

    The footman, after the burial, patted Aileen’s head. She notices tears in his eyes when he says “Poor Little Doggie, you saved his child?”

    She waits by the burial ground for two weeks hoping  for the pup to come up but is disheartened when he doesn’t.

    A terrible fear grips her and she could not eat or sleep. She doesn’t return home even when people beg her to ‘not break their heart’ and come back.

    As she lies there waiting and fearful, she breathes her last.

    The humble little friend is gone where go the beasts that perish.

    A Dog’s Tale: Review and My Thoughts

    If you are the sentimental type, I would be very surprised if Aileen’s story didn’t get a tear or two from you. But parking my own emotions for a minute, let’s get back to Mr Twain’s heart rending portrayal of Aileen’s tale.

    There are many highlights in this  short story but these are the ones that tugged at my heartstrings the most.

    When AIleen’s remembers her mother fondly:

    She had a kind heart and gentle ways and never harbored the injuries done onto her, but put them easily out of her mind and taught her children her kindly way. And from her we learned also to be brave and prompt in the time of danger, and not to run away, but face the peril that threatened friend or stranger, and help him the best we could without stopping to think what the cost might be to us.

    I could not help but wonder, is it possible for human to be this compassionate? If it was , these would be the most compassionate people walking the face of earth and we would all be in awe of them.

    How come, a creature so close to us, goes unnoticed, having devoted their life for us? Are we even capable of devoting ourselves to any creature this way?

    When Aileen tries to explain what a laboratory is:

    The laboratory was not a book, or a picture or a place to wash your hands in- No, that’s lavatory; the laboratory is quite different and is filled with jars, and bottles and electrics and wires and strange machines.

    Mark Twain, has nailed (for the lack of a better word) the innocence of a dog with this. For a fleeting minute Aileen transforms to an adorable toddler  just beginning to learn the rules of the vocabulary.

    When Aileen waits for the pup plant to grow:

    There the footman dug the hole and I saw he was going to plant the puppy, and I was glad, because it would grow and come up fine handsome dog, like Robin Adair, and be a beautiful surprise when they came home.

    Oh, this broke my heart and I cried.

    However to me, the story did more than just make me sob.

    It filled me with hate. It filled me with disgust.

    Hate and disgust both for human kind. About the cruelty that humankind afflicts on creatures just because it can.

    It was pleasantly re-assuring to chance upon an article while researching Mark Twain’s animal-lover side.

    I was so happy upon discovering that he stood up for animal laws back in the day. Giving us stuff to reflect, and at the same time walking the talk put him right up on the pedestal.

    He did show us through his work and through his life, that there are things that we can do. We can still correct the wrong.

    I don’t know if heaven or hell exists, but I am with Twain when he says that he would prefer a Dog’s heaven over a Human’s.

    Want to read A Dog’s Tale?

    A Dog’s Tale is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You are welcome to use the links given below to order a copy:

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    What do YOU think of A Dog’s Tale?

    What did you like about the story? What stood out the most to you?

    Do you have an interesting dog tale that you’d like to share with us?

    We are open to any and all dogly conversations and we would love to hear your favorite stories involving our cute, pawed friends.

    Also, if you’re up for it, let us know in the Comments and we’d be happy to share some awesome dog movies.

    Till then, a friendly woof to all Friends of Words!

     

  • In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka: Summary, Analysis, Review

    In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka: Summary, Analysis, Review

    In the Penal Colony, also known as “In der Strafkolonie” in German, is a short story written by Franz Kafka. First published in October 1919, this story has seen massive popularity and has been adapted widely around the world with film, chamber operas and plays to its name.

    In the Penal Colony: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story is set in an unnamed place and focuses on a traveller who has been invited by the new commandant of a penal colony to see and understand the working of a mysterious machine.

    A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location.

    The unnamed traveller meets with an officer for this purpose. This officer is to explain the apparatus and justification behind using it. They meet in the middle of a desert and are in the company of two other men – a condemned man and a soldier.

    The traveller finds the officer to be deeply enthusiastic about this assignment and is highly engaged. He is very proud of his creation and engages in an animated conversation about its functions.

    This machine, as it turns out, is something used to dole out punishments to the convicted.

    It has three parts – the bed, the inscriber and the harrow.

    The condemned man is supposed to lie on the bed, the inscriber has the law broken by the condemned man, while the harrow contains needles that inscribe the law on the condemned body and splashes water on the body to clear away the blood.

    It is usually a long process drawn out till 12 hours, the first six of which is the period where the condemned is said to feel only pain.

    After six hours, there seems to be a shift from pain to thoughts about the message being inscribed by the needles on their body, a state of trance, so to speak.

    The condemned usually die by the 12th hour and their body is dropped into a pit beside the machine.

    While still horrified by the torturous apparatus, the traveler is even more surprised when he finds out that the criminal sentences that are carried out are without the accused having a defense.

    Anyone accused is considered guilty and hence punished.

    He is told that the condemned man in their company was found guilty of not saluting the captain every hour like he was supposed to.

    The captain reported that the man was found asleep at the gate. The officer instantly found him guilty and there he was, for his own inscription day.

    Not only does the officer instantly doles out the judgment but also justifies this process citing the time that is saved by not listening to the other side, which he believes leads to a lot of lying making the process much longer than it needed to be.

    The condemned man, tied up and watched over by the soldier, however, is completely unaware of his fate.

    He is curious about the apparatus and sneaks a peek at it and tries to listen intently to the conversation between traveler and the officer to understand the apparatus.

    The officer, having explained the machine to the traveler with the slight hint of pride, asks the soldier to strap the condemned man on to the apparatus and begins to lament at the lack of support for this punishment method to the extent that he was the only one who was an open supporter.

    He reminisces of its glory days under the old commandant, now deceased. He beams with pride and has a shine in his eyes when he recalls the crowd that used to throng the place on days of execution, turning the event to a popular spectacle.

    And all that changing completely under the new commandment, who is against this mode of punishment, makes the officer visibly disheartened.

    The officer thinks that the traveler, as an outsider, is the means that the new commandant is using to completely rid the penal colony of this mode of judgement. He implores the traveler to defend the machine, just by not voicing any objections to it.

    The traveler disagrees as he does not find his punishment system just.

    Seeing that the traveler is adamant about his view, the officer orders the release of the condemned man and fixes the machine with another message for the inscriber “Be just”.

    He removes his clothes and is helped by the condemned man and the soldier to be strapped on to the machine.

    The machine falters and instead of being inscribed he is being stabbed by the needles. The water does not wash the blood and the machine suddenly stops. The officer is completely mutilated, a needle having gone right through his forehead.

    Intrigued by the officer’s account of the old commandant, he visits the gravesite and finds the plaque saying he will return and his old followers will rise up.

    He prepares to leave the town and at the port sees the soldier and the condemned man who seem to be wanting to join him on the boat.

    The traveler gets on the boat and successfully prevents the other two from doing it.

    Want to read In the Penal Colony?

    In the Penal Colony is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You can use the links given below to check the price of this book:

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    In the Penal Colony: Quotes, Theme and Review

    Kafka is in his full element with this story raising deeper questions about the role of justice in a well-functioning society, moral means of carrying out the judgements and the purpose or meaning of one’s life.

    The characters in the story, each have their desire at loggerheads with the others, preventing them all to find meaning in their lives.

    The officer wants the machine to be accepted by the new commandant by getting a favorable view from the traveller. The traveller was against it. The condemned man wanted to be free, the soldier and the officer were against it.

    None of them would be able to get what they wanted without affecting what the other did. Zero sum game.

    I couldn’t help but draw parallels to the real life applicability of this predicament.

    The utterly absurd means of judgment stands out to me as the most poignant theme in this story. Consider this quote by the officer for example:

    The basic principle that I use for my decisions is this: Guilt is always beyond a doubt. Other courts could not follow this principle, for they are made up of many heads and in addition have even higher courts above them.

    The fact that the officer is completely convinced of the correctness of his means is horrifying. We didn’t see him faltering even when his own judgement was carried out. He didn’t flinch once.

    This is crippling, come to think of it.

    People in the position of authority, with their misguided ideals can wreak havoc on societies as a whole.

    The famous Stanley Milgram experiment is a case in point. People, when working under authority, can go to great lengths administering atrocities.

    Another theme stands out: life as a slow torture.

    The machine is supposed to carry out the punishment in a long drawn out process. The condemned  death is slow and painful. The condemned know their fate, can not raise their voice against it, the society does nothing to support them.

    Traveler`s observation looking at the condemned man for the first time.

    The condemned man had an expression of such dog-like resignation that it looked as if one could set him free to roam around the slopes and would only have to whistle at the start of the execution from him to return.

    And his own surprise getting to know that the condemned man was unaware of his fate–

    He doesn’t  know his own sentence?

    A society like this clearly marking the beginnings of a dystopian society.

    Commenting on his Kafka stories, Anatole Broyard had once said:

    “They are an encyclopedia of our insecurities and our brave attempts to oppose them”

    In the Penal Colony definitely fits the bill.

  • The 30000 Bequest by Mark Twain: Summary and Review

    The 30000 Bequest by Mark Twain: Summary and Review

    The 30000 Bequest is a short story written by renowned American author Mark Twain. It was first published in a collection of short stories. This story revolves around the devastating effects of union of fantasy and finance.

    Picture this:

    You are walking down the street mindlessly and  you suddenly come across a beautiful young woman. Your immediate reaction is to tuck your bulging stomach in, and you smile your goofy smile – charming in your head and totally awkward in reality – imagining having that beauty as your doting girlfriend, having a mansion for a house, a Ferrari for a casual stroll car, when suddenly you see being yanked into a highly crowded subway train, failing to notice the door closing on your face.

    The beautiful woman is nowhere to be seen and somehow you have managed to sleepwalk in broad daylight for a straight 15 minutes right up till the subway train that takes you to work.

    You let out a sigh and well, get on with your day.

    Seems far fetched, eh?

    I bet you have seen at least a couple of variants of this seemingly inexplicable occurrence in some television show or some movie if you haven’t lived at least a dialed down version of this episode yourself at some point in your life.

    But what am I going on and on about this imagination when we are here to have a discussion about Mark Twain’s short story The 30000 Bequest?

    Two words:  Spoiler Alert.

    The 30000 Bequest: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story is set in a small town called Lakeside and boasts of about 6000 residents. Everyone knows everyone and their dogs. People are religious and friendly.

    The protagonist Saladin Foster was the only high-salaried book keeper in the town in his mid-thirties, who lived in the town with his wife Electra and their two daughters – Clytie and Gwen.

    Electra is a devoted wife and has brought the family a significant sum of money through her calculated financial ventures. She is a happy and pleased woman.

    Saladin (Sally) and Electra (Aleck) are both practical and diligent in all their endeavors during the day, but in the night, in each other’s company, the romantic version of their lives comes alive.

    All in all, they live a happy life.

    One day, they receive news from Sally’s distant relative Tilbury Foster, from a neighboring state, who mentions that he would be leaving 30000 bequest for them in his will, provided that they make no inquiries about him and do not attend his funeral.

    The couple, failing to properly register the oddity of the request, immediately start multiplying the imaginary money in their heads through a variety of financial investments.

    Although pretty harmless and comparatively limited in the beginning, their imagination begins to spiral out of control pretty quickly.

    The constant wait for the ‘good news’ of their relative’s demise meddles with their natural healthy familial state.

    They find themselves losing patience at the drop of a hat, quarreling with each other and constantly distracted while performing their usual duties.

    In a world where both of them have managed to multiply their imaginary wealth running into billions and made powerful contacts in the country and abroad, they keep rejecting proposals for their daughters. They are resolute on marrying them into nobody less than royalty.

    The husband and wife, who had once been so loyal and dedicated to each other, start finding flaws in one another, imaginary vices that they seemed to have acquired with their enormous wealth.

    Then, one day, the editor and proprietor of the Sagamore pays them a visit to remind them of their overdue payment of subscription, which the Fosters had missed for the last four years.

    Giddy with excitement to receive a visitor that they thought could only bring them good news of the relative’s death, they are heartbroken when they are told that Tilbury Foster died five years ago!

    Crestfallen upon receiving this terrible news, Sally and Electra sit motionless for hours, not realizing the departure of their guest.

    The dashed hopes do an irreparable damage to their mental health and they die a couple of years later.

    On his deathbed, Sally reflects on the disasters of unnatural wealth acquisition:

    Vast wealth, acquired by sudden and unwholesome means, is a snare. It did us no good, transient were its feverish pleasures; yet for its sake, we threw away our sweet and simple and happy life – let others take warning by us.

    Want to read The 30000 Bequest by Mark Twain?

    The 30000 Bequest is a short story which is published in a novel alongwith other short stories written by Mark Twain. You can use the links given below to buy this short story collection on Amazon:

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    The 30000 Bequest: Quotes and Review

    It’s so interesting to see the progression from contentment to cautious to frivolous and dangerous imagination and the havoc that it wreaked on their lives.

    Here’s the happy:

    “Happy in her husband, happy in her children and the husband and the children were happy in her.”

    The cautious:

    “Don’t lose your head so. We must not subscribe till we’ve got the money. Don’t you know that?”

    The frivolous:

    “Money had brought him (Tilbury Foster) misery, and he took revenge upon us, who had done him no harm. He had his desire: with base and cunning calculation he left us but thirty thousand, knowing we would try to increase it, and ruin our life and break our hearts.”

    The story has a grim ending but there is a little characteristic Mark Twain witty relief.

    Recall the brainstorming session that the couple had trying to come up with an excuse to throw a party to celebrate their imaginary wealth. As there were no birthday or any specific occasion to celebrate, the couple came up with an ingenious idea:

    But at last he hit it – just by sheer inspiration, as it seemed to him – and all their troubles were gone in a moment; they would celebrate the Discovery of America. A splendid idea!

    Let me take you back to a quick trip down the short term memory lane. Remember the guy sleep-walking his way up to his train at the Subway station I told you about at the beginning of this article?

    Does that idea seem more plausible to you now?

    What I got from the story is that – Crazy imagination is hilarious, when the subject is not you.

    Hope can be slippery sometimes.

    Tread with caution, friends of words!