Reading Mark Twain's River

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Reading Mark Twain’s River

Whether we realize it or not, one’s childhood is an integral part of who they are as a person. Everything from the places, the people and the conditions one is brought up in impacts their psyche, and influences their choices as an adult. The occupation they will choose and the people they will hold close to their heart are all the aftermath of what they encountered as a child. With all these integral factors of life so closely interrelated to each other, it becomes difficult to separate one from the other. One ends up combining the best and worst parts of their life together to create one impactful story. Similarly, Mark Twain’s upbringing, his career, and the losses he incurred to the river influenced him to write …show more content…
This is a core reason as to why Twain’s characters are based in similar towns along rivers. It has been said that he “used his intimate knowledge of the Mississippi River and the nature of his home state of Missouri, along with his experience with other American landscapes to define the character and identity of his most iconic characters” (Miller par.1). He also “spent his childhood and developed his love of the great river” (Pullen 2512) in Hannibal. Mark’s childhood along the river proved to be exciting, since the “Mississippi had become a

busy water highway with steady steamboat traffic” (McArthur 14). He and his friends had a myriad of ambitions, most of which faded away with time; but Twain held on to the dream of becoming a steamboat pilot long after he left the river and his friends. He even incorporated the games and adventures he and his friends had along the Mississippi in his stories (McArthur …show more content…
He convinced Bixby to allow him to be an apprentice, and began a career he loved and dreamed about since he was a little boy (McArthur 23). Mark Twain was given the name Samuel Longhorn Clemens, but initially he went under the pseudonym Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass (Kirk 30). After his piloting days were over, however, Twain creatively merged his piloting career with his writing one; by making his pen name Mark Twain, which is actually “a pilot’s term indicating water depth at which a boat could safely navigate without grounding” (Miller par. 2). Twain went on to become well acquainted with the ins and outs of the river, learning “the secrets of the river including its landmarks and hidden dangers” (25). Although being a pilot brought in a good salary, the position came with a great deal of responsibility. Even getting the depth of the river wrong, would cause the boat to “run around, and that cost the company money in lost shipping time, repairs and the crew’s wages (Kirk 32). But nothing could deter Twain from fulfilling his dream. He developed the skills needed to be an efficient pilot, by “learning how to read the river, night and day with a sensitivity that was hidden behind the hard- drinking, tough-talking braggadocio of men who possessed a high skill, improvisatory intuition
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