The Mysterious Outsider

Words: 222
Pages: 1

The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain explores the idea that humans want to better themselves and other people's lives, but are blind to the long term consequences of doing so. Throughout the story Satan is the leading star, showing Seppi, Nikolas, and Theodor, the narrator, what he can do to affect people's lives. Satan tells Theodor and Seppi what will happen for the rest of peoples live such as Nikolas, he says he will either be a “paralytic log” (95) for forty six years or die saving a girl named lisa and go to heaven. He gives them the choice of having Nikolas die soon or be paralyzed for many years, they choose to have him die now since it seemed the best option. What they did not understand was what would happen to Nikolas's mother who