by Mark Twain (1883)
1 Nevertheless, I still would have the desire to be a steamboat man on the
Mississippi River. 2 But these were only daydreams. 3 Then one of our boys went
away. 4 He was not heard of for a long time. 5 At last, he turned up as apprentice
engineer or ‘striker’ on a steamboat. 6 This thing shook the bottom out of all my
Sunday-school teachings. 7 That boy had been notoriously worldly, and I was just
the reverse. 8 He was exalted to this eminence, and I left in obscurity and misery.
9 Whenever his boat was laid up, he would come home and swell around the town
in his blackest and greasiest clothes, so that nobody could not help but remember
that he was a steamboat man. 10 He used all sorts of steamboat technicalities in
his talk as if he were so used to them that he forgot common people could not
understand them.
11 This fellow had money, too, and hair oil. 12 He carried a silver watch and a
showy brass chain. 13 He wore a leather belt and used no suspenders. 14 If ever a
youth was cordially admired and hated by his comrades and me, this one was.
15 When his boat blew up at last it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such
as we had not known for months. 16 But then I saw him the next week, alive, and
renowned. He appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero,
stared at and wondered over by everybody. 17 It seemed to us that the partiality of
Providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to
criticism. 18 Wondering about it didn’t help, so I just made plans to travel to St.
Louis on a steamboat and try to get on as a cub pilot.
6.
Choose the correct answer. Point of view is WHO is telling the story.
The effect of the point of view gives the reader an idea of _______.
all of these
the conflict of fear vs. desire
the narrator and the other boys’ envy
1 answer
The correct answer is all of these.
The point of view in "Life on the Mississippi" provides insight into multiple aspects, including the conflict of fear versus desire, as the narrator grapples with his longing to be a steamboat man while feeling overshadowed by his friend. It also reflects the envy that the narrator and the other boys feel toward the friend who has achieved the status they desire, highlighting the social dynamics and personal aspirations that drive the narrative.
