Insanely hard question over Mark Twain's Work

Question

In The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg, at the start of the story, the narrator makes it clear that the citizens of Hadleyburg are proud of their reputation and certainly seem to care that everyone knows about it. Yet in setting up the central conflict of the plot, the narrator states “Hadleyburg had the ill luck to offend a passing stranger—possibly without knowing it, certainly without caring, for Hadleyburg was sufficient unto itself, and cared not a rap for strangers or their opinions.”

How do you reconcile these differences? Write an argument that explains why, on the one hand, the citizens seem to care deeply about their reputation, but on the other hand, don’t seem to care what strangers think and support with evidence.

Answer 1

Hello Abhay! That's a very good question.

Oftentimes, writers like to play with the multiple meanings of certain words. In this case, "pride" not only refers to the importance the residents give to keeping their reputation but also the pride of haughtiness or arrogance. In other words, could it be that the residents are so full of themselves that they couldn't care less about what strangers think of them?

For your evidence, consider how Twain presents different variations of the residents' pride. Take inspiration from the word's different definitions and other meanings that may not be in the dictionary. Happy reading!