Twain's The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County - Essay on American Literature

Mark Twains The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is an 1865 story. Notably, the story was initially told in epistolary structure, which implies that a letter has some tale reprints that have misplaced those letters in a framed convention. Mark Twain recounts his visit to California mining camp after a request from a friend back east to Simon Wheeler (Twain, 2008). Wheeler narrates to Twain a colorful story regarding miner, Jim Smiley who he says loves to place bets and would place a gamble on merely anything. He then links some of Wheelers gambling adventures to a pet frog. This story has been frequently criticized as a tell-tale rather than Mark Twains utilization of exaggeration and humor. The critics also emphasize that the tale is mocking the prevalent cultural differences and the unique storytelling between the eastern and western United States regions (Venturino, 2008). Moreover, the behavior of the characters is very distinct. The use of imagery, irony, symbolism and dialect provide a realistic view of the storys setting.

Mark Twain uses dialect in the Jumping Frog to provide readers with a convincing impression of the storys setting. The local dialect is evident throughout the story and has been effective owing to its ability to enhance the story through painting a picture of the surrounding. The use of diction and dialect by Twain gives the reader a deeper understanding of the characters while adding a local notion to the narrative. Words such as feller, bannanner and warnt have been used by Twain to create humor (Twain, 2008). Moreover, these words are slang and dialect which seek to indicate the writers intention to portray westerners as more simpleminded and dumb compared to people from the East. It is almost like the whole world is different such that it is separated from the newly urbanized Western United States.

Although the Southern accent might be difficult to understand, the Jumping Frog has developed a rather amusing perspective. Twain uses instances of local color to show his efforts in trying to depict the true dialect and tone of the southern region in the United States. Jumping Frogs writing style does not only establish it as an American story but also develops an interaction with the southerners for easy comprehension (Venturino, 2008). However, if dialect was not considered by Twain in this story, the satirical aspect would have been lost. Therefore, the inclusion of dialect and diction helps to build the story by giving it a southern flavor and twist.

Twains Jumping Frog uses dialogue as an effective form of imagery. The mispronunciations in Wheelers story and the slang in the Mid-western intonation create the belief among readers that they are hearing it direct from the narrator (Venturino, 2008). Dialogue is crucial as a form of imagery especially to Twains tell-tale story. Smileys dog is also an effective form of imagery owing to the storytelling ability. The colorful description provides readers with the vivid and humorous imagery in the Jumping Frog. Another effective imagery is Smileys horse which Wheeler uses to appeal to the sense of hearing in the narrator. The asthmatic horse is said to raise m-o-r-e racket with her sneezing and coughing (Twain, 2008). The jumping frog is imagery crucial for a tell-tale especially when it is about details that are embellished. The description of the infamous jumping frog has Wheeler claiming it whirls in the air like a doughnut, summersaults and then come down like a cat in a flat footed pattern (Twain 3). Wheelers narrator despite hard to believe, is not challenging to imagine owing to his colorful imagery.

Mark Twains Jumping Frog brings into perspective the fact that not everything is perfect and honest. As a result, it is necessary to prepare for the unexpected. Twains story shows that the reality of the world is that people are always trying to be opportunistic. However, life is always not fair to everyone since any reader would presume that Smiley would win the bet but after the tables turn, Smiley feels what it is like to lose a bet. The voices of Wheeler and the Narrator are symbolic. The narrators refined and posh voice creates an emphasis of his initial background. Wheeler and Smiley, on the other hand, have rough and coarse voices with precise grammar and vocabulary (Twain, 2008). The story portrays Wheeler as an uneducated and western person who in some instances tricks the narrator and compels him to be attentive to his stories. In a non-realistic perspective, it is usually the intelligent and educated people that control and get what they want. However, Mark Twain gives a practical version of the world by noting the ease with which an educated person is duped and denied what he desires. Twain chose frogs due to their color as green are always associated with greed in North America (Venturino, 2008). The frog as a symbol was an excellent choice especially in frog racing that displays Smileys hunger to win bets.

Mark Twains Jumping Frog entails dramatic irony that happens when Smiley and Danl Webster, his jumping frog are together. Dramatic irony is when the readers know something the characters do not. Upon losing the jumping competition, Danl Webster portrays dramatic irony as the reader knows that the stranger filled him with Birdshot hence the heavy weight to jump. (Venturino, 2008). In the entire frog jumping competition, Jim appears to be oblivious that something unusual was going on until the departure of the stranger. Verbal irony in Twains Jumping Frog indicates the satire is not just associated with vernacular and sophisticated voice but also mens speech in terms of the false against the truth (Twain, 2008). For example, the narrator describes Smileys voice as possessive when in reality he finds it tedious.

In conclusion, Twain has successfully managed to mix dialect, diction, irony, imagery and symbolism in the Jumping Frog. These elements enhance the tell-tale tradition of American literature. Ever since its production, Jumping Frog has remained anthological owing to its realistic nature in evaluating peoples characters in different spheres of life.

References

Twain, M. (2008). The celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County. The Creative Company.

Venturino, S. J. (2008). The Notorious Jumping Reader of Calaveras County: Twain, Blanchot, and a Dialectic of Storytelling. The Midwest Quarterly, 49(4), 374.