The great American novelist Mark Twain who has written two of my favorite novels; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has also written ‘ The Innocents Abroad’ which is a travelogue detailing his travels in Europe. The novels have fascinated me endlessly. Tom Sawyer’s life of adventure and Huckleberry Finn’s life of reclusiveness have been the dream of many a school boy. In these novels Mark Twain delineates the American way of life, characterized by individual spirit, free will and destiny. Coming to the Innocents abroad, the book is an example of his brand of wry humor and satire. He describes his experience in different Nations, mostly situating himself as the innocent traveler who is constantly used, duped and taken for a ride. For example, his experience in a saloon in Paris where the Barber promises a shave to remember forever leaves him with a bleeding chin and he vehemently declares to have his revenge when the Barber visits the U.S.
An elegant French guide who is asked to have breakfast with them courteously on the first day, starts having 4 breakfasts a day at their expense and is also continuously hungry or thirsty. He is also always scheming to make them buy things like shirts and silk ties. In both France and Italy the author cannot find soap.
While at the painting ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo Da Vinci, he hears the visitors exclaiming what grace, what expression, what an astonishing divinity and so on. He, on the other hand, can divine nothing of that sort in this 500 year old painting and declares the copies being made to be more striking and interesting. His discovery of the figures of the savior in various shrines and churches dotting every small village, hamlet of Italy shocks him and he says would certainly terrorize children. The grotesqueness of the figurines, with graphic depictions of the thorn crown, nails, hammer, the spear and other things appears to be quite dissimilar to other figures. The most interesting observation he makes is that all the big cathedrals have an authentic piece of cloth which is said to be the one with which Jesus Christ wiped his face. He wonders as to what makes them claim singularity?
I would say Mark Twain is a little too acerbic in his wit and sarcasm. You could even call him derogatory but it has to be understood that he is trying to enhance the effect. In fact he is very hard to please and finds everything to be devious and odious. In Istanbul he finds that the smell is everywhere and the dogs of the city are his guiding posts.
He describes his encounters with guides whose attempts to impress them with several statues, figurines or busts fall flat. After examining the bust for a good 15 seconds, they would ask the guide “Is he dead?” Such an irreverent and ignorant question usually irritated the guides to no extent but provided the touring party untold mirth.
Only a few things can win his appreciation, the solidified skeleton of the soldier submerged in the pounding lava of the erupting Mt. Vesuvius is an extraordinary example of devotion to work. The soldier is still at his watch and alert. Comparing him to an American Policeman he says the American Police too would be at his post, but obviously asleep. Innocents abroad is a colorful narrative of Mark Twain's travels across Europe. Stopping short of being disrespectful and downright abusive, he unravels the layers of trust, myth, falsehood and yore to dissect the facts presented to him. In the end the effect is flabbergasting and the Innocent (read our author) succeeds in puncturing rosy versions of folklore with his inimitable brand of humor. (To be continued)