Dear Internet,
"A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is a wonderfully whimsical book
that rarely takes itself seriously. It
does on occasion do so but let me hold off on that for a second. The novel is one of wit and humor, which
should be expected from Mark Twain. The
humor comes from a number of different sources, but the bulk comes from the
narrator himself, the Boss. The Boss is
a collection of silly mannerisms and thought processes that rival the
simplicity that he sees in the English peasants. For example, the very first thing that Boss
does when he is given power is to make a Patent office. Making schools and telegraph lines comes
afterwards, but he wants to make sure that there is an office that can prove
that he thought up the various inventions he makes.
The
Boss is a constant source of humor, usually when he himself does not realize it,
which is more a showcase of Twain's ability to make a comical protagonist. Near the end of the book, Boss must face up
against a number of knights in armor riding horses. He disposes of them one by one using nothing
more than a lasso. The image of a cowboy
facing off against men in plate armor wielding lances and swords is enough to
cause the work to have a surreal set up.
Just moments later, Boss is popping one left and right using side arms
while the populace claim witchcraft. Later
on, the book details the final hurrah that the Boss creates when his technological
empire begins to crumble beneath his feet.
We all knew it could not last considering that there are no traces of
such an outlandish story being true, even within the confines of the book. This last stand is one that would otherwise
be morbid if it were not for the fact that the narrator is doing most of his
plotting off the duff and nonchalantly.
His ego is what makes it so comical.
However,
the book is not entirely a barrel full of monkeys. There are times that the book knows to pull
at the reader's heartstrings. The most
notable one in my mind is one that occurs when King Arthur travels the
countryside alongside Boss while in the disguise of a peasant farmer. In their travels, Arthur sees many things
that he would otherwise not. From
slavery that is an indignity against humanity to the actions of lords who act
against a human, Arthur sees firsthand the kingdom that he rules. The amount that he absorbs into his mind is
questionable and can be argued to not have made much of an effect on him. I digress, for the segment that I want to
mention is the one that lies in the chapter called "The Smallpox
Hut." Within this chapter, a woman
is found to be diseased by smallpox, and her family is touched by the malice as
well. She recounts her situation which
has led to her abandonment by the other villagers and the clergy. It is filled with hardship and
misfortune. The single chapter can stand
on its own ability, and I recommend it to you to read it.
Even
the book's final ending of the Boss knows how to make a tragedy out of a
comedy. I have said that the narrator is
a fool and is made fun of by his actions.
The book does not take him seriously nor should we. He is a smart dumb man, if that is
possible. The fact that his downfall
stems from the superstitious tendencies of the populace or at least the
unwilling nature to learn the truth of science highlights the fact that he
himself is unwilling to learn and remember the nature of those people. If he was as willing to learn about the
people around his as he wished for them to learn, he probably would have
foreseen and prevented the eventual downfall.
But the end of the book remembers to not paint him as a one sided coin. Even in his last moments upon his deathbed,
the Boss's positive qualities are highlighted just enough to make the reader
remember that even he had some good qualities about him. In fact, nearly every character is given this
treatment of well-roundedness. King Arthur
is a simpleton that does not know where vegetables come from, but he knows
warfare and how to rule. Morgan le Fey
is a tyrant that knows no mercy, but she keeps a clean house. Sandy has a way with words that never seems
to end, but she has some qualities that even the narrator found admirable. "Yankee" does not paint a picture
with flat colors. Instead it uses shades
to remind the reader of the many facets of people.
"A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is an enjoyable book to say the
least. It made me laugh and cry, albeit
quietly lest I come across as being weirder than I already am. It is a book that remembers to not take
itself too seriously while at the same time takes its topic as serious. It is a rightful paradox through and
through. It entertains and provokes
thought, which is essential to a book.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
P.S Next is "K-On!" and "K-On!!" Why in the world is this in my Backlog?
