Does Mark Twain Use Satire To Uncover The Hypocrisy Of Man

No Laughing Matter-

Mark Twain’s use of Satire to Uncover the Hypocrisy of Man

The human race has always boasted its image as the superior species with the ability to think critically, create masterpieces that outlast themselves, and stand on their own two feet; however, when one peers into the true image of human nature, the reality is far from what is portrayed. From discrimination to hypocrisy, the truth has always been exploited to reinforce the “superior species” narrative. Hypocrisy in particular tends to be the most pervasive human flaw and is also “often allied with moral relativism, the personal belief that the moral [,] ethical [, and scientific] standards of others do not necessarily apply to oneself”. Human Beings, or society more

often, tend to preach the value of equality and rationality, while believing at the same time that this standard set for others does not also apply to them. Many choose to ignore the utter hypocrisy that has always been engrained in human nature; however, there have been a select few writers who choose to expose the true nature of man. Though there have been many facets utilized by these authors, none more effective and tacit than satire and few authors are as adept at using it as Mark Twain. He is especially at his best when using satire to disguise biting criticism of human hypocrisy. This is especially true in his works “War Prayer” and “Was the World Made for Man”. In his essays “Was the World Made for Man” and “War Prayer”, Mark Twain uses science and an archetypical character description in his satire writings to explore mankind’s tendency to be hypocritical.
In his essay, “Was the World Made for Man”, Mark Twain brilliantly utilizes science to discredit the hypocrisy of belief in a human centered universe. Man tends to try and bend factual evidence to provide logic to their beliefs, no matter how illogical and that is exactly what Alfred Russel Wallace does in 1903, by writing a book named Mans Place in the Universe. In this, Wallace claimed that the universe was created with the goal of supporting intelligent beings of life, or humans as they are commonly known. He dilutes factual evidence to try and support his false notion that the world was created for man. The bold assertion of having a man-centered universe prompted Twain to respond with his satirical essay, “Was The World Made for Man”. In the essay, Twain takes on the persona of a scientist who uses geology, astronomy, and paleontology to provide “support” for the notion that the world was indeed created for man. Twain provides evidence from these three branches of science and tries himself, mockingly, to bend these facts to his will. Will doing this, the reader can see the ludicrousness in the claim because the facts simply do not support the man-centered universe theory. First Twain uses geological evidence to satirize Wallace’s’ belief by stating “Lyell believed that our race was introduced into the world 31,000 years ago, Herbert Spencer makes it 32,000. Lord Kelvin agrees with Spencer. Very well. According to Kelvin's figures it took 99,968,000 years to prepare the world for man, impatient as the Creator doubtless was to see him and admire him.” The huge period of geological time the earth took to become habitable and the constant changes the earth took in its formative years does not suggest a preparation for man, but rather simple trial and error. Twain answer to this fallacy in the man-centered universe claim is mockingly stating that God was simply preparing the world for man during this time. However, there is still monumental scientific evidence, specifically paleontology, Twain provides that put that belief into question. Twain speaks then of fossils found of other species such as dinosaurs and oysters and the long periods of time in pre-history that they lived on the earth. Another flaw could also be seen in the amount of time man himself has been alive. Man, as a species, has only been alive for about 32,000 years, a mere fragment in earth’s history, so how can we claim to be the sole purpose for the creation of the planet when we’ve only been alive for a fraction of the time compared to the age of the earth. To believe in a man-centered universe would almost be as outlandish as believing that the Eiffel Tower was made just for the paint on the pinnacle. Furthermore, people chose to be blind to logic and reason because it threatens their fragile view of the themselves. The same logic was explored by Plato's Allegory of the Cave. In the allegory, a group of people are chained to each other inside a cave. They only see shadows, which become their entire world. Like the occupants chained in a cave, people only see what they have seen their entire lives. They cannot believe that there is something more than what they know is true. Even though theories like evolution have more than enough evidence to prove it is worth attention, many people chose to ignore it. They refuse to believe anything that could threaten their Beliefs. However, there has been no evidence found to validate the credibility of any. Instead of focusing on the concrete and tangible many people choose to believe in something that may or may not be true. Many people would hide in the darkness of their own cave watching the familiar shadows, in an almost child-like manner, rather than come out and see the sunlight: the truth.
The “War Prayer” uses the character arc of the old man to critique the hypocrisy of using religion to assist in war.

When talking about hypocrisy in human nature, the conversation would be incomplete without a look into the hypocrisy of religion. Countless acts of cruelty and brutality have been committed in the name of a “loving” God or deity who preaches forgiveness and kindness to all. Religion has been the mask used my human beings for justification of many crimes against fellow humans and has been the cry to war and genocide for centuries. Disturbed about the change the United States underwent from freeing a colonized population to become the aggressors in the Philippines, Mark Twain voiced his reservations in his essay. His essay “utilizes an archetypal figure to vivify the unspoken side of prayer” (Davis), the human cost of the other side. The archetype is embodied as an old wise man claiming that a prayer for victory also entailed a prayer for “destruction for another.” (Davis) Much can be said about the old man’s role and significance in the essay; however, his appearance tells the reader much. He is described as “an aged stranger entered … his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness.” His description is very similar to the stereotypical physical characteristics of a higher being, or even God himself. Twains use of this description of the old man is no coincidence. Due to the old man’s appearance, one could be lead to think that Twain is using a character so physically similar to God to show the reader the real hypocrisy in “confusing the Creator with a destroyer” (Davis). Comparisons can also be made between the old man and Jesus Christ. Just like in the story of Jesus Christ, the man’s warning was ignored and he was branded a lunatic and all but insane. The people of the Church also doubt when the old

man states “I come from the Throne—bearing a message from Almighty God!” just like the Pharisees doubted Jesus Christ when he claimed he was indeed the son of God. People live, die, and even kill for gods who might not even exist. They build their lives on the fact that there is a higher deity, so many would rather be right than come to a peaceful ceasefire. Twain uses many parallels in characters from the Bible to the characters in his essay to show the hypocrisy in prayer for God, the apparent merciful, kind and benevolent, to assist in a war. Twain shows in his essay that “One should be cautious for what one prays; the prayer might be granted. Hoping that they "ignorantly and unthinkingly" prayed for the outlined results, the stranger waits to hear if they still wish them. The final irony, however, is that the congregation sees not an emblematic wise man, prophet, or wrathful God in the stranger but a stereotypical lunatic. Rather than accept the insanity of war, the people consider the messenger insane.” (Davis)
Throughout the years, Twains work has stood the test of time and still rings true in this age of supersaturated media. Mark Twain’s use of satire as a tool for social commentary provides an effective perspective of critically looking and the world a hypocritical society. Twain does not provide a solution to the issue of hypocrisy, merely exposes it. The search for a solution is up the society that perpetuated the hypocrisy; however, Twain gives the hypocritical society a tool in this search: enlightenment rather than live full of denial, Twain offers an alternative: facing the truth head on.