Eric Lott Analysis

The elaboration of the social problem of racism as depicted by both Mark Twain and Eric Lott, in their literary works is substantiated by the reference to the Post-Civil War Federal Reconstruction programs. These programs, whose primary objective was to reunite the racially divided nation, had failed miserably in their initial goal which was to give an economic and legal assistance the struggling black population and to also assist them in securing a social place in a white mainstream community. Still on Mark Twain’s approach and within the context of this particular historical period, Mark Twain, came on the forefront of critiquing Jim Crow and stereotyping him in the minstrel tradition, with the accompaniment of a Negro slave dialect and

With racial disparities as a primary point of focus in Lott’s Love and Theft, Mark Twain also focuses on both the blackface minstrel and the famous abolitionist novel on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” A contrast between Eric Lott’s blackface minstrel perspective and that of the post-slavery advocates exists, concerning the abolitionist context. According to Lott, the minstrel show performances were a method that provided a way for the white working class audiences as well as the performers to give an expression of their individual attraction for the African or rather the black culture through the appropriation of different parts of the black culture. On the contrary, the post-slavery advocates considered this move by the whites as foolish. According to them, this behavior by the white performers was mainly a means of trying to convey the message that the black slaves were not intelligent enough to take care of themselves. In the argument made by Eric Lott, the minstrel acts poked fun at elites and also allowed the whites to make political statements about their grievances even as they demeaned blacks. Mark Twain, on the other hand, considers the minstrel performances as rather delightful and a thoroughly competent laugh compeller. According to scholars such as Ellison, some of Twain’s characterization of Jim was substantially influenced by the performances that he saw on stage during the performances of the white minstrel