wilson

In Mark Twain’s novel, Pudd’n Head Wilson, there are many episodes of cross dressing, identity theft and disguise. The novels main characters Roxy, Tom, Chambers, and Pudd’n head Wilson all have a role in these various episodes. Some of the characters are successful in their endeavors, as when Roxy disguises herself as a man and Tom disguises himself as a woman in various parts of the novel. On the other hand, the case of identity theft between Tom and Chambers turns out to be unsuccessful in the end. Then there’s the episode of disguise and Pudd’n head Wilson. Why would Pudd’n head Wilson disguise himself.

The first time Roxy disguises herself to the reader is in the beginning of the novel. The first time Roxy is introduced is when Wilson overheard a conservation, “Say, Roxy, how does yo’ baby come on? This from the distant voice. Frust-rate; how does you come on, Jasper? This yell was was from close by from close by. Oh, I’s middlin’; hain’t got noth’n’ to complain of. I’s gwine to come a-court’n’ you bimeby, Roxy” (Twain, pg 63). Even though Roxy is recognized as a slave because she has 1/16th black, she is truly revealed to the reader by her language. From this conversation, the reader could assume that Roxy was a black slave, but as Twain explained “From Roxy’s manner of speech a stranger would have expected her to be black, but she was not.” (Twain, pg.63) In fact, Roxy was only one-sixteenth black but did not have the characteristics of a black person, as she had auburn hair and light skin. Since she was born she has been disguised as a slave and not seen as a member of society.

The next time we see Roxy disguise herself is when she follows Tom in St. Louis. At this point in the novel, Roxy had escaped the ...

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...the citizens when an invisible dog began to yelp and snarl and howl and make himself comprehensively disagreeable, whereupon young Wilson said, much as one who is thinking aloud-

“I wish I owned half of that dog”

“Why? Somebody asked

“Because I would kill my half” (Twain, pg. 59)

With Wilson saying that he would kill his half of an invisible dog, the town would give him a nickname that would stick with him forever, that name is Pudd’n head Wilson. Pudd’n head is another name for idiot. Which given the date that this novel takes place, Wilson, who is a college educated man would not be considered an idiot, he would be considered a very smart man. Wilson would disguise himself as an idiot when he’s actually a very smart and intelligent man. Through the novel Wilson would always be in the background, not to make himself known unless he wanted to be seen or heard.