speculation companies and speculators. Besides, the capitalists occupied a large amount of mineral mountains and abundant resources.
Ever concentrating fortune and deeply monopolized fields made the American’s economy deformed, it mainly embodied in the ever frequent finance crisis and the large-scale economic crisis continually. The economic depression and the gap between the rich and the poor deepen the rank’s conflict .Workers and farmers set up trade union and association to strengthen their class advantages. The famous association had worker class’s National Labor Union and labor knight regiment. The labor regiment was the first biggest American workers association in worker’s history. Before 1878 year, compelled by the ruling class’s high-tension policy, it took secret mode. It admitted women workers, black people and farmers to take part in organization, education and cooperation, lift worker’s welfare and be against strikes conflict. These evil phenomena of American reality were just the target of Mark Twain’s critical composition. Confronted with such a disappointed and frustrated American realistic dilemma, Mark Twain, a responsible and conscious writer, was inevitably involved with the battle of defending the country’s image and people’s rights; this was the object reason of the critics.
While, macroscopically, Mark Twain’s critics was dependent on American’s reality itself .Evidently, in speak of reasons and effects, if Mark Twain’s critics was effects, then the American reality itself was the cause, this was the most exact and straight answer.
To some extent, American reality and Mark Twain’s critics were legal reflection. A Million Pound took humor and irony as tool, reflected the real life vividly and lashed society’s blemish. Mark Twain’s humor and irony sneer at vulgarity, hypocrisy money worship etc.
1.2 About the Author
Mark Twain is a famous US writer, a representative critical writer for realistic literature of the late-half nineteenth century. Mark Twain has created lots of realistic works, which launched a severe criticism on US reality of the late-half nineteenth century. Since long, Mark Twain’s literature contributions, has drawn much concern, whereas much less concern and remarks by researchers from domestic and abroad is on the historic value among his literary works as well as his personal behaviors of the time.
The reasons of Mark Twain’s criticism can’t avoid mentioning his sufferings. Mark Twain’s life was full of ups and downs, anchorless life; the dream which makes big fortune broke up every time and relatives’ frequent unfortunate. To Mark Twain, who was a writer, this kind of personal experience under American realistic context, undoubtedly can lead to mind’s change and evolution, this would stimulate Mark Twain to be unsatisfied with American reality to some extent, and was the subject triggering factor of his criticism.
Mark Twain lost father when he was young, his family was as poor as a mouse, making his childhood dream broken, he had to drop off from school, and be a printing apprentice in a weekly newspaper, tasted the sorrow and warmth of society. He worked hard, but the welfare was very awful, then, his elder brother bought the newspaper and let him work there continually, but was very strict to him, and even didn’t give salary to him, he was tired from the poor apprentice life. However, working in Mississippi River as a sailor was a very agreeable memory, it was the unforgettable time in Mark Twain’s life .Mark Twain worked on river for about four years, these four years made him change his attitude towards himself, “He was being a somebody at first time”, while, during the four years, he made contact with every kind of people, and they were his works’ spectacular prototype, just as he said “I recognized and was familiar with all kinds of people, they stepped into my works afterwards. ”However, the best time didn’t last long, because the breakup of American civil war, Mississippi River closed steamboats traffic, Mark Twain had to give up this profession, and took part in civil war’s south army; he left army due to his intolerance to kill people. Then, he worked as a secretary followed with his elder brother, and bred an idea to be a rich person, he came to mineral mountain to tap mineral and harvested nothing unexpectedly .During this time, Mark Twain started his writing life, and took a job as a journalist, he wrote a series of ironic works. After paying a large amount of industriousness, and obtaining fame, Mark Twain got to east coast from set up his own publishing company. However, it was broken because of poor management, leaving a heavy debt and had to pay back the debt through making speeches around the world. His dramatic profession life and frequently changed post made him can make contact with all kinds of people from every class, see different faces every time, familiar with people’s living environment and realistic status of every class and experience the low class’s sufferings and appeals. Mark
Twain’s criticism attaches great importance to his personality. He was a kind-hearted man. His kindness is just like his mother. When he saw a wounded bird which hit by a pistol falling down on the ground, his inner heart was very sad. The pity bird lay on the ground like a wound child. During American civil war, Mark Twain was intolerant to kill people himself, so he left army.
Mark Twain was an honest person. Although he was not an outstanding businessman, he still adhered to the honest principle. When his publishing house was broken in his nephew’s hand, the debt was amount to 66%; he steadfastly took out his personal money from his writing to compensate the debt. Mark Twain’s honest also embodied in the last few years before he died; he bequeathed a real Mark Twain, a real American to the next generation through his biography writer dictation. He said that he talked to people from tomb. “I really talk to people from tomb. Because I had gone when this book was published”, “I determined to talk to people from tomb rather than speak by myself is that I can freely speak.” Mark Twain could make such an honest word when he was at the dusk of his life; this was undoubtedly an honest writer’s soul gleam and noble quality.
Mark Twain was a picnicker; he hated wars, especially the aggressive imperialist war. Mark Twain wrote down American’s hypocrisy, cruelty and barbarian behaviors in the aggressive wars and put forward his own opinion of the war. He pointed out that all the people should get out of these inhumane battles.
Mark Twain’s good quality, in front of the American’s realistic corruption and darkness, would naturally bear strong counter feelings, these kinds of feelings accumulated in the writer’s heart and eventually broke up, he criticize American’s reality through his just pen. And in 1909, Mark Twain caught a heart attack, and died in his Connecticut apartment in the next year.
In view of his whole life, the journalist career cultivated his observation and loyal work ethic, made him be a sober realist.
As a traveler, Mark Twain was good at displaying an extraordinary world and natural scenery, to stimulate readers’ imagination. As a westerner, Mark Twain saw people’s venture spirit when pursuing fortune, saw how the violence and nature control people’s destiny, and witness the puzzle from frustrated ambitious and disillusion.
1.3 Profile
The story happened in last century’s England .A millionaire brother made a bet on a million pound check to see whether this check would bring people boundless fortune or just only an ordinary paper. Quickly, Adam who was from America came into the brother’s vision. This person’s boat was wrecked because of hitting the coral reef; he arrived in England successfully by working on boat. He was broken and starved at present, this kind of poor guy was the best choice. So Adam was invited to Millionaire’s.
The brother gave Adam the million pound check, and promised that he can spend it in any way within a month. But he had to return the check to them after a month, then, he would have a chance to get any job he wanted to. Adam received the promise in confusion. Whatever Adam did, he would be laughed at for his rugged clothes, for example, go shopping or go dining. However, when he took out this check, people not only licked his boots, even saved the related expense, because he was a millionaire in their eyes, and no one can find the changes for the million pound check at all.
Then, in no time, the local newspaper published a news about an American millionaire who dressed strangely came to England, Adam was the focus of the polite society suddenly, no matter the duke or the rich businessmen took pride in making friends with Adam, the young ladies even were jealous to each other in order to attract Adam’s attention, Adam was the celebrity in England.
While, soon Adam was in dilemma. First, he owned more and more debt, then the hotel’s server played a joke with him, and hid the million pound check, suddenly the share market fell rapidly, rumor said that he was a liar, and the debtor was crowded in the hotel.
After the one month deadline, Adam returned the check to the brother relaxed. But Adam didn’t accept the job they provided, because he had gone through ups and downs, he was tired from pursuit of money. Although he lost the money, he harvested a lot.
1.4 Theme
Mark Twain finished lots of literature works in his life. In his works of literature, he laughed at, satirized and criticized the power of money, the hypocritical morality, corrupted politics, etc. It is full of Mark Twain’s humor; he criticized and satirized the social hideousness bitterly. Mark Twain detailed
the social hideousness with his particular humor. It is full of relaxation, optimism and humorous style. Mark Twain developed a new milestone in novels for American people; he is a real great Native American.
In A Million Pound, a million pound check which can not spend was worshiped by millions of people. Mark Twain exposed capitalist’s money worship through satire and negative opinions of those irrational phenomena. It displayed money’s poisonous to people’s soul and lashed the western middle-class people’s hypocrisy greed folly and absurdity. These strong feelings were soaked with traditional humor, it can prevail steady pursuit and hope. A Million Pound has traditional humor, also is fueled into ironic reality, making people deep in thought, strengthening the criticism and attractiveness.
Mark Twain’s writing intention is to analyze money cult and soul’s deformity in money society. By reading the book, we can see how vivid the author describes the money pursuit phenomena and contemporary money-talk evil mentality in capitalist society. The million pound check made Adam get fortune, but at the same time, it also made him degenerated as a speculative liar from a clear and honest man. The book described money as the respect standard of capitalist society, it manipulate people’s destiny and is the root of evil morality. The hidden thought is very profound. It just like knife, gun and dagger, penetrates the capitalist society’s heart, makes people alarmed, sober and startled. Mark Twain’s anger and acclaim under his pen point at the exposure of American ruling class hypocrisy. He liked to be close to life to find the stories that had the most satirical meaning. He wanted the reader could think it over after laughing, thus humor would be more realistic.