On Tom’s Betrayal In Pudd’nhead Wilson From The Perspective Of Ethical Literary Criticism

Mark Twain is known as the representative of the critical realistic literature in the United States in the late 19 th century.It is common for the readers to find sarcastic remarks on some social phenomena in Twain’s works.In the novel Pudd’nhead Wilson,Twain develops the story by focusing on the baby-switching farce and the stories of these two babies – Tom and Chambers,and the relevant residents in the town.The former achievements on this novel are mainly about the education of Tom and slavery in the United States,and few researches are done from the perspective of ethical literary criticism.The thesis discusses the phenomenon of Tom’s betrayal of his birth mother,uncle and childhood companion and the factors that contribute to this phenomenon.The factors can be divided into external and internal ones.The external factors like the threats from others,change in ethical identity,abnormal love,damage on self-esteem and racial discrimination are catalysts of Tom’s betrayal.In addition to these external factors,the defects in Tom’s personality like irrationality,cowardice,and irresponsibility play a key role in the occurrence of his treacherous behavior.Tom’s irrationality always prevails when significant decisions need to be made.Tom is also a coward and irresponsible person who is ungrateful to his uncle,birth mother and childhood companion although these three people have offered him a lot of help.Only the elimination of both the external and internal factors can help Tom develop into a man accepted by the society and get rid of the ethical dilemma in which he is condemned as a murderer and betrayer.Although the novel is full of satires on the slavery and racial segregation in America,it does not mean that these exterior factors alone can determine a person’s behavior.Indeed,it is the integration of both theexterior factors and one’s interior quality that finally determines his words and deeds.Therefore,Tom’s violation of the accepted ethical rules in the novel is the integrated effect of all the internal and external factors.