Hadleyburg has always been a respectable town, the narrator says. Its residents instill high moral principles in their children and vigilantly guard them against temptation. One day, a Hadleyburg resident offends a stranger passing through the town. The stranger remembers the offense on his travels elsewhere and vows revenge. His goal is to ruin the town's reputation. The action takes place at the end of the nineteenth century in a small American town with the fictional name of Hadleyburg.
Theme
The evil within “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg," Mark Twain develops the theme that corruption underlies the pristine exterior of a community that vaingloriously promotes its integrity. The stranger (also referred to as a foreigner and a gambler) …show more content…
Though some of these residents acquired their status through wealth and power, Edward’s respectability appears to be based on strength of character. Though he and his wife are poor, Mary is comforted that “we have our good name.” At the start of the story, His first reaction to the sack of gold reflects his sense of honesty. He advertises the sack in order to bolster the town’s reputation for honesty, but Edward entertains notions of keeping the money for himself.
Irony
A major irony in the story is that the stranger uses lies and deceit to expose lies and deceit. One may fairly argue that Hadleyburg corrupted him before he corrupted Hadleyburg.
Like the verbal irony of “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” dramatic irony underscores the hypocrisy of the town. Numerous plot devices feature dramatic irony, including the nineteen letters from Stephenson, the “favor” Burgess erroneously grants Edward by not naming him, and the applause showered upon the guilty Richardses for their honesty. Throughout the various twists and turns of the plot, the omniscient narrator keeps the reader informed of the “real” situation in Hadleyburg by means of dramatic irony.
Theme
The evil within “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg," Mark Twain develops the theme that corruption underlies the pristine exterior of a community that vaingloriously promotes its integrity. The stranger (also referred to as a foreigner and a gambler) …show more content…
Though some of these residents acquired their status through wealth and power, Edward’s respectability appears to be based on strength of character. Though he and his wife are poor, Mary is comforted that “we have our good name.” At the start of the story, His first reaction to the sack of gold reflects his sense of honesty. He advertises the sack in order to bolster the town’s reputation for honesty, but Edward entertains notions of keeping the money for himself.
Irony
A major irony in the story is that the stranger uses lies and deceit to expose lies and deceit. One may fairly argue that Hadleyburg corrupted him before he corrupted Hadleyburg.
Like the verbal irony of “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” dramatic irony underscores the hypocrisy of the town. Numerous plot devices feature dramatic irony, including the nineteen letters from Stephenson, the “favor” Burgess erroneously grants Edward by not naming him, and the applause showered upon the guilty Richardses for their honesty. Throughout the various twists and turns of the plot, the omniscient narrator keeps the reader informed of the “real” situation in Hadleyburg by means of dramatic irony.