The Notorious Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County Summary

80% of Americans gamble at least once a year. In 2013, 119 billion dollars were lost due to gambling in just America alone (Azizonomics). In the story “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, by Mark Twain, we learn about a gambler named Jim Smiley. Through an analysis of the character Jim Smiley, we learn about his personality, tendencies, and qualities. We see how he is the most important character despite the fact that we never see the story in his point of view.
We are not told much about the appearance of Jim Smiley, but we do learn a lot about his personality throughout the story. Jim Smiley is a huge gambler. He has a tendency to place a bet every chance he gets. “He was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up you ever see” (686). He has such a desire to bet …show more content…
He seems to have a gambling addiction. Betting on Parson Walker’s wife also makes him less likeable because it is a rather unsympathetic thing to do. However, throughout the story, Jim Smiley becomes slightly more likeable. He seems to just want some innocent fun of placing some bets. His innocence is also seen by his naiveness of leaving his opponent with his frog. He didn’t think anything bad would happen because he wasn’t looking for the bad in others. I think that Jim Smiley’s redeeming qualities are his pride and his honesty. He is prideful in his animals, not himself. He is always confident that his animals will win. You can see this through his confidence for his jumping frog. “‘Anyways, I’ve got my opinion, and I’ll resk forty dollars that he can outjump any frog in Calaveras County’” (689). Jim Smiley is an honest gambler. He never lies or cheats. I think that it is because of his own honesty that he is astonished when the stranger cheats in his bet. Therefore, Jim Smiley is an honorable, harmless, and very important character in the story of “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras