Literary Analysis Mark Twain, an American Author, wrote a short story in 1867 that revolves around a man being told a folktale of an Old Westerner named Jim Smiley. Smiley is described by the tale teller, Simon Wheeler, as lucky, competitive, and always ready to win a bet. In this story, the Old Western dialect and exaggeration of imagery are used to create satire of the Old West, as well as build on the characters. At the beginning of Twain’s story, the narrator expresses his hesitation to believe Simon Wheeler. He says, “I have a lurking suspicion that Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth; that my friend never knew an infamous Jim Smiley.” In doing so, it makes the reader question whether they would believe him in that situation, and the liability
