Work record

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

Also known as: The Gilded Age

1873 · 19th Century · Satire · English

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Abstract

Written: 1873
Setting: 1840s-1870s; Tennessee, Missouri, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C.
Author: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
Country: United States
Language: English
Genre: Satirical novel
Form: Novel in 63 chapters
Recommended: Grades 10–12 (Long satirical novel; includes a murder trial and political corruption.)

Land. A Tennessee squire buys vast tracts of wild land, certain they will someday enrich his children, and moves his family to Missouri, where he takes in two orphans.

Dreamer. His friend, a perpetually broke colonel, sees fortunes in every scheme, from eye-water to railways, and keeps the family's hopes alive.

Lobbyist. The adopted daughter, betrayed by a married officer, becomes a celebrated Washington charmer who works on congressmen to buy the family tract.

Corruption. A sanctimonious senator steers the bill with bribes until an exposure sinks it, yet he escapes justice; meanwhile the daughter shoots her seducer and a farcical trial sets her free.

Contrast. An honest young Easterner and a Quaker medical student show the alternative of steady work and conscience, and he finally strikes coal.

Legacy. The two authors' satire named an era of speculation and scandal, and it remains a useful window on post-war American politics for older students. Because two authors alternated chapters, the book is uneven, but its satire of lobbying, speculation, newspapers and courtroom theatre remains sharp. It pairs well with a history unit on Reconstruction and post-war scandals, and with later satires of American business.

Main characters

Laura Hawkins: An adopted daughter who becomes a Washington lobbyist.
Colonel Beriah Sellers: A charming dreamer of schemes.
Si Hawkins: A landowner who believes the Tennessee land will make his fortune.
Senator Abner Dilworthy: A pious, corrupt senator.
Philip Sterling: An honest young man seeking his fortune.
Ruth Bolton: A Quaker woman who studies medicine.

Summary

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, published in 1873, was written jointly by Mark Twain and his Hartford neighbor Charles Dudley Warner, and its title gave a name to the whole era of American history after the Civil War. The story begins in Tennessee, where Squire Si Hawkins owns seventy-five thousand acres of land that he believes will one day make his family rich. He moves his family to Missouri, adopting two orphans, Clay and Laura, the latter rescued from a steamboat explosion. Hawkins is encouraged by his visionary friend Colonel Beriah Sellers, a lovable, penniless dreamer who always sees millions in some new scheme. The Tennessee land becomes the family's curse, keeping them waiting for wealth instead of working. Laura grows into a beautiful, clever woman. Seduced and abandoned by Colonel George Selby, a married Confederate officer, she goes to Washington as a lobbyist, using her charm to win votes for a bill by which the government would buy the Tennessee land for a university for freed slaves, promoted by the corrupt Senator Abner Dilworthy. A second plot follows two young Easterners, Philip Sterling and Harry Brierly, who go west to make their fortunes in railroad schemes; Philip falls in love with Ruth Bolton, a Quaker girl who studies medicine, and eventually finds coal through hard work. Laura shoots Selby in a New York hotel and is tried for murder; the trial is a farce, and she is acquitted on grounds of insanity. The land bill fails when Dilworthy's bribery is exposed, but he escapes punishment, and Laura, abandoned by her supporters, dies alone. The novel satirizes speculation, political corruption, lobbying, journalism and the courts in Washington, though its plot is uneven because of the two authors' different styles. Students can read it alongside the history of the post-war decades to see how the satire matches real scandals of the time.

Virtues in this work

Industry: Philip Sterling finally succeeds through steady, honest hard work rather than speculation.
Justice: The novel exposes bribery and corruption in Congress and in the courts.

Plot or Argument

The Tennessee land
Squire Hawkins moves to Missouri and adopts Clay and Laura.
Speculation
Colonel Sellers dreams of fortunes; Philip and Harry go west.
Washington
Laura lobbies for the land bill with Senator Dilworthy.
Trials and failures
Laura shoots Selby and is acquitted; the bill fails; Philip finds coal.

Characters

Laura Hawkins, heroine
An adopted daughter who becomes a Washington lobbyist.
Colonel Beriah Sellers, speculator
A charming dreamer of schemes.
Si Hawkins, father
A landowner who believes the Tennessee land will make his fortune.
Senator Abner Dilworthy, politician
A pious, corrupt senator.
Philip Sterling, young Easterner
An honest young man seeking his fortune.
Ruth Bolton, Philip's beloved
A Quaker woman who studies medicine.

Lessons

Speculation
The Tennessee land ruins the Hawkins family by encouraging dreams instead of work.
- How does the land affect the family?
- What is Colonel Sellers's weakness?
- How does Philip's success differ?
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Corruption
Twain and Warner satirize Congress and lobbying.
- How does Dilworthy buy votes?
- Why does he escape punishment?
- What reforms might prevent such corruption?
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Justice
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- Why is Laura acquitted?
- How do the newspapers treat the trial?
- What should justice look like?
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Context

After the Civil War, railroads, land speculation and political scandals such as Crédit Mobilier marked American public life.

Composition

Twain and Warner wrote the novel together in 1873 after their wives challenged them to write something better than the novels they mocked.

Reception

The title became the name for the era; critics have praised Colonel Sellers while finding the plot uneven.

Money Wealth Power / Politics Justice Law Satire Folly Ambition

Comparisons

Babbitt
A later satire of American business and boosterism.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Twain's later satire on power and progress.

Quotes

“It's a vast iron speculation!--millions upon millions in it!”

— Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, Chapter VI (Project Gutenberg #3178).Quote card

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— Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, Chapter XXVI (Project Gutenberg #3178).Quote card

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For Students

A reading companion for classical Christian high school students. See the student guide.

Reading Guide

Watch for

Si Hawkins's faith in the land.
Colonel Sellers's schemes.
Laura's life in Washington.
The fate of the Tennessee land bill.
Laura's murder trial in New York.

Key terms and names

Gilded Age: The era after the Civil War, golden on the surface but corrupt beneath.
Lobbyist: A person who tries to influence lawmakers.
Speculation: Investing in hope of quick profit.
Appropriation: Money set aside by a legislature for a particular purpose.

Seminar Questions

Comprehension What is the Tennessee land?
Comprehension Why does Laura go to Washington?
Comprehension What happens at Laura's trial?
Interpretation Why is the era 'gilded' rather than 'golden'?
Interpretation Is Colonel Sellers a villain?
Big Question How can a republic guard against corruption?

Faith Connections

1 Timothy 6:10 (Scripture)
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Proverbs 13:11 (Scripture)
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished.

Logic and Rhetoric

Central argument: A nation intoxicated by speculation and bribery corrupts both public and private life; honest work, as Philip's success shows, is the true path to prosperity.

Rhetorical device: satiric caricature. Senator Dilworthy speaks piously while buying votes.

Debate: Resolved: that The Gilded Age is more history than fiction.

Memory Work

It's a vast iron speculation!--millions upon millions in it!
Chapter VI. A typical cry of the speculating spirit.

Writing Prompts

Essay: Compare Colonel Sellers and Philip Sterling as two American approaches to wealth.

Comparison with Babbitt: Compare the satire of business in The Gilded Age and Babbitt.

Creative Prompts

Essay
How does the novel explain the nickname of its era?
Dialogue
Write Colonel Sellers explaining a new scheme to a skeptical friend.
Classroom
Research one real Gilded Age scandal and compare it to the novel.