46 pages • 1 hour read
Mark TwainThe Mysterious Stranger
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1916A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Villagers
The members of Eseldorf can be interpreted as a stand-in for humanity as a whole. Considering Satan’s cosmic point of view, the description of the villagers as a monolith allows the reader to watch his claims about the human race play out on a smaller scale. To some readers, this will be apparent from the moment they hear the town’s name: Eseldorf is German for “ass town.” The blunders readers observe amongst villagers always have parallels to large-scale conflicts.
One of Satan’s primary criticisms of humanity is its tendency to blindly follow the loudest voices. This idea is introduced early in the book. Even though Father Peter is widely beloved, the town refuses to stand up for him when the astrologer spreads false rumors about the content of his sermons. This conflict intensifies when they increase the frequency of their witch hunting. Even though the astrologer was possessed at the time, the witch commission refuses to investigate him, choosing instead to focus on the “poor and friendless” (85). Since the astrologer is widely feared amongst the townspeople, they cannot bring themselves to persecute him. However, they will happily satiate their desires by hunting those who cannot defend themselves. Here, the villagers are beholden to their own fears. They know that if they clamor loudly about any individual without a support system, they can burn another witch to appease God and validate their actions.
The global version of this is the perpetuation of war and conflict. Satan explains that there has “never been a just [war], never an honorable one – on the part of the instigator of the war. I can see a million years ahead, and this rule will never change in so many as half a dozen instances. The loud little handful – as usual – will shout for the war” (88). Though other members of the public and governments may object, the noise and persistence of the mob will eventually overpower reason and lead to needless violence and bloodshed. While Satan is referring to events beyond the scale of what occurs in the village, the reader can understand his cosmic viewpoint as they see it play out through the townspeople. In both the hunting of witches and the waging of war, human vices cause preventable damage.
Animals
While Satan notably finds humans intolerable, he is enamored with animals. He frequently references them to point out the flaws of the Moral Sense. When Theodor calls torture “brutal,” comparing it to something an unintelligent animal would do, Satan interjects, saying “No brute ever does a cruel thing – that is the monopoly of those with the Moral Sense. When a brute inflicts pain he does it innocently; it is not wrong; for him there is no such thing as wrong. And he does not inflict pain for the pleasure of inflicting it – only man does that” (39). Since animals are unable to distinguish ideas of right and wrong, any pain they cause others is unintentional and without malice. Their lack of higher thought is presented as a virtue.
Twain uses animals to put Satan’s worldview into perspective. After Theodor tells Satan about the recent slew of witch burnings in Eseldorf, Satan says animals and angels are similar in their inability to commit wrongdoing. He begins petting a bull in a pasture and says, “There – he wouldn't drive children mad with hunger, fright, and loneliness, and then burn them for confessing to things invented for them which had never happened. [...] For he is not besmirched with the Moral Sense, but is as the angels are, and knows no wrong, and never does it” (47). This quote shows that lacking a conception of right and wrong allows animals and angels to live in true peace. This bull cannot commit crimes against his peers because he is unable to conceptualize evil. These ideas explain why heavenly society is peaceful while earth is full of suffering.
Animal actions are also occasionally juxtaposed with human actions. When Seppi finds Oppert’s dog wandering the streets, Satan notes that the dog is kinder and more helpful than Eseldorf’s human residents. He mentions that “the dog has been often to the village, begging people to go [help his owner], but he was only driven away and not listened to [...] He only wanted help for the man who had misused him, and he thought only of that, and has had no food nor sought any” (43). This is in stark contrast to Oppert, who would frequently beat his dog in a state of drunken anger. Despite lacking the logic that allows humans to form complex conceptions of morality, the dog is able to act kindly to his owner. Conversely, Oppert injured his dog, even though his Moral Sense should tell him it is wrong. Satan contrasts animals with humans to demonstrate flaws in their logic and challenge the conception that they are inherently superior.
The Moral Sense
The Moral Sense represents humanity’s hypocrisy and flaws. It is usually evoked when explaining a tragedy. It also foreshadows trouble. Father Peter is the first character to fully define it. Though he speaks of it highly, he is struck by misfortune shortly after invoking it. Satan frequently discusses the Moral Sense while justifying his meddling tendencies. He feels that since humans have shown repeatedly that they are incapable of using the Moral Sense selflessly, he needs to change their careers to ensure they can be happy without causing long term suffering to their peers.
Since the Moral Sense trains people to see the goodness in their actions, they do not always recognize their hypocrisy until it is too late. A key example of this is Theodor’s emotional reckoning in the days leading up to Nikolaus’s death. He recalls “cases where [he] had wronged him or hurt him, and they rebuked me and reproached me, and my heart was wrung with remorse, just as it is when we remember our unkindness to friends who have passed beyond the veil, and we wish we could have them back again [...]” (67). Many of Theodor’s previous actions towards Nikolaus were rooted in selfishness. He recalls stealing a beautiful apple that Nikolaus earned through hard work and intended to give to his sick little sister. Even though Nikolaus was visibly hurt by this, Theodor was too ashamed to apologize. This shows how the Moral Sense warped Theodor into hurting his friend. He cared more about his own feelings than admitting his wrongdoing. Now that Nikolaus is on the verge of death, it is too late to reconcile with him. Even if he did, Theodor’s desire for forgiveness is more driven by his knowledge of Nikolaus’s circumstances than by a genuine desire to learn and grow.
Finally, the connection between the Moral Sense and Christianity perpetuates conflict on a global scale. Even though the boys cannot directly perceive it, Satan explains that “Two or three centuries from now it will be recognized that all the competent killers are Christians; then the pagan world will go to school to the Christian – not to acquire his religion, but his guns. The Turk and the Chinaman will buy those to kill missionaries and converts with” (82). In this case, the Moral Sense that underscores Christian-led conquest will lead to an exponential growth in violence. The tactics that Christian missionaries and soldiers use to subjugate other parts of the world will be used against them by the oppressed. This injustice will thrust the world into a cycle of violence, with each side able to use the Moral Sense to justify their point of view.
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