The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today is a depiction of those crimes
committed in the United States in the late 19th Century which so
frequently went unpunished and of the casualties which ought to be called
crimes. The description severely winds up with the satirical verdict “No one to
blame.” The project of Colonel Sellers for raising mules for the Southern
markets is a satire upon the fraudulency and soap-bubble speculation of
capitalists. The work is full of hints and descriptions that take their rise
from the frauds and outrages under which the country had plagued for so many
years. Family, social and national questions are all cleverly satirized. The
monument erected to the memory of the Father of his country – a monument begun,
but, of course, never completed – calls forth some strokes of bitter but not
unjust humor. The means by which preferment is obtained in Washington are amply
satirized.
There are two views of this book: favorable and
unfavorable. This essay considers both. For instance, while some critics think
that it is incoherent, others suggests that the narrative departs from the
traditional methods of concluding and is thereby more natural than most novels
because every chapter of the book bears the marks of both writers and is
therefore a novelty in its way. In this essay I argue that The
Gilded Age is essentially a satire and should always be accepted as such.
Of course, other good contemporary books did not make it to our time in terms
of popularity and legacy. The Gilded Age did. We talk, write, and read
about it to this day. Evidently, it is an integral part of the annals of
American literature and fully contributes to Mark Twain’s reputation, legacy,
and lasting influence.
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