No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger

Aside from Twain's primary personae of affability and good-humored nature, a deeper and darker layer of him is exhibited in The Mysterious Stranger, a tale of Satan, masquerading as the angelic young man, Philip Traum (German for 'Dream'), who visits three young, impressionable German boys and instructs them on the meaning of Life and what it is to be Human. While not really telling a story, rather, Twain is posing age-old questions by giving examples through behaviors, reactions and responses to scenarios that Satan or others propose and brings it about. The story focuses on one boy, Theodor, who is taken especially by Satan and given special attention. Through their verbal discussions, and direct interaction/influence of the townspeople in the small German town in which the boy lives, Satan begins to show, what he believes, is the tale of human frailty and woe. It is nothing but grim horror, cruelty and abject deprivation of happiness, as Theodor begins to realize, though, according to Satan, it is all meaningless and pointless. That it is not he, Satan, that brings destruction upon the people, but man's own ignorance, haughty Moral Sense and the capricious whims, selfishness and the inner fear within human nature itself. That in the end, Life is but a Dream, and there is nothing but the vast emptiness of existence. Indeed, many will cringe at the outright questioning of Christian moral values, it is brilliantly written and not tongue in cheek, but said boldly and vividly. Twain does not hold back. Before I read the short bio, I didn't know the lifetime of toil and suffering that Twain had experienced and that, as a result, he lost faith in the meaning of life. Though not raised Christian, but obviously well versed in the tradition, his views in the book directly antagonize Christian pillars of belief. The last chapter will blow you away in its cogency and power, the whole point of the book. Whatever you believe, this is a necessary book that everyone should read. Instead of hiding behind platitudes, Twain openly questions--and struggles with the answers. It is heartening, depressing, chilling and eye-opening with an ending that says it all. Go on, I dare you to read!

This is literally the last work of fiction by Mr. Twain. Those familiar with his short stories will remember a similarly titled 60+ page story in which the devil makes an interesting visit to a small Austrian village during the dark ages. This novel, while sharing some commonalities with the latter, is essentially its own animal, though not quite as darkly pessimistic. It is a good quick read-something you'll want to read twice in order to fully appreciate. It is very funny at times, at others somewhat predictable, but always entertaining and imaginative. It is remarkable how much insight Twain had into the modern world and its connection to history. Highly recommended.

I have taught this book at the college level for a few years now; it definitely sheds Twain's unfortunate Americana image, and it reveals the darker genius of this "beloved" author. Twain's greatest work, The Mysterious Stranger will enrage fundamentalist Christians, several of whom have dropped my course because of this novella. Asking people to think about what is real, what is behind existence, though, is no crime and should be inoffensive. Young people who are harmed by systematic thinking will react to this book like people being deprogrammed from a cult: they will hate it. But Twain, who was in anguish when he wrote this, had the honesty to ask difficult questions. Read The Mysterious Stranger as a guide to Twain's futuristic thinking, his tribute to the mind above all other things.

I shall be forever grateful to my sardonic 7th grade English teacher for making this required reading. Who is the mysterious stranger? Is he God or the Devil or just some terrifying conjurer? Ultimately, it really doesn't matter as the little boy in this story learns that fate can be a hard master & that hope and courage are the only weapons with which to fight it.

Puts a new meaning to the question, "whats the meaning of life?" questions religion and life itself. This book made me look at life in a new way and probably will do the same for you.