The
Portrayal of the Irish in Mark Twains
Collection of Short Stories
In
multiple short stories we have read, Mark Twain -or rather his characters- continuously
take a stab at the Irish. This particularly occurs in both A Day at Niagara and Buck
Fanshaw’s Funeral. We touched on this briefly in class but I think the use
of Irish characters symbolized much more. The role the Irish play in A Day at Niagara alludes to the
political problems Irish immigrants endured during that time. To be Irish was
to be Catholic and it was believed that being Catholic at that time was to be a
“menace to national security” (Dolan, Jay). They were regarded as inferior beings and could
only hold degrading jobs if they could even manage to get one.
This is depicted
in Twains work by the Irish holding mockery jobs as “Indians” at A Day at Niagara. It is again shown in Buck Fanshaw’s Funeral by Buck’s
favorite quote, “No Irish Need Apply” (Twain, 76). As we discussed in class, this phrase
was very common during this era. It was displayed on signs outside of restaurants,
bookstores, butchers, etc. In a way, the way the Irish were treated during this
time was much like how African-Americans were treated. In fact, they were often referred to as the "white-Negroes". Apart from actually
being enslaved, they were still exposed to segregation and were treated very
poorly and seen as lesser beings. They were even drawn with ape-like faces in anti-Irish cartoons as a way to dehumanize them and show they were less evolved.
It is also interesting to note the way the Irish are addressed in Twain's stories. They are very often referred to as "Micks" or "Paddys" which is as degrading as using the "N-word" to refer to a black person. They way Twain depicts their dialect also leads the reader to infer they are of low intelligence. In A Day at Niagara, an Irish man is mistaken for an "Indian". His response is " An' is it mesilf, Dennis Holligan, that ye'd be takin' for a dirty Ijin, ye drawlin', lantern-jawed, spider-legged divil! By the piper that played before Moses, I'll ate ye!" (Twain, 19). His use of slang, poor grammar, and incorrect pronunciation makes him look less intelligent when it is really the narrator who is a fool mistaking the Irishman for a "Indian".
In all, it is again unclear as to what Twain's political and social beliefs are regarding this topic. Most of the time, his beliefs are unclear and up for interpretation. Is he showing that the Irish are these "lesser beings" that are dumb and only useful for simple, low-paying jobs or does he believe members of the American society are the close-minded fools who can't see what's right in front of them?
In all, it is again unclear as to what Twain's political and social beliefs are regarding this topic. Most of the time, his beliefs are unclear and up for interpretation. Is he showing that the Irish are these "lesser beings" that are dumb and only useful for simple, low-paying jobs or does he believe members of the American society are the close-minded fools who can't see what's right in front of them?
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. New York: Bantam Books, 1957. Print.
http://www3.nd.edu/~jdolan/IRISHCONFERENCE-CORK.html
Picture 1: http://tinyurl.com/klgr3lm
Picture 2: http://tinyurl.com/nyg62a8
Hey Em!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you wrote about this before we discussed this topic in class I didn't really know that Irish were treated in such ways and called "white-Negroes". I liked that you told a little bit of the history behind why Twain included this aspect of racism in his work. The quotes you chose shows direct evidence in the text and backed up your topic nicely.
Emma, the symbolism in "A Day at Niagara" was way over my head until I read this! Thank you for digging deeper into the history of Irish immigration to America and how they were treated. I like how you ended your post with a question, and I wanted to offer my own interpretation. I think in a way you answered your own question when you talked about the narrator being a fool for mistaking the Irishman for an Indian. I think that Twain wanted to mock the anti-Irish Americans and show some of their ignorance.
ReplyDeleteHey Emma great post here, I just wanted to touch a little more on the background of the Irish immigration and why they were placed in such a low racial bracket when they arrived. Around 1847 the Irish started the mass exodus out of Ireland because of the well known Potato Famine, with over a million Irish immigrants arriving in United States during the famine years. They had nearly nothing but each other and lived in the tight-knit Irish communities throughout the major US cities. While struggling through poverty, assimilation into the American 'Protestant' culture was enduring and difficult.The Irish religion of Catholicism, and the power of the Papacy grew threatening to the fresh American freedom, causing the arise of anti-Irish sentiment.
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