5. “Puddn’head Wilson” by Mark Twain Was Also Inspired by the Twin
One aspect of Americana in the nineteenth century that Twain was particularly critical of was slavery and the severe discrimination against African-Americans following the Civil War. The Tocci twins so inspired Twain that he envisioned a satire to critique the institution. The result – Puddn’head Wilson – has little to do with Giacomo and Giovanni Tocci, and the twins would probably not have recognized any of the characters in the novel. Nonetheless, Twain specialized in taking individuals who were outcasts of society, as he may have envisioned the Tocci brothers to be, and turning them into heroes.
Puddn’head Wilson is a novel about two boys, one of whom was born into slavery, being only 1/32 black, the other of whom is born into white aristocracy. Valet de Chambres, aka Chambers, looks almost exactly like his white counterpart, Tom Driscoll, and they two were accidentally switched at birth. As a result, Tom, the master’s son, grew up as a slave while Chambers, born a slave, grew up to be master of the house. The story takes a tragic turn when the two learn the truth of their origins and are unable to fulfill the social roles.
