The Confidence Man | The Confidence Man

At a glance:

Author: Herman Melville
First Published: 1857
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Satire
Time of Work: Nineteenth century, before the Civil War
Setting: Mississippi River
Principal Characters: The Confidence Man, The Man in Cream Colors, Der Black Guinea, John Ringman, The Man in the Gray Coat and White Tie, John Truman, The Herb-Doctor, A Representative of the Philosophical Intelligence Office, Francis Goodman, Roberts, The College Sophomore, The Miser, Pitch, Charlie Noble, Mark Winsome, Egbert, William Cream
Genres: Long fiction
Subjects: South or Southerners
Locales: Mississippi River

On an April morning in St. Louis, a deaf-mute boarded the steamer Fidèle (“faith”). Many passengers gathered around a placard advertising a reward for the capture of a mysterious impostor, and some took this opportunity to purchase money belts or biographies of famous criminals. The deaf-mute approached the placard, wrote platitudes about charity on a slate, and displayed them to the crowd. Meanwhile, a barber opened his shop and hung a sign that read “No Trust.” Rebuffed, the mute walked to the forecastle and fell asleep at the foot of a ladder.

The Confidence Man | The Confidence Man

At a glance:

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