The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Mark Twain
- First Published: 1899
- Type of Plot: Satire
- Time of Work: The mid-1800's
- Setting: Hadleyburg, a small midwestern American town
- Principal Characters: The Stranger, “Howard L. Stephenson,”, Edward, The Nineteen, The Reverend Mr. Burgess, Barclay Goodson
- Genres: Short fiction, Satire
- Subjects: Greed, Small-town life, Corruption, Satire, Gold, Precious metals or stones
The Story
The story is divided into four parts: first, the introduction of Hadleyburg, the Richardses, and the stranger's plot to corrupt and disgrace the town; then the description of the Nineteeners’ vanities and greed as they fall for the plot; third, the exposure of the town's artificial honesty; and finally, the effects of the plot on the Richardses. There are, however, really two stories woven together.
The first is the corruption of Hadleyburg. The town's motto is “Lead us not into temptation.” Hadleyburg is famed for, and vain about, its reputation for...
[The entire page is 1245 words long]
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