Student Question
Why does Twain use a frog in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"?
Quick answer:
Twain finds it necessary for Wheeler, the old man, to begin "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by relating other stories about Smiley's bets with animals because he wants to establish Wheeler's character as a garrulous old man who draws out his tales to keep listeners interested. Additionally, Twain wants to provide context that makes it easier for readers to believe that Smiley would make a bet with a stranger about how far frogs could jump.
Twain probably had several good reasons for using a frog as the title character of his great short story. One point he was trying to make in the story was that "thish-yer Smiley" would bet on absolutely anything, including any animal contest imaginable. Unlike horses, dogs or other larger animals that might be likely to compete in a race, a contest between frogs could be held in a small, confined area, not unlike a poker game. Frogs were also in abundance in the nearby swamp, so they were a ready commodity. But the choice of a frog probably better illustrates the comic absurdity of Smiley's addiction, not to mention that its small size better allows for the twist of the con--pouring bird-shot into Dan'l,'s belly to weight it down.
Why does Twain begin "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" with many animals?
In the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County " by Mark Twain, the...
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narrator visits a talkative old man named Simon Wheeler to obtain some information about someone named Leonidas W. Smiley. Wheeler then commences to tell a story about an unrelated man named Jim Smiley.
It is the story about Jim Smiley that prompts Wheeler to start telling outlandishly tall tales about various animals with unusual talents. First of all, he says that Smiley would place bets on all sorts of animals, including horses, dogs, cats, chickens, and even bugs. He then provides more details about an old horse that would start races slowly and then somehow always win, and also about a bulldog that looked small but always won fights. From these examples, Wheeler goes on to talk about Smiley's jumping frog and Smiley filling the other frog full of buckshot so his frog could win the jumping contest.
The main reason that Twain has Wheeler tell all the other animal stories before relating the episode of the jumping frog is that he wants to establish Wheeler's character. He describes Wheeler as garrulous. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, garrulous means "given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity: pointlessly or annoyingly talkative." Wheeler loves to tell stories. Even though he is describing the wrong person, he blockades the narrator in a corner with his chair so he won't get up and go away. He draws out his tale by explaining about all these other animals so that the narrator will listen to his story as long as possible. Note that even after he has finished the story about the frog, Wheeler tries to get the narrator to stay and listen further by starting another story about a one-eyed cow.
There is also another reason why Twain has Wheeler tell about all the other animals before relating the story of the frog. These details provide background about Jim Smiley and his propensity for betting on all sorts of animals. It is then easier for readers to believe that he would accost a stranger and propose a bet on a jumping contest for frogs.