illustrated profile of a man and an armored knight connected by two overlapping circles with a fortress skyline below them

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

by Mark Twain

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Student Question

What does Hank say about human nature at the end of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?

Quick answer:

At the end, Hank reflects on human nature, acknowledging that despite his successful reforms in King Arthur's England, he is not immune to personal ambition. While he transformed the kingdom into a progressive society with abolished slavery, flourishing schools, and equalized taxation, he admits a desire to become the first president of the new republic. This revelation highlights the innate human drive for power and change, even amidst positive societal developments.

Expert Answers

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At the end of the book, Hank realizes that he's as much a subject to human nature as anybody else. He had succeeded in transforming the knights from mere fighting machines into men who worked for the good of all people. King Arthur's England, which once had been a feudal kingdom, was now a model of progressive ideas. Slavery was abolished, schools flourished, taxation was "equalized." It sounds like a utopia. And Hank admits that human nature has made him desire to be the first president of this newly formed republic. He says:

Arthur was good for thirty years yet, he being about my own age--that is to say, forty--and I believed that in that time I could easily have the active part of the population of that day ready and eager for an event which should be the first of its kind in the history of the world--a rounded and complete governmental revolution without bloodshed. The result to be a republic. Well, I may as well confess, though I do feel ashamed when I think of it: I was beginning to have a base hankering to be its first president myself. Yes, there was more or less human nature in me; I found that out.

So even though Hank's motive was only to improve the society of Arthur's England, human nature makes him want to be the one in charge. Although things are going well for us, we just can't help wanting something different, something more.

I'm not sure this is what you're looking for, but I hope it helps!

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