Summary of The Story of the Good Little Boy and The Story of the Bad Little Boyby Mark Twain

The Story of the GOOD Little Boy – Mark Twain

Summary:

The story revolves around a boy named Jacob Blivens, who is depicted as a remarkably good child. Jacob always obeys his parents, diligently attends Sabbath-school, and refuses to engage in any mischievous behavior, much to the bewilderment of other boys.

Jacob’s exceptional goodness is attributed to his unwavering belief in the examples set by the good little boys portrayed in Sunday-school books. He longs to emulate them and even dreams of being included in a Sunday-school book himself, despite realizing that such boys often meet tragic ends.

However, Jacob’s efforts to lead a virtuous life consistently backfire. His attempts to help others or do the right thing result in unexpected consequences and misfortune. For instance, when he tries to admonish a boy stealing apples or assist a blind man, he faces retaliation instead of gratitude.

Even his desire to rescue a lame dog and receive its gratitude turns into a disaster when the dog attacks him. Jacob’s experiences defy the outcomes depicted in the Sunday-school books he admires.

Despite his consistent misfortunes, Jacob remains determined to persevere in his virtuous endeavors. He believes that if he continues to do good, he may eventually be recognized and immortalized in a Sunday-school book.

However, Jacob’s aspirations take a tragic turn when he decides to intervene in a situation where bad boys are mistreating dogs. His attempt to admonish them results in a violent encounter with an angry alderman. In a bizarre turn of events, Jacob is propelled into the sky, and his body is scattered across several townships, leaving no chance for him to fulfill his dream of being included in a Sunday-school book.

The story concludes with the narrator reflecting on the extraordinary nature of Jacob’s fate, highlighting the contrast between his experiences and the predictable outcomes of the good boys depicted in Sunday-school books. Jacob’s story remains a curious anomaly, defying the conventions of morality and storytelling.

The Story of the Bad Little Boy – Mark Twain

Summary:

Once there was a naughty little boy named Jim. It's funny how in Sunday-school books, most bad boys are called James. But this one was called Jim. He didn't have a sick mother like the ones in the books. His mother was quite healthy and didn't care much about him. She didn't sing him sweet songs or kiss him good night like the mothers in the stories.

One day, Jim stole some jam from the pantry and replaced it with tar so his mother wouldn't notice. But he didn't feel guilty or apologize to his mother like the boys in the books do. He just laughed when his mother found out and spanked him.

Another time, Jim climbed an apple tree to steal apples, but he didn't fall and hurt himself like the boys in the books. He even fought off a dog that tried to attack him.

Once, Jim stole a penknife and hid it in another boy's cap to avoid getting caught. The other boy was known as a good, moral kid, but he got blamed for the theft, and Jim thought it was funny.

Jim did many other bad things, like going boating and fishing on Sundays without any bad luck. He even gave tobacco to an elephant and didn't get hurt. He did lots of bad stuff but never suffered any consequences like the boys in the books.

As he grew up, Jim became even worse. He got drunk, killed his family, cheated people, and became a respected member of society. So, Jim had a luckier life than any bad James in the Sunday-school books.

Analysis of The Story of the Good Little Boy and The Story of the Bad Little Boyby Mark Twain

Introduction: The story revolves around a boy named Jacob Blivens who always obeys his parents and follows the teachings of Sunday-school books1. He has a noble ambition to be included in a Sunday-school book.

Background: Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was an American author and humorist. He grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for some of his most famous works.

Publication and Writing Date: The story was written around 18651. It was first published on May 31, 20002. However, the text used in “Sketches, New & Old,” published in 1875, includes illustrations by True Williams.

Style: Twain’s style in this story is casual and less formal. He uses a simplistic approach to draw a sense of innocence from the readers.

Structure; The story starts with Jacob’s obedience and his ambition to be included in a Sunday-school book4. As the story progresses, the readers see Jacob’s life patterned according to the Sunday-school book. However, there are certain unpleasant twists in the middle, constituting the ensuing irony perceived through the conflict between what Jacob sees and expects as ideal in the books read and what becomes of him out of real incidences met.

Theme: The story is Mark Twain’s way of making an observation on literature written by poor authors. He noticed that there was an underlining trend in some stories that people who do good things will always win and get the better of the “bad” characters.

Aim: Twain uses this story not for simple amusement, but to deliver a thought to society during this era.

Purpose: The purpose of the story is to suggest that everyone can perform good deeds; however, if the good deed is performed for an inverse reason, one will never achieve their complete reward.

Tone: The tone of the story is practical, yet Twain seeks to necessitate completeness in stating the major conditions with which the protagonist is involved.

Narration Style: The story is narrated in a casual and less formal style. Twain uses a simplistic approach to draw a sense of innocence from the readers.

Source: 

(1) The Story Of The Good Little Boy - Short Stories and Classic Literature. https://americanliterature.com/author/mark-twain/short-story/the-story-of-the-good-little-boy.
(2) The Story of the Good Little Boy by Mark Twain | Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10746720-the-story-of-the-good-little-boy.
(3) Story of the Good Little Boy - University of Virginia. https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/tomsawye/mtgoodboy.html.
(4) Analysis of Mark Twains The Story of the Good Little Boy - StudentShare. https://studentshare.org/literature/1432382-an-analysis-of-the-story-of-the-good-little-boy-by-mark-twain.
(5) The Story of the Good Little Boy - Superb Short Stories. https://bing.com/search?q=The+Story+of+the+Good+Little+Boy+by+Mark+Twain+theme.
(6) Mark Twain’s the Story of the Good Little Boy - the Meaning of Being .... https://www.essaysforstudent.com/English/Mark-Twains-the-Story-of-the-Good-Little/109290.html.
(7) The Story of the Good Little Boy - public-library.uk. http://public-library.uk/ebooks/40/100.pdf.
(8) Sketches by Mark Twain/The Story of the Good Little Boy. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sketches_by_Mark_Twain/The_Story_of_the_Good_Little_Boy.
(9) The Story of the Good Little Boy, Mark Twain - The Trek BBS. https://www.angelfire.com/mn3/mixed_lit/twain_goodboy.htm.
(10) The Story Of The Good Little Boy by Mark Twain. https://literatureapp.com/mark-twain/the-story-of-the-good-little-boy.
(11) The Story Of The Good Little Boy by Mark Twain – EnglishLiterature.Net. https://englishliterature.net/mark-twain/the-story-of-the-good-little-boy.
(12) The Story of The Good Little Boy Audio Story Mark Twain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCP_vH56h0o.
(13) The Story of the Good Little Boy - Superb Short Stories. https://bing.com/search?q=The+Story+of+the+Good+Little+Boy+by+Mark+Twain+aim.
(14) Two Illuminating Stories: The Story of the Bad Little Boy & The Story .... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203585267-two-illuminating-stories.