The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg: Twain's Satire of Money and Morals

Publication Context and Autobiographical Undercurrents. Written in 1898 while Clemens and his family were on tour in Europe to recoup losses from ill-advised investments, “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg” has often been read as a satire of American society; however, the plot also darkly reveals Clemens’s own state of mind. Clemens was clearly distressed by his loss of the considerable income he had earned from his previous books and lecture tours. By focusing on the corrupting potential of large sums of money, Clemens uses his literary persona not only to address a lingering concern from one of his earliest works, The Gilded Age, but also to work through his own moral and financial dilemma.

Narrative Structure and Plot Development. Divided into four sections, the narrative follows a traditional plotline. In the first part, or exposition, the stage is set and the citizens of Hadleyburg are primed for the revenge of the stranger. In the second part, Twain develops the mounting tension in Hadleyburg as its principal citizens compromise themselves, their personal reputations, and the town’s reputation through antics meant to win them the “hundred and sixty pounds four ounces of gold” in the sack left by the stranger. The neighbors quickly turn on one another, each trying to outthink the other; if the rightful owner of the quotation within the sack can be found, then perhaps the right words can be guessed and a share—or a claim on all—of the money obtained. The ultimate climax takes place in the third part, where the impact the discovery has had on the citizens of Hadleyburg is revealed.

Set in the town hall, the discussion of the multiple and nearly exact claims to the gold makes clear the weaknesses of the town. The final part of the story resolves the central issue of character and honesty through the psychologically painful death of Edward and Mary Richards. None of the established 19 is spared, but the remaining citizens, identified as the ribald chorus from the town hall meeting, are given the opportunity to recreate themselves within a new and unnamed small town in America.

Satirical Impact and Moral Resolution. Although the narrative ends with the townspeople moving on despite the stranger’s corruption of the town’s morals and standing, the short story does not offer a promising ending. The reader may have learned quite a bit about the townspeople of Hadleyburg, and perhaps he or she learned quite a bit about him- or herself, but the townspeople do not appear to have learned from their mistakes. Money has corrupted them, and the closing lines hint that such a corruption could occur again if the right stranger and the right offer appeared.

For Discussion or Writing.
1. What is the narrator’s opinion of the town?
2. How does Twain use the characters, especially Mary and Edward Richards, Burgess, Billson, Wilson, and the tanner, to further the plot?

3. What purpose do newspapers serve in this short story? How does their purpose connect with the traditional purpose of newspapers? What commentary is Twain making about newspaper writing?
4. Twain’s short story is a harsh evaluation of society. Is the reader included in Twain’s criticism? If so, how does our inclusion affect our understanding of the moral of the short story? Are we susceptible to the same tricks as the characters, or do we see through them?