So this post was in the works since last week, but with the preparations for yet another trip, I couldn’t finish it on time. But here it is now!

We know the name Mark Twain, and are familiar with his most popular novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What’s not really known are his other works. Honestly, I personally assumed that though he must surely have written more, perhaps the rest were deemed not as good as his two rambunctious characters.

I can’t remember how I came to possess a copy of Roughing It, but judging from the RM5 label on the back of the worn 1962-printed book, it must have been a find at a secondhand bookstore. This was waaaay before the existence of the Big Bad Wolf Booksale. And yes, I’ve only just now gotten round to reading it.

Roughing It is a semi-autobiographical book about Twain’s travel adventures during the years 1861-1867. It’s only part autobiographical because Twain was very liberal in embellishing his experiences. Also, he digresses a lot into gossips, legends, and informative essays that mostly didn’t have any relation to his main plot. Ramble is the word. Actually, I liken Twain’s approach here to that of a blogger who may tell a tale for tale’s worth.

The book starts when Twain’s brother Orion Clemens was appointed Secretary to the Territorial Governor of Nevada, and to Twain’s delight, Clemens invited him along as private secretary. He didn’t stay long as a civil servant, however. Young and restless with just enough ambition, he took this turns as prospector, reporter and traveling lecturer. The book takes the reader from the anarchy and dust of the Wild West all the way to the hypnotic tropical richness of the Sandwich Islands, Hawaii. (On a side note, did sandwiches come from Hawaii?)

I’m not going lay the entire synopsis out, but I’ll summarize my impressions into three main points.

Stories about People
I love stories about people, so of course I’m delighted by the people Twain’s met, or even people he’s heard about. He met Slade the Terrible, a well-known and much feared murderer, Brigham Young, and some “insignificant” but very interesting persons. His description of the Chinese miners reveals that at the heart, Chinese culture and traits have changed little. And his accounts of the Hawaiians and their laidback attitude remind me strongly of a certain modern tropical nation and their love for taking things easy.

Twain’s Wit
Twain deserves his title as one of the greatest American writers in history. The same tongue-in-cheek humor found in his more famous books can be found here. Some of the funny stories are not originally his, but he gives such liveliness to them. Such as this case when he was describing a particular editor he had.
Once, while [Mr. F. was] editor of the Union, he had disposed of a labored, incoherent, two-column attack made upon him by a contemporary, with a single line, which at first glance, seemed to contain a solemn and tremendous compliment – viz: “The logic of our adversary resembles the peace of God” – and left it to the reader’s memory and afterthought to invest the remark with another and “more different” meaning by supplying for himself and at his own leisure the rest of the Scripture – “in that it passeth understanding.”
The Wild West
I found his time in the Wild West extremely fascinating. What I know of that time is gleaned entirely from films, and we know films tend to romanticize things. So to read of a firsthand account is a delightful discovery. To be sure, the lengthy explanations of mining and “prospecting” perplexed me, but there’s much insight – both grave and sweet – into the raw state of new communities. To imagine the hordes of individuals who gave everything to find that one streak of solid silver, to shudder at the lawlessness such that the level of honor given depends on the number of men one has killed, to be tickled at Twain’s description of the advent of a new attire called “jeans” - there's much from the Old West to intrigue.

Conclusion
I truly enjoyed Roughing It for its social and historical commentary, in all its frankness and imagination. Admittedly, it can be difficult to tell which is true and which is invention, but it doesn't quite matter. It’s a delightful sneak peek into the person behind Mark Twain. The final impression I have of Twain is that even though life had served him more than his fair share of trials, particularly financially, he never gave up. Instead, he picked himself up, found the next thing to pursue, then wrote humorously about it after. Regardless of the situation, Twain always had something to write about, and it is this keenness that ultimately led him to his calling in the pen.

P.S. Roughing It can be read free from Project Gutenberg