Analysis
Mark Twain is the pen-name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, one of the greatest
figures in American literature. He is known as a humorist and satirist of a
remarkable force. Mark Twain began writing purely as a humorist, he later became
a bitter satirist. Towards the end of his life he grew more and more disillusioned
and dissatisfied with the American mode of life. In his later works (the Connecticut
Yankee, The Man that Corrupted Hadley-burg) his satire becomes trenchant. He
ridiculed corruption, social ignorance, stupidity and the whole “Gilded Age” as he
branded contemporary bourgeois society. His deep scorn all sorts of shame and
corruption, his hatred of hypocrisy can be found in his novels as well as in his short
stories. An Encounter with an Interviewer (1875) is a parody on the American
press. Within the limited space of this story we can see the technical devices so
characteristic of Twain's comic works - exaggerations and mockseriousness at the
funniest moments.
The story tells us about a nervous, dapper and "peart" young man from the "Daily
Thunderstorm" which comes to interview the narrator. The narrator admits that his
memory is irregular so he gives the wrong birthdate and claims that he meets
Aaron Burr during his funeral. The main character tells a story of his twin brother's
death. He even says that he is the drowned one.The interviewer is completely
astonished by these awful discrepancies so he reverently withdraws.
In his text, author ridicules American Press, its social ignorance, stupidity and
hypocrisy.