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IIIChapterThreeTheEmbodimentofHumorinTheMillionPoundNote3.1TheHumorofTheCharacters3.1.1ThePerformanceofHenryAdamFromapennilessbrattotheholderofamillion-dollarcheck,everychangeinHenryAdam’sdemeanoranddemeanorreflectedhissuddenwealth,butforhim,thisdramaticchangeisdueonlytothetwobrothers’entertainmentbet,whichisasharpcontrasttohisirony.Forthefirstpart,Henrysailedhisdinghytoofarouttosea.Hewaslaterrescuedbyatwin-trackshipboundforLondon,whereheekedoutalivingbyworkingontheboat.WhenhearrivedinLondon,helookedaboutunsuccessfullyforalms,andwasmadehungrierbytheladies’afternoonteaandthepassingcake-seller,untilhesawachildthrowingasinglebiteofapearontheground,itwasonlythenthathishungryeyescametogether.JustasHenrywasabouttograbthebaby,“Pleasecomein”.Thisisthefirstplacetosetthesuspense,throughHenry’spsychologicalactiondescription,highlightedhissituation,andsuccessfullyattractedthereader’sinterestinreading.Atthistime,thisasthepassageoftimeandthemainlinehasbegun.Henryleftthegentleman’shousewiththemoney.Hungry,hewenttoasmallrestaurantnearby.Thecondescensionanddisdainofthehotelstaff,especiallythereminderofHenry’s“Pricey”remark,allsetthestageforthesubsequentglee.Afterfeasting,undertheconstantquestioningoftherestaurantowner,hefinallytookoutthemillion-poundnotethathedidnotevenknowtheamountoftheticket.Hewasimmediatelydizzyanddumbfounded,andeventhebosswastooscaredtomove,envious.Maslow’s“Hierarchyofneeds”philosophyofthemindstatesthat“Ifapersonisextremelyhungry,hehasnointerestinanythingbutfood.Hedreamsaboutfood,remembersaboutfood,thinksaboutfood.Heonlyhasfeelingsforfood,heonlyfeelsfood,andheonlyneedsfood...Suchamanwouldhavereliedonbread.”WhenHenrywasnaked,whenhewashungry,hehadforgottenhisprinciples.Hegraduallybecameintoxicatedwiththematerialisticsociety,enjoyingthesatisfactionandvanitybroughtbythispaper.Includinglater:hewasawakenedinthemiddleofthenightbyanightmare,butatthethoughtofajoyousdawn,thetragicelementsfadedanddisappeared,andbecamearrogantagainFromtheseperspectives,itisasifthereisnothingwrongwithHenryAdam’sbehavior.He’beenatthebottomoftheheapforalongtime,andhe’sbeentransformedbyhissurroundings,andhe’sbeenabletoenjoythemagicofthedollarbill.3.1.2ThePerformanceoftheClothingStoreClerksandProprietorsIntheMarkTwain’swork,theauthorusesthecharacters‘mouthstotellstorieswhilealsoconveyinghumor,atechniquethatisimportantbothtoadvancetheplotandtohighlightthecharacters’personalities.WhenMarkTwainuseacharactertoexpresshumor,itoftencausesaconflictbetweenthecharacter’spersonality,words,andactions,anditcanalsotapintotheinnerthoughtsofthecharacterthroughsuchmismatches,aswellastheconsequencesofsuchcontradictoryactions,enhancetheconflicteffect,increasethehumorcolor.[2]12Thecontrasttechniquecangivethepersontheextremelybrightimageandtheextremelyintensefeeling,canstrengthentheworkartisticeffectandtheappeal,theoutstandingperformanceisdisplayedthethingessentialcharacteristic.Inthemiddleandlate19thcentury,theAmericanpeoplelivedinmisery.Theprevalenceofracialdiscrimination,theoppressionoftheupperclass,andthesufferingofcountlessblackandlowerclasspeopleallmadepeoplefeelheavydepression.Inordertolightentheheavinessandlightenthelife,thehumorousworksoftheMarkTwainhavebecomeaperfect“Spiceoflife”.Henry,whowasabouttoreturnthemoney,suddenlylearnedthattherichbrothershadbetonhimandhadtocarryonlivingwithit.Hecametoaclothesshopinrags.“Doyouhaveanythingready-made?“Iwanttobuyaready-to-wear.”“Comewithme,sir.”Theclerkledhimtothegeneralready-to-wearsection.Thenthebosswhispered:sendhimaway.Henry,whohadnochange,wasmockedfornotbeingabletopayupuntilnextmonth.Tod,theclerk,began“Abigsmile,alloverhisface,withcreasesandcrow’sfeetandridgesinthemiddle,likeyou’rethrowingarockintoapond”,butwhenheglancedatthebill,herealizedhehadnotseenit,thesmilefrozeinstantly,like“Therippled,worm-likesolidifiedlavayouseeonthesmallplainsonthesideofVesuvius.”.Thechangeinexpressionwasimpressive.Asthenovelputsit,“Ihaveneverseenasmilesofixedandfrozenbefore.”It’sridiculous,andtheboss’sbehaviorisevenmoreridiculous,he“Plungedintothepileofclothesthathadcomeback...withalookofexcitementandamouthfulofwords”,theword“Zap”isaMarkTwainstrokeofgenius,showingofftheboss’slaughablebehaviorandkitschdemeanor,theMarkTwainisahumorousportrayalofthecharacters‘expressionsandactions,whichcreatesarelaxedandhumorousatmosphereinthenovel.Itmakesyouhappyandrelievestheburdenoflife’ssufferings,alsoletthereadersofthenoveltosharethejoyhebrought,butalsoasenseofeaseinlife.Finally,introducedhimtothefamouslocalhotel.Thefigureswhoappearherearemoney-hungry,butbecausetheydidnotknowHenrywasinpossessionofamillion-poundnote,thecontrastbetweenwhattheysayandwhattheydoisstark,thisisthesubtletyofMarkTwain’sirony.3.1.3ThePerformanceoftheHotelManagerThemanager,whohadbeeninformedinadvanceofthearrivalofthedistinguishedguest,threwouttheguestwiththetitleinadvanceandmadesufficientpreparationstogreethimatthedoor,onlytomakeamistake,thedropofthebox,thepoiseoftheUsher,theCircusHerculeswhoaretreatedascrooks,thelittlethingsthatmakepeoplelaughuntilHenryarrivestoputanendtothisfarce.ComediansareAristotlemimicsof“Burlesque”behavior,inwhichanactoractsonstageinamannerthatviolatestraditionalaestheticstandards,makingitdifficulttojudgesuchunexpectedandbizarrebehavior,youjustmustsmileback.TheMarkTwainmasterthistechnique.He’sgoodatputtinghischaractersinacertainenvironment,designingawayofbehavingthattranscendssocialconventions,andcreatinga“Funny”visualeffectthatmakespeoplelaugh.Here,MarkTwainplacedthehotelmanagerinanenvironmentwherehewasabouttogreetadistinguishedguest.Withoutwaitingforhisidentitytobeconfirmed,hehastilywelcomedtheguestin.WhenthedumbbellsintheboxofHerculesrolledout,theaudiencewasfinallystruckwithapunchline,apparentlyagentlemandoesn’tcarryitaround,buttheownerthinksit’samillionaire’sQuirk.Withexaggeratedrhetoric,aswellastheattitudeandactionofthingsthroughthedescriptionoftheimage,characteristics,function,degree,andsoon,toachieveabetterexpressioneffect.Itshowsthecharacteristicsofthetimesincisivelyandvividly,enablesthereadertohaverichimagination,andhasstrongresonanceforthestrangeencounterofthehero,whichsuccessfullysatirizesthetrendofmoneyworshipinallwalksoflifeatthattime.3.2TheHumorofthePlot3.2.1ACharitylaunchedbyAccidentThefieldofpsychologyunderstandsthelogicoflaughtertomeanthatpeopledonotlaughiftheirpredictionsareconfirmed.People’santicipationofeventsisoftenbasedontheperceptionofthesurroundingenvironment.Inresponse,MarkTwainunderstoodtheinertiaofpeople’sthinking,oftensettheenvironmentandthedescriptionoftheobjectintoacontradictoryrelationship,thatis,setacertainenvironment,shouldnotappearintheimage,tocreateasenseofincongruitythatmakespeoplelaugh.Twocenturiesago,ImmanuelKant,intheCritiqueofJudgment,hasstudiedlaughter.“Theremustbesomethingabsurdandperverseinalllaughterthatprovokesalivelyandmovingresponse.Forthesethingsthemselves,aptitudeisnotapleasantlaugh;itisafeelingthatsuddenlyturnsfromnervousanticipationtonothingness.”Inthisfamousdefinition,ImmanuelKantpointsoutthatexpectationsfailbecausethereissomethingabsurd,somethingirrational.Ifitwererational,expectationswouldnotfail,andlaughterwouldnotoccur.Thelogicofnormalrationalthinkingmayhaveunusualvalueforscientificinventionandrationalcreation,butithasnohumorousvalueforemotionalcommunication.Humorneedstobreaktheconventionallogicofthinking,suddenplotdevelopmentprocessinordertoproducealossofnervousanticipation,arouseknowinglaughter,thusbuildingahumorousatmosphere.However,whenthiskindofhumortheoryisappliedtotheconcreteliterarypractice,whetheritcanreallyproducetheartisticeffectofhumor?Theanswerisbeyondquestion.Whenhereturnedtothesoupkitchen,Henry’ssituationwasclearlydifferent.HestoppedaskingHenryforcollateral,gavehimaneasy100-poundloan,andopenedthesocialdoorsforHenrytomeettheloveofhislife.Henry,whohadnointentionofraisingthepricewhenhejoinedthecharity,paid5,000poundstosayhellototheLittleBoyandwonavasethatdidn’tmatchtheprice,hedoesn’thavethatmuchcashonhand!TheHerculeswasdumbfounded.Butthisisnotaproblem,whetherhehascashornot,itdoesnotmattertohim,becauseheisa“Millionaire”.Thisstrongcontrast,butalsohighlightstheabnormalsocialclimate.3.2.2TheChaoticScenecausedbyaNewspaperMistakeAccordingtotheGermanphilosopherHegel,humordoesnotpresentitselfasasubjectwhichobjectivelypresentsitselfandformsitsforminaccordancewithitsessence,insuchawaythatitscontent,byitself,achievesthestructureandcompletenessofart,it’saboutallowingtheartisttoinfiltratehimselfintothematerial.ArthurSchopenhaueralsobelievesthattherealobjectisalwaysinsomewaythoughtthroughasaconcept,andthatlaughterariseseverytimewhenitissuddenlydiscoveredthattheobjectandtheconceptdonotmatch.Bothagreeonthetwopointsofhumorouslaughter.Theybothpointoutthatthecontentandformofhumorareincompatible.TheliterarypracticeoftheMarkTwainBearsoutthesetheories.Heiswillingtousethiskindofincongruouswaytostrengthenthecomiceffectofthenovel,toincreasetheartisticcharmofthenovel.Thepicturemovesontothenextframe,andthedukeraisesthemoneytogethisoldroomback,onlytobeturneddownby“Mr.Adamisstaying.”.ToFoolHenry,theDukeaskedawaitertohideHenry’scheck,whichcausedapublicuproarthatMr.Adam’sidentitywasfalseandthathedidnotholdthecheck.Thefurorwasnolessintensethanthemomentpeoplefirstknewhewasamillionaire.Thenewspaperevencametohimtoverify,butwhenhereallyfoundthatthemoneyismissingthemoment,theinnerpanicoverflowsinwords.Thenallthecreditorsfollowed,demandingthathepayup.Afteraflurryofconfusion,Henry’sluggagewasclearedoutandhiswordsfellondeafears.Thedukeofthehotelsternlyaskedtheclerk,“Doyoubusinessmenhaveanysenseofthelaw?”andsaid,“Thisisabigjoke.”Finally,thechaosendedwhenthedukepulledoutthemoney!Theduke’sback-and-forth,andhiswords:“Iobjecttoyourmoney-orientedideas,butIfindourideasmoreviciousthanyours!”Allreflectthemainidea.Thevoicesoftheprotestersdownstairsrangedfrom“Beathim”to“Godblessyou”.Whatafunnyturnofevents.TheycaremoreaboutwhoholdsthecheckthanaboutHenryAdams,andthatisexactlywhatMarkTwaindid.ChapterFourTheinfluenceofMarkTwain’shumoronlaterliterature4.1PassingontheSpiritofHumorTheblackcomedyisanAmericanliterarygenreofthe19thcenturyandthe19thcentury.Thewritersofthisschoolbelievethatthetraditionalwritinghasfailedtoexpresstheirrationalityoftoday’ssocietyandtheabsurdityofhumanexistence.So,theydramaticallyexaggeratetheugly,cruelandcrazycharactersoreventsinsocietytoachieveacold,sharphumorridicule,thushighlightingthedespairoftherealsociety.AsthehumoristOldmanputsit,theblackcomedyis“Comedyjuxtaposingpainwithjoy,IgorFactswithundulycalmresponses,crueltywithtenderness.”ThroughtheanalysisofthehumorcharacteroftheMarkTwainnovels,weknowthatthehumorofthelateMarkTwainnovelspresentsasorrowfulairofpain,disappointmentandevendespair,andcontainselementsofblackcomedy,factorssuchaspainanddespair,butnotyetblackcomedy.SowhyisitthatMarkTwainfictionhumorhashadamajorimpactonMarkTwain,ultimatelydowntothespiritofhumor.WhentheMarkTwainusehumortoreflectonhumannatureandridiculetheabsurdityoftheworld,themetaphysicalphilosophicaltorturenaturallyleadstoakindofhumorousspiritwhichisincommonwiththelaterblackcomedyliterature.Thisspirithasmadethehumorist’sartisticingenuityanduniquepersonalfeelings-toreflectonsocietyandhumanbeingsthemselves.Butinthewriter,thesupportofthiskindofhumorousspiritcanletthembuildupanenvironmentthatcanhealtheirownpsychologicaltrauma,andthewritercanalsorelyonthiskindofhumorousspirit,todeveloptheunderstandingoftheworldorsocialalienationofthephenomenonofbanter,ortheworldofabsurdity,orirrationalfearofhumanbeingsordespairofhumansurvivalandsoon.What’smore,itreflectsthedeeperthinkingofthewriter,andshowstheeffortsandexplorationofthewritertoresisttheabsurdreality.Regardlessofthethemeoftheirworks,initsdeepsense,itistoexpresstheauthor’syearningforandpursuitofreasoninahighersense.4.2TheInfluenceoftheArtofHumorFirstofall,theMarkTwainoralstyleofhumorhasbecomeasymboloftrueNativeAmericanliteratureandhashadaprofoundimpactonthecreationofAmericannationalliterature.TheMarkTwainpioneeredthecolloquialstyleofliterature,whichnotonlyproducedahumorouseffect,butalsomarkedtheformationoftrueNativeAmericanliteratureandhashadtheprofoundinfluencetotheAmericannationalliteraturecreation.Americanliterature,heavilyinfluencedbyEuropeanliterature,requiredtheuseofstandard,elegantandgorgeousEnglishliterature,becausetheflightystylecankillaworkoflife.Inhisnovels,heabandonedthefloweryandartificialwordsanddirectlyusedtheNativeAmericandialect,whichlaidasolidfoundationforthedevelopmentofthecolloquialcultureofAmericanliterature.Americandialects,dialects,andslangfromthepeoplethemselveshavebeenimbuedwiththewisdomandfeelingsofthepeople,withastrongsenseofhumor,withastrongemotionalcolor.Onceitisappliedtoliterarycreationandintegratedintoacertainliterarycontext,itwillproduceastrongsenseofhumorwiththereaders’understandingandacceptance,italsogivesaninsightintotheunderlyingcausesanddeepbackgroundofthisproperty.KurtVonnegut,theblackcomedyAmericanofthe21stcentury,spokehighlyofMarkTwain,“IfitwerenotforthegeniusoftheMarkTwainlanguage,”hesays,“Ournationwouldnotbeknownforitsrich,interesting,andoftenbeautifullanguages.Onlyageniuscansobeautifullyandhumorouslyexpressourlanguage,ourwit,ourcommonsense,andourusualdecencytousandtheoutsideworld.”ThecolloquialcultureoftheMarkTwain,theinfluenceonthelaterAmericanliteratureisfar-reaching.TheSherwoodAndersondirectlyinheritedhisstyleofwritingandbecamethefirstserioususeofspokenlanguagetoexpresslifewritersintheearly20thcentury.Hemingway’sterse“Iceberg”stylealsoowesmuchtothislinguisticqualityoftheMarkTwain.Moreover,theuseoflanguagebyJ.D.Salinger,WilliamFaulknerandothershasbeengreatlyinfluencedbyit,WilliamFaulkneroncesaid,“Inmyopinion,MarkTwainwasthefirsttrueAmericanwriter,andallofuswhocameafterhimarehisdescendants.”Secondly,theMarkTwainsetanexampleforfuturewritersinthewayofhumorousnarration.Thisismainlyreflectedinthehumormustbemaintainedinadeadpanandserioustone.TheMarkTwainin“TheartoftellingstoriesabouttheinfluenceofMarkTwain’shumoronlaterliterature--onAmerican-stylehumorousstoriesandthedifferencebetweenthemandfunnystoriesandjokes”statesthat“Theeffectofahumorousstorydependsonhowitistold,andafunnystoryshouldbetoldinawaythatisnotboring,”andthat“Ahumorousstoryrequiressufficientseriousness,andthenarratormusttrynottomaketheaudienceguessthatthestoryisabsurd,”whichisinkeepingwiththecalm,objective,anddeadpanAmericanmodernismadvocatedinlaterliteraryworks,it’sthesamething.Anobjectiveanddispassionatenarrativecanreducethesubjectivityofthestory,withouttoomuchoutsideinfluence,sothatthestoryseemsquitereal,justliketheeventsinlife.Inaddition,thiskindofdeadpanserioustonecanshortenthedistancebetweenthestoryandthereader,justasthereaderpersonallyparticipatedintheoccurrenceanddevelopmentofthestory,sothatthestoryhasamorerealpowerandappeal.AsMr.GaoXingjianputsit,“Anobjective,dispassionate,restrainednarrative,ontheotherhand,canhaveanilluminatingeffectonone’sownwork.”,theserioustoneoftheMarkTwainisundoubtedlyagreatreferencetotheobjectivenarrativerequirementsoflaterAmericanliterature.Finally,theuseofhumor’s“Logicdislocation”technique.“Logicaldislocation”,asitsnamesuggests,referstothelogicalthinkingofmutualerror,istoputtwounrelatedthingstogether,resultinginasubjectiveandobjectiveincongruity,toachieveamockingintent.TheMarkTwain’sprevioushumorouscreations,generally,themethodsusedtodealwiththegrammar,pronunciation,spellingofthedeliberatechangesandmisreadingorthroughplotdistortion,physicalexaggerationtocreateacomicalsituationtowinpeople’slaughter.However,theMarkTwainwhoarewell-versedinhumorproceedfromthedeeplogicofhumorandmishandleittocreateasubjectiveandobjectiveincongruity,whichleadstotheaestheticeffectofhumor.AsMr.SunShaozhen’humortheorysays,whathumorrequiresisthedeconstructionandtranscendenceofconventionallogicandthetacitmisplacementofrationallogicthinking.Thiskindofartisticexpressioncannotonlyshowthephenomenonoflogicaldislocationinadeepersense,butalsorestorethehighestrealityoflifeinessence.ThiskindofliterarypracticeofMarkTwainundoubtedlyhadanobviousinfluenceonthedevelopmentoflaterliterature,especiallytheblackcomedyliterature.ChapterFiveConclusionTherearetwostepsinpeople’sunderstandingofhumor.Thefirststepistounderstandthelanguageofhumorattheinformationlevel,whichistheinstinctivereactionofpeople,thatis,thenormalhumanmind,theywillhaveasenseoftheplotandlanguageinthenovelandtheinitialjudgment,fromthemindtoformtheinitialstateofknowledge.Thisprocesswillbedifferentbetweenpeople.Andrelatedtopeople’sknowledge,experience,culturallevel,butmostofthemcangivetheirownhumoraboutthedegreeofthenovel.Butthereisadifferenceinthedegreeofawareness.Thesecondstepisadeepcognitivecommunicativeintentiontoinformation.Atthistime,itisnecessarytogiveplaytopeople’sownsubjectiveinitiative.Noteveryonecanrealizethislevel.Itusuallyrequiresreaderstounderstandthethoughtsthattheauthorwantstoexpress,andtobaseitontheirownknowledgetheory,haveadeepunderstandingofwhatcomesnext.Understandthemeaningofit.AsMarkTwain’sclassicwork,TheMillionPoundNoteishumorousinitswords,itshowsthereadersthedarkandmercilessreality.Itisalsoacriticismandcondemnationoftherealsociety.Atthattime,People’soutlookontheworld,outlookonlife,valuesgraduallychanged.Moneyinfrontofeverythingisni