Journal 13 Mark Twain -Jealousy

Allister Lo
English48b
Journal 13 Mark Twain

Quote: “Jealously. Do not forget it, keep it in mind. It is the key. With it you will come to partly understand God as we go along; without it nobody can understand him. As I have said, he has openly held up this treasonous key himself, for all to see. He says, naively, outspokenly, and without suggestion of embarrassment: ‘I the Lord thy God am a jealous God’” (Letters from the Earth).

Summary: In this passage, Twain, as Satan, points out that God possesses the vice of jealously and He, himself, admits it.

Response: In Letters to the Earth, Twain takes on the perspective of Satan, the fallen angel and ruler of Hell. Using this persona, Twain makes many pointed remarks about religion and God.

Even though he is using the persona of Satan to express these views, one has to think that Twain did in fact believe in the skepticisms he expresses, even if only partly.

In this quote, he references a Bible passage in which the Lord announces that he is a jealous God and therefore no other gods should be worshipped before him. He boldly writes that jealously is the key to understanding God, and he even uses the word naively to describe God. This was an extreme view to take on religion, even in today’s era. Many people would not dare speak out against someone they think so highly of, much less if he is considered to be the all-mighty and all-powerful spirit that created everything. Yet Twain, hiding behind his persona, expresses his doubts about the religion, and even goes on the offensive to attack it.

Just as he had done in his other works such as the “War Prayer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” he challenges readers to recognize their own opinions and even challenge those beliefs by playing the devil’s advocate. Although I do not think that Twain was being totally malicious in his writing, the reason I think he uses such pointed language is he wants people to take notice and address these “faults” and defend them. He does not want people simply to formulate their beliefs on merely what they have been taught and what they have learned, but rather he challenges them to form their own beliefs.