Connecticut Yankee

In the book, Mark Twin gives serval examples to explain the romanticized ideas of chivalry: In the chapter 11-14, “a young woman arrives at court and begs for aid in freeing her mistress and 44 other beautiful young princesses from a castle guarded by three giant brothers with four arms and one eye. Despite the clamorings of the Knights of the Round Table, the king assigns the quest to the Yankee”. Later, the Yankee realized that the exaggerations of the young women correspond exactly with the general mode of communication employed by the court. And Yankee complain the practical side of being a knight, especially the trials and tribulations of wearing armor. The other example is in chapter 28, during the Yankee and Arthur’ incognito trip, they meet a dying mother and daughter. The Yankee urges Arthur to leave the hut to avoid infection, but “the king refuses and sets about his knightly duty to give succor to those in need”. Yankee is impressed with Arthur’s courage and self-sacrifice in a situation with no hope of reward, which is true heroism. Then in the chapter 30, when the women’s son back and the Yankee asked Arthur leaves before being discovered. Arthur refused and thought the man must have escaped form the lord, and it is his knightly duty to capture them for him, regardless of their innocence of the crime for which they were imprisoned. The author is using the ironic comparison; it is the knighthood duty to help people in need. Meanwhile, it is also the knighthood obligation to protect the interest of upper class and ignore the real hardship of the bottom of society. Arthur saved and buried the women, but wanted to kill her son all due to the chivalry.

The Yankee is a shrewd observer, and he takes advantage of two of the character traits he notices in abundance in the middle age: superstition and naivete. Everyone believes in Merlin's power, so it is no stretch for them to believe that someone else may have the same power. In the chapter 5-6, The Yankee tells the king “he will let the darkness proceed as a lesson, but he will restore the sun if the king appoints him his perpetual chief minister and executive and agrees to pay him one percent of the annual increase of revenue over its present amount he creates for the state”. Luckily, the eclipse he happens to know saved him and kind of prove his superpower. It seems ridiculous to people today that Arthur and his people believe in the Yankee lie. Also, in