The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut

Summary

The story begins with the narrator getting a letter from Aunt Mary. She is a role model of his, and he has a great deal of respect for her. Then a miniature version of the narrator enters and begins to smoke and mock the narrator. The mini-narrator reminds the narrator of various misdeeds he has done in the past. The smaller man reveals that he is the narrator's conscience manifested in physical form, and the taller man tries to kill the midget. This does not work. The narrator then has a civil conversation about the nature of conscience. The occupation of a conscience is to make a man repent his sins. The appearance of a conscience directly reflects the person it represents. This conversation goes on until Aunt Mary arrives. She scolds the narrator for not taking care of certain things he had promised. The narrator stalks and kills his conscience in her presence. He then screams at his aunt and she leaves. Free of his conscience, the narrator performs all types of depravity, and the story ends with an advert for human merchandise.

Comment

I would assume that most people struggle with their conscience on a daily basis. It is the driving force behind most actions. The main question here is, would anyone be better off without? Morality is a difficult issue to tackle, and I have spent a great deal of time in my own life posing the same questions as Twain. I identify with a modest conscience. I feel no need to beat myself for small trespasses, and I try to learn as I age. This story is difficult to read, as the language is a bit dated. I suppose that is like saying Shakespeare had poor grammar.