Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)’s imaginary Hadleyburg is a remarkable place. Despite its reputation for being the most honest and upright town in all the region, its citizens managed to offend a vindictive passing stranger. The visitor was so upset that he came up with an elaborate plan to destroy the town’s image. Ironically, as the story plays out, we learn that Hadleyburg’s version of “honesty” came at a price. It is a mean, hard, stingy town, and hasn’t a virtue in the world. Themes: revenge, appearance vs. reality, hypocrisy, temptation, morality vs. greed, “herd mentality”, guilt and shame.
The town’s new motto: Lead Us Into Temptation suggests that its people have learned from the experience. As is suggested several times in the story, claiming a virtue based on outward appearances doesn’t make it so. To authenticate the claim, the virtue (in this case ‘honesty’) must be tested (by ‘temptation’) and proven to be true.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (18,200 words)