Mortality and Loss

Where it surfaces

• The Grant Dictations

  Grant's terminal illness and the race against time to complete his memoirs highlight the theme of mortality.

• About General Grant's "Memoirs"

  Grant's cancer diagnosis and impending death frame the chapter, emphasizing the urgency of his memoir and the fragility of life.

• Gerhardt and the Grant Bust

  General Grant's frail health and the visible wasting of his body underscore the theme of mortality.

• The Reverend Doctor N⸺ Visits General Grant

  The chapter centers on General Grant's imminent death and the nation's collective grief.

• The Machine Episode

  The financial and temporal loss Twain endured over more than a decade, reflecting on wasted years and money.

• Playing "Bear"—Herrings—Jim Wolf and the Cats

  The chapter details multiple deaths and tragedies Twain witnessed, including a tramp burned in jail, a shooting, a stabbing, and a fatal shooting.

• Chapters Added in Florence 1904

  The chapter is infused with reflections on death, particularly the loss of Susy Clemens and the passage of time.

• The Prophetic Dream

  The chapter centers on the death of Twain's brother Henry, exploring grief, fatal medical errors, and the haunting accuracy of a dream.

• New York, January 15, 1906

  The chapter includes Twain's prophetic dream about his brother's death and the emotional weight of that loss.

• New York, January 15th, Continued

  The sudden death of John Malone while being discussed highlights the fragility of life and the theme of unfulfilled hopes and missed opportunities.

• New York, January 16th, Continued

  The chapter centers on Sickles's lost leg, his near-death experience at Gettysburg, and the lingering effects of war wounds.

• New York, Thursday, January 18, 1906

  Twain contrasts the funerals of John Malone and the Empress of Austria, reflecting on death and the afterlife.

• New York, February 1, 1906

  Reflections on Livy's death, Susy's death, and Patrick McAleer's terminal illness.

• New York, Friday, February 2, 1906

  The chapter centers on Susy's death and Twain's meditation on the gradual realization of profound loss.

• Wednesday, February 7, 1906

  Twain reflects on Susy's death, noting that her hand 'will not touch mine again,' adding pathos to his memories.

• New York, Thursday, February 15, 1906

  Jervis Langdon's slow death from cancer and the emotional toll on Livy are vividly described, along with the fragility of infant Langdon.

• Friday, February 16, 1906

  The chapter is steeped in loss: the death of Jervis Langdon, the infant Langdon, and Emma Nigh, as well as the family's mourning.

• Tuesday, February 20, 1906

  The death of Mrs. Wilkes and the reflection on Wilkes's faded fame highlight themes of mortality and the transience of life.

• New York, Thursday, February 22, 1906

  Reflections on the deaths of Jervis Langdon, David Gray, and the existential question of life's purpose.

• Monday, February 26, 1906

  Twain reflects on Susy's early death and the inevitable tragedy of life, as well as Clara Spaulding's long-term suffering from an accident.

• Friday, March 9, 1906

  Many schoolmates have died; Twain recounts deaths from yellow fever, broken hearts, war, and old age.

• Monday, March 12, 1906

  The chapter dwells on the death of 600 Moros, including women and children, and the pathos of their helplessness.

• Wednesday, March 14, 1906

  The chapter deals with the mass death of Moros, including women and children, and the callousness of the U.S. military's actions.

• Monday, March 5, 1906

  Twain's detailed eulogy for Patrick McAleer and the mourning of old friends at the Hartford Club highlight the theme of aging and loss.

• Friday, March 16, 1906

  Reflections on the deaths of Hickman, Reuel Gridley, Will Bowen, and others, with Susy's poignant question.

• Wednesday, March 21, 1906

  The search for Dr. John Brown's letters and the memory of Susy Clemens evoke themes of loss and the passage of time, while the military execution scene underscores the grim reality of death.

• Friday, March 22, 1906

  The chapter deals with the deaths of Langdon Clemens, Dr. John Brown, and the impending loss of Susy, as well as Twain's guilt over past actions.

• Wednesday, March 28, 1906

  The death of Mark Twain's father and the family's subsequent poverty underscore the theme of mortality and the suddenness of loss.

• Friday, March 30, 1906

  Twain discusses the plight of the adult blind, who lose their sight and face a life of idleness and dependency, contrasting with their former capabilities.

• Wednesday, April 4, 1906

  Twain reflects on the transient nature of fame and the eventual decline of his own literary value compared to Lincoln and other historical figures.

• Friday, April 6, 1906

  Etta Booth's husband is dying; Orion's death is described; Twain notes the passage of 44 years and the deaths of many acquaintances.

• Orion Resumed

  The deaths of Jane Clemens and Orion Clemens, and the 'pathetic and unprofitable' nature of Orion's life.