Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unmQl3wK83M

This is a video for an animated version of the short story. It is entertaining and another example of how Mark Twain influences our society.

Mark Twain says of Captain Stormfield, "He made no statement which he did not believe to be true." Then proceeds to tell the reader that, while Stormfield believes what he is saying is true, Mark Twain does not. This introduction makes the reader suspicious of Stormfield and curious to investigate what his tale may be. Yet another clever literary devise, a brilliant use of narrator by Twain.

The Story beings by contrasting with the typical notions of death. As Captain Stormfield lays near death, the doctor, carpenter, and shipmates talk about how dispose of his body after he dies. What is worse, they talk about how Stormfield is bound for hell. This turns the typical death sequence on its head. Usually, when familiars are gathered at the bedside of a dying person, there are tender words or perhaps tears. Twain has Stormfield's familiars bent on getting him dead and disposed of.

The journey to Heaven echos Stormfield's experience as a sailor. When he spots Solomon Goldstein, Stormfield uses terms that would be shouted on board a ship as they drift along through space. The classic images of a floating, white, glowing ghost is used in Twain's story. However, all of the life experiences and personalities of the ghosts are maintained.

When Stormfield arrives at his destination, he is surprised to find that Heaven is not what he expected; not what had been preached about. He spends some time trying to explain to Peters about earthly notions of heavenly customs: harp, wreath, halo, etc. Of course, he later comes to discover that such customs are specific to each mand and woman. Not everyone has the same vision of the afterlife, and Heaven must cater to everyone.

Also, Twain challenges the notion of "eternal rest" by making people have needs and restlessness in Heaven the same way people do when they are on earth. In fact, Twain politicizes Heaven into another version of Earth. Heaven consists of every individual's own satisfactory past-time and choice of existence. There was old age not because there was no alternative, but because people came to resonate with that reality. There was diversity because people could not help being whatever it was that they were. There was still division of races and misunderstanding.

Reading about Twain's argument about Heaven reminded me of a Buddhist tradition called "The Perfection of Wisdom." This school believes that nirvana equals samsara, and that liberation comes from becoming enlightened to this, not from getting out of samsara into a separate place called nirvana.