This piece of writing follows Puddn'head Wilson well, but this time Mark Twain is turning his critical lens of social constructivism on himself. Twain wrote this at the end of his life, and with the whole of his life weighing down upon him. With most of his family dead, Twain tended toward bitterness and was much less self-important than he was in his younger days. In this writing, which was his last published work, Twain shows some humility in celebrating the ties in his life. He mentions his family and upbringing as more responsible for how he became Mark Twain than his own agency. This stands in contrast with the Mark Twain I thought I knew. For reading his stories and listening to his biography, I had come to view Mark Twain as a person suffering from arrested development. I thought he was a man who had never fully matured out of his Tom Sawyer phase. I felt sorry for his wife and children for having to deal with his antics and immaturity. I felt like Twain chose to do whatever he wanted without much regard for his family. His life out west seemed very sporadic and unplanned. He did not mellow when he moved East and settled down with Libby. His defiant, rebellious nature is evident in his writings.
But this piece is different. This piece does show a mellow Twain; albeit, he still maintains a critical eye and a sense of irony. He traces his identity to the people around him and his experience with others. He celebrates the connections between himself and other people. This is not the Twain that got run out of towns in the West, nor the Twain that had misadventures in Europe. This is a more likable Twain, a more mature Twain, a Twain that has finally been able to soften and reflect upon himself. I think that the deaths of his beloved family members helped him understand just how much joy they brought to his life during their lives.
I also think that Twain could no longer hide from his own age and growing frailty. I think that old-age was a scary reality for Twain, and that he did not want to face it. While he surrounded himself with children, he could pretend to be one of them. I think the "angelfish" helped him try to feel young again and they reminded him of being surrounded by his wife and daughters.
"The Turning Point in My Life" is a very appropriate piece for Twain to end with.
I agree with the fact that Twain seemed to struggle with getting older and his age in general. I think that not only did he desire to be young again, but he really struggled with the loss of his wife and a couple of children. I think that would be such a hard place to be in!
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