The whole plot of Twain’s novel is based on racism and the hypocrisy around white supremacy. David Wilson is a qualified lawyer; when he moves to Missouri, a small town in Downs landing, he is denied equal chances to practice his law skills. The whites view him as a less qualified lawyer, and because he is black, he cannot present the white up to their standards. Wilson is further nicknamed Pudd’nhead, meaning he is a soft person with a useless mind. It is ironic for the whites to brand him useless when he already qualifies to be a lawyer. To add to his qualifications, he is skilled in collecting fingerprints, a scientific skill possessed by a lawyer. Combining his two talents, he can solve a lot of cases that most lawyers cannot solve. Although the whites consider themselves superior Wilson has exposed them as racists based on the aristocracy.
It is hypocritical for the racists to identify their race by color and aristocracy. Chamber, who is exchanged and raised as Tom, is regarded as white by the racists despite being black, and Tom, who is renamed Chamber, is raised as black and is accepted in the black society despite his race being white. It is clear that nobody is born a racist; one develops the racist character from those around him. It shows that people become what they are taught, but their brains are equal; their development depends on their education.
To a certain point, Wilson points out that most whites were racist. However, throughout his plot, I can see equality between the races despite the white’s judgmental attitude. When a black man Chambers is raised as Tom, he develops the white culture, and he becomes a racist as he considers himself untouchable. His character development shows that people are born without identity. This identity is acquired at birth, which they live their whole lives defending it. At this point, Wilson succeeds in depicting that there is racism in this setting. The racism is brought out as hypocritical since the racist cannot explain why they feel superior when they cannot even tell who belongs to their race until it is revealed.
From the first plot of the novel, the aristocratic code is depicted by considering how Wilson and the twin brothers are welcomed in Dawson’s Landing. However, a qualified lawyer and fingerprint expert are judged as under qualified to serve the whites at a higher level. Consequently, Luigi and Angelo, who claims to be from a noble family, are accepted in Dawson’s Landing as aristocrats. They claim to have killed a thief who tried to steal their precious knife and still try to depict the scene that they are proud of murder. Ironically, Chamber, a black man, steals their knife, uses it for murder, and frames them.
Ironically, the supreme white judge is defeated by being fooled to believe that the twins committed the murder. The entire novel depicts how the whites can be enemies when the black mind successfully tricks them using the teachings they gave him. Finally, the entire mystery is solved by the lawyer who was rejected by the aristocrats hence showing that aristocracy is a sham. The true heir to the throne is restored, but he feels out of place because of his upbringing.
To sum up, the entire essay portrays how racism is an opposing vice in society. Despite the whites considering themselves superior, they cannot prove it when they are put to the test. Wilson brings out racism as a character influenced by nature vs. nature, especially where one is raised. A black man is raised to be a racist hating his people, while the white boy is raised in a black community ends up being humble because of their environment. Throughout the Novel, the Southern aristocracy is portrayed as baseless discrimination.