In Thursday’s class session, we analyzed the ending of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. The book ends with Hank Morgan orchestrating a mass execution of thousands of knights in an all out war between the Yankee, and the Church. Hank Morgan spent years building up the technological advancements, and gaining the trust of the people. I think it was an interesting twist at the end of the book that had Hank destroying everything that he had created. It is ironic because if anything, you would think that the Church would be the one to destroy the factories that Hank built. I find this situation similar to what happened during World War 2 with Nazi Germany.
Hitler and the Nazis built thousands of concentration camps and risked everything to try to create the perfect race. Similar to Hank, they thought they were pushing the time forward by getting rid of what they seemed to be inferior people or technology. Hank killed thousands of knights during the war, and the Nazis killed millions of people. At the end of the war, the Nazis tried to destroy the concentration camps and scientific labs before the Soviet Union and Western Allies captured them. This situation is just like the end of the book. The Nazi’s and Hank did not want to accept defeat, so they destroyed their work before anyone else could. It might not seem right to compare Nazi Germany or Hitler to Hank Morgan. In the beginning of the book, it is easy to like Hank because you think he has good intentions. He only wants to help the people and make their lives easier and more worth living. However, towards the end of the book when Hank begins to introduce dangerous technology like weapons and the electric fence, you begin to question Hank’s intentions. Before you can even realize, Hank turns from being a savior to being a villain.
In the grand scheme of things, Hank manipulated the 6th century’s weaknesses to help him gain power. He saw their lack of sophisticated education, and the weakness in the social system as a means to his end. He was using people to strengthen his status and authority. At the end of WW1, Germany was broken. People were poor, hungry and desperate. Hitler recognized this and tried to rebuild the country. The Germans were so broken; they saw Hitler’s first intentions as godly. He was their savior and was going to restore the German name. Hitler used his national following to manipulate the people into a mass execution. Talking about it today, people always wonder how it was possible for a man with the intentions like Hitler to gain so much power of the people. It is the same reason why Hank Morgan gained the following that he did. To explain this I am going to use an analogy. If you have a brain tumor that has compromised your ability to walk, your life is pretty miserable. But if a brain surgeon comes into the room and promises you a 100% cure using this brand new technology, most people would agree to it, not even understanding the new technology. When people make promises to change your life for the “better”, it is only human nature to accept and worship these people. There is an uncanny trust between the people who make these promises, and those that are broken. I think A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court demonstrates the idea that hope and trust is very powerful tool when it comes to human interaction. Hank originally gave people hope in the future, and therefore gained his trust. Ultimately, the end of the book results in the people turning their back on Hank, because the Church destroys Hank’s credibility and people’s hope for a new future.