Upon reading the early chapters of A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court, I was first drawn to Twain’s description of the characters, particularly his descriptions of the knights and Hank’s fellow prisoners. He describes the prisoners at “white indians” with “animal training” (21), where as the knights were “dressed in such various and splendid color that it hurt one’s eye to look at them” (20). The prisoners are dressed in rags and unkempt while the knights wear lavish clothing and eat a feast with music playing. Twain’s description reveals the contrast in society between rich and poor and the corruption of the court. He juxtaposes the glamorous elite with the dingy poor and prisoners to highlight the greed and poor distribution of wealthy that was so prevalent in the 6th and 18th century. Twain fought in the civil war and lived in the post-war era of segregation. His discrepancy between the common folk and the knights at the round table  highlights the lack of equal treatment present at the time in the United States and still present today due to slavery and racial tensions. Since African Americans were still treated poorly in 18th century United States, Twain uses this novel to highlight social issues in America.

In addition, the knight’s stories of their adventures and courageous acts are filled with hyperbole and over exaggeration. In addition, these “courageous acts” don’t really have any meaning or passion behind them: there isn’t a fierce war going on nor was any family blood drawn. The knights are merely starting fights with random strangers and other knights just to boast about their conquests amongst their fellow friends. In essence, the knights at their basic level are corrupt, wealthy males who gain honor, glory, and money through winning petty fights. There power is based on  false justifications with little validation, and the knights merit to be in power is minimal except for being able to tell a good story and look classy in fancy clothes. Thus, the power distinction is flawed and ensures that only a small few will be able to enjoy the joys of the court. In a similar way in Twain’s life, the white males had little to no authority to enslave the African Americans other than the color of their skin. Slavery, the Civil War, and the subsequent segregation all stemmed from racial prejudice, hate and familial status, not intellectual merit or past achievements. Twain displays these social issues and themes in King Arthur’s court to highlight the same social issues currently ailing the time he is writing in.

As Hank travels back to the 6th century, he acknowledges the rapid decline of technology and hygiene. Hank comments that 6th century has “no soap, no matches, no looking-glass—except a metal one, about as powerful as a pail of water” (45). Such a drastic increase in technology has already occurred from the time of Twain’s writing to modern day; thus, the difference in technology when transitioning from the 18th to the 6th century must be a wake-up call.  He highlights the social norms of society in both time periods, noting that as technology developed, a higher standard of living and hygiene was expected and most often met. In class, the Gatling Gun was mentioned as a new innovation that led to extremely high death tolls during the Civil War. The immersion of Hank into this less-sophisticated society could be a warning of Twain to quit relying so heavily on technology. In our modern society today, the emergence of new technology has led to more powerful and deadly methods to harm others, greater abilities for hackers to access personal and confidential information, and an increasing suspicion from some of the public towards the use of technology. And while technology certainly does make certain aspects of our everyday lives easier, the negative consequences of social media addiction and general addiction to technological devices have separated us from one another while also connecting us. Particularly in the latest Presidential election, the emergence of social media played a large role in both campaigning for certain parties as well as causing to turmoil amongst groups of different viewpoints. Twain’s novel at least highlights society’s dependence on technology and serves to warn the public of putting too much faith into innovation and progress.