The Frontier and Industrialization in the Democratic State: Nineteenth-Century Socio-Political and Cultural Orders in Twain’s ‘Old Times on the Mississippi

Abstract

Suggests Twain’s story can be read as a bildungsroman since the tale includes relevant biographical facts. However, a wider contextualization, including the change in the character of democracy as the United States progressed from a wilderness state to an industrial state, amplifies understanding of this series of sketches. Argues that in this context, “Old Times” offers a contrast between antebellum and post-bellum sociopolitical and cultural forces, demonstrating the way in which the balance between the individual and the community ushered in through connection with the frontier was lost with the rise of industrialization.