“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

— Mark Twain.

In this short story, Twain brings us to a quaint town on the Mississippi river, where life revolves around the steamboats that come and go from their docks. Since the entrance of a boat in this town causes an instant celebration, it is understandable as to why the young children would have dreams of someday belonging to the same trade. The main character finds it rooted in his heart to travel and eventually find his way onto a ship, or else he threatens to never return home. He perceives the task of working on a steamboat as something fun and extravagant, revealing his innocence when it comes to the subject of labor.  Worshipped in a way, the steamboats men are put on a pedestal, despite the fact that most do not truly understand the rigor until they belong to the trade themselves. The narrator desires not only the people of his town, but those in the surrounding cities, to look at him with as much admiration as he once looked at the ship crew who visited his home dock. Wishes such as these drive the narrators departure from home, although going out on a whim paid off, and after not too long Twain found himself on a crew. He worked hard, did the small jobs, and realized that if he ever wanted to become a great pilot he had to learn to navigate the routes without the use of his eyes. So he began his journey learning the river blind, similarly to how he began his journey of working on a boat: unaware, yet determined. Eventually identifying  “river landmarks” became second nature, however this did not just happen overnight, as Twain would have imagined when he was a boy. When commencing this aspect of his multifaceted journey towards his goal, the narrator says, “If I had really known what I was about to require of my faculties, I should not have had the courage to begin.” (Twain 77). This insight into the thought process of Twain shows how the pure intentions and innocent perception of the steamboat trade he held on to before he began are quickly being lost as he gains personal experience. This theme is displayed even further towards the end of the story where the river is no longer described as graceful, majestic, beautiful, and full of wonder as it once was to Twain before he was a pilot. Once completely accustomed to the climate of the river the beauty is no longer celebrated, rather it’s landmarks, such as floating logs or plants on the river bank, are only used to guide and not to be appreciated as they were in the past. This shift in perception can parallel similar experiences many of us have had in our lives, and I hope we can all relate to Twain in a way, feel free to share these in the comments below.