Concetti Chiave
- "The £1,000,000 Banknote" is a short story by Mark Twain, known for his works set by the Mississippi River, reflecting his youthful experiences there.
- The story's protagonist, Henry Adams, finds himself in London with a £1,000,000 banknote, a result of a bet between two wealthy brothers.
- Henry cleverly uses the perception of wealth to navigate London life, gaining fame as a mysterious millionaire without spending a penny.
- The protagonist's newfound status aids in resolving financial issues for a friend and leads to a romantic connection with Portia Langham.
- The tale concludes with a moral emphasizing that cunning and goodness can lead to success, encapsulated in Twain’s signature humorous style.
“The £ 1.000.000 banknote” was written by the famous English writer Mark Twain, best known for other works such as “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, both set by the Mississippi river. Twain knew very well these places because he spent his youth on those very banks, working as a steamboat pilot. Later in his life, he also went to California to look for gold, settled, and began writing stories for a San Francisco newspaper, and it’s in this very city that the £ 1.000.000 banknote story is set.
Indice
What was San Francisco like in the 19th Century?
We are in the second half of the nineteenth century, and San Francisco, from a quiet Spanish village has grown into a busy city, with a population of 30.000 people, full of settlers who want to make a name for themselves. Our young protagonist, Henry Adams, is amongst these, and works hard in one of the many offices: his future is bright and promising. However, during an usual sailing session, the wind pushes his boat out of San Francisco’s bay, into the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately he is rescued by an English brig, and pays his trip to London by working as a sailor. Once he gets there, he uses his little money to eat and sleep, but then he gets casually invited in a luxurious house by a butler, who takes him to a living room, where two gentlemen are arguing about something. They are two very rich brothers who could not decide whether a poor, intelligent and honest man could survive 30 days in London with a £ 1.000.000 banknote without being arrested by the police on the charge of having stolen it. So they made a bet, and, after having cashed the banknote, started looking for the right test subject, eventually choosing the lucky protagonist. So, after a brief questioning, they give him an envelope, containing the banknote and a letter, and send him on his way. The hungry young man immediately runs to the nearest inn and fills his stomach. After that, he opens the envelope to pay with the money the gentlemen gave him, and, to his disbelief, he finds the bill. Thinking the two brothers made a big mistake, he tries to pay, but the owner, seeing the extraordinary banknote, thinks he is a very rich gentleman, that probably likes playing jokes on people, so he lets him go, saying he can come back and eat what he wants when he wants, and then eventually pay later. After this, he tries to reach out to the two gentlemen, but to no avail, since they are on a journey. Then he remembers about the letter and reading it he discovers that, if he had returned to their house in thirty days with the banknote, the gentleman that bet on him would give him any job he wanted. Nevertheless, he didn’t yet know what the bet was.
Life in London with the Banknote
He immediately realizes that going to the bank to change is out of question, so, to buy anything he needs, he simply tricks the shop owners into thinking he’s a millionaire, like he did the first time, promising to pay them later. Rumors spread about this strange millionaire with a £ 1.000.000 banknote, and in no time the protagonist becomes a public figure. He even meets the American ambassador, who even invites him to a dinner party, during which he meets a beautiful English lady called Portia Langham: they immediately fall in love with each other, and Harry also tells her about the bet and the banknote. He also stumbles onto his old American friend, Mr. Hastings. After the party, they walk back to the hotel together, and Hastings expresses his concerns about some shares of a Californian gold mine, that he is struggling to sell in London. So Henry decides to help him, and manages to sell them all using his name, now very well known in the entire city, earning him and his friend lots of money. Finally, a month is passed and the young man returns to the gentlemen’s mansion, holding the banknote, also accompanied by Portia. There he discovers that his gentleman is his lover’s stepfather, so he asks him to marry her, and he accepts, giving this story a happy ending.
Conclusion and Moral of the Story
Overall, I think the moral of this short story is quite straightforward: if you’re cunning and good you can achieve anything. Although the plot is rather simple, in my opinion this story is anyway an original and humorous tale, that will surely keep one entrained, just as the majority of Twain’s works do.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the setting of "The £1,000,000 Banknote" and how does it relate to Mark Twain's life?
- How does the protagonist, Henry Adams, come into possession of the £1,000,000 banknote?
The story is set in San Francisco, a city Twain was familiar with from his time writing for a newspaper there. Twain's personal experiences, including his youth spent on the Mississippi River and his time in California during the Gold Rush, influenced his storytelling.
Henry Adams is given the banknote by two wealthy brothers in London who are betting on whether a poor, honest man can survive 30 days with it without being arrested for theft. They choose Henry as their test subject after a chance encounter.
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