"Two Views of the River"

In "Two Views of the River", the author, Mark Twain, talks about the years that he worked on a steamboat. It is a more serious story than some of Mark Twain's other works, and it cannot really be classified as a real story. It was more like a lesson about having too much of a good thing and why this can have negative effects on your life (Twain).

The story begins with Mark Twain marveling at the beauty of the river and the sunsets and the nature surrounding him while he worked on the steamboat. However, over time, Twain kind of lost sight of enjoying the more simple things in life and no longer enjoyed the view of the river as much because it was old news. He could no longer see the vast beauty of the river as he had seen it before, simply because of how often he saw it (Twain). When the newness wore off, Twain no longer appreciated the beauty of nature for what it is because he was focused more on other things, such as his job. The beauty of the river became a day to day experience for Mark Twain, and therefore it lost some of its intrigue and mysterious aspects. Eventually Twain realizes what a shame it is that he no longer appreciates the wonder of the nature around him, and because he's already been "exploited" in a way, he will never see the river with the same awed reverence and innocence as he was able to before (Twain).

This story captures parts of Realism in a view different ways. Twain kind of becomes hardened by his work on the boat, which is something that is very common. People really do not appreciate all that they have until they realize they do not have it anymore. This practical loss makes the story seem easier to relate to and more plausible (Campbell "Realism"). Twain is upset about what he is missing out on, and that is something that happens to everyone at some point in their lives. We all lose litte parts of ourselves along the way, but those losses make us what we are today. This story can be classified as a piece of Realism simply because it documents the very common loss of youthful innocence that people go through in life (Campbell "Realism").

The descriptions of the river and the nature surrounding it give the story a touch of Naturalism in it as well, but there are no real philosophical roots or anything like that (Campbell "Naturalism"). However, because there is no real mention of God in the story, it can be perceived as Naturalism in that sense as well, along with some of Twain's more analytical style of writing in this story (Campbell "Naturalism").

Even though Twain is noted for what he does with Regionalism in his stories, there was not a log of Regionalism present in "Two Views of a River". He does talk a little bit about the setting and give some descriptions, but there is still not a lot of influence from the region (Twain). The dialect in the story could actually promote Regionalism a bit, but not substantially. Instead of talking about the traditions, customs, and way of life in the area, Twain talks more about the nature surronding the area.Religion and government are not at play in this story, but focused more on nature and what the main character was feeling (Twain). There is also not much to do with human nature and the American Dream, although you could make the arguement that Twain's dedication to his work on the steamboat could show that he was trying to live up to his own idea of the American Dream.

Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web 21 March 2010.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm

Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. Web. Feb 10 2011.
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html

Twain, Mark. "Two Views of the River" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 504-05. Print.