Running for governor and the novel Gilded Age paved the way for American critical realism. Running for governor raised a very important social issue in America-the essence of American democracy. The protagonist of the novel is "I", running for the governor of new york on behalf of the Independent Party. The other two candidates are Woodford of the party and Hoffman of the Democratic Party. "I" have a good reputation, and those two "used to know that they cared about the benefits of fame, and that was before." However, "I" was repeatedly slandered by newspapers, saying that he was a perjury maker, thief, corpse thief, alcoholic, swindler and blackmail expert. Some people even went to his house to smash his furniture and windows, rob his property and write anonymous letters threatening him. Finally, in a campaign speech, nine toddlers with different skin colors were incited to rush to the podium, hugging my legs tightly and calling me "Dad". In extreme panic, "I" was finally forced to withdraw from the governor's election.
The novel satirizes American political life from two aspects of "democratic election" and "freedom of speech", and exposes the deception, hypocrisy and horror of "democratic election" and "freedom of speech". It highly concentrated and artistically exaggerated the behavior of bourgeois politicians buying newspapers, and regarded it as a tool for slander, blackmail, intimidation, accusing Luo Zhi and killing people, revealing that "democratic election" is not "the expression of people's free will" at all, but a deception and fool to the people. Newspapers that flaunt "freedom of speech" have no "truth" or "freedom" at all. They are completely tools in the hands of politicians, specializing in spreading rumors and confusing people, regardless of the truth.
Running for governor is short, but it is provocative, witty and ironic. This is a wonderful political satire on bourgeois democratic elections. When conceiving the conflict between two characters ("I" and two other candidates), the work deliberately designs "I" as a "decent person" with a "good reputation", which contrasts with the despicable opponent, deepens the contradiction of the work and forms a strong irony. The novel's "exposure and accusation" of the campaign opponent makes the facts come out and proves that this is a rumor made out of nothing. Therefore, the more serious the accusation, the meaner the whistleblower will be, and the process of opponents' accusation will become a process of self-exposure. Mark Twain used this technique of exaggerating the fact itself to achieve satire quite successfully. For example, I have been accused of perjury, but I have never been to the crime scene. I have been accused of being a thief, but I have never been to the accident site, and so on. Running for governor directly wrote the name "I" as the author's own name "Mark Twain", which enhanced the realism of the works.
In the use of language, the work uses various means to strengthen irony. For example, the irony of "I give up and admit defeat" and "I can't meet the requirements of running for the governor of new york" satirizes the hypocrisy of the election. Another example: "As for the banana garden, I don't know the difference between it and a kangaroo at all"; "So I gradually became wary of the newspaper, and I felt scared when I picked it up-much like a person trying to uncover the bed blanket when he wanted to sleep, but his mind was worried that there would be a rattlesnake below", which not only made a striking metaphor, but also produced a strong humorous and ironic effect.
The novel is also unique in structure. After a brief explanation at the beginning, a large number of newspapers and letters are "quoted" with "I" as the center and "quoted" in series with the author's narrative. This structure not only enhances the authenticity, but also makes the work concise, vivid and unique.
The novel embodies Mark Twain's long-term observation and experience of American politics. A year before writing for governor, the author wrote to his friend and said, "I always hate politics." This can be regarded as the ideological basis for running for governor. Hoffman was then governor of New York when he ran for governor. He is the agent of Yili Railway Company, the king of railways. This company has its own people at all levels of parliament and government. The company spends $700,000 in bribes and legal fees every year. It can be seen that they are the actual manipulators of democratic politics in new york and even the United States. Shortly after the publication of Running for Governor, Mark Twain published another article with a set of cartoons in the spring of 187 1. There is a "building" in the picture, which indicates that this is the headquarters of Yili Railway Company. There are speculators Gauld and Hoffman in the building. The group is busy bribing lawmakers and extorting money from ordinary people on the screen. All this proves the strong realistic pertinence of running for governor and the courage to directly intervene in bourgeois political life. Obviously, Mark Twain's "hate politics the most" refers to the dark, corrupt and hypocritical politics manipulated by these politicians and villains.