A True Story

The use of repetition highlights an important character trait of Aunt Rachel. She begins her narrative describing her mother and how she always said “one word” when frustrated: “I want you to understand dat I wa’n’t bawn in de mash to be fool’ by trash! I’s one o’ de ole Blue Hen’s Chickens, I is!” (592). This expression of personal and regional pride could quiet anyone and clear a room. The sight of her mother’s strength strongly influenced Aunt Rachel, who uses the same phrase near the climax when confronting the rowdy soldiers in her kitchen. She repeats her mother’s saying word for word and even mirrors her actions by standing up straight and putting her fists on her hips. The repetition of the phrase and scene not only highlights the strength of these two African American women but also suggests the power of family across generations, as it’s this that allows Henry to recognize his mother.

The story features two main voices: Misto C as the frame story’s narrator, and Aunt Rachel as the narrator of the story proper. In both cases, voice is an integral form of indirect characterization. Misto C, for instance, speaks in standard American English; this implies that he is relatively well educated and therefore relatively well off (a fact that the presence of servants in his household quickly confirms).

Aunt Rachel’s voice, which dominates the narrative, uses African American Vernacular—e.g., the dropping of present tense “to be” in constructions like “I heah dat dey gwyne to sell us all off” (592). Twain’s preservation of the dialect lends the story realism, bolstering his claim that it is “a true story” and therefore further encouraging readers to empathize with Aunt Rachel. Her voice is also full of life and often humorous, even recounting a story that is anything but light. For example, when the soldiers are rowdy, she uses a singsong near rhyme to poke fun at the extremity of her own anger: “I was jist a-bilin’ [...] jist a-boomin’ [...] a-swellin’ an’ a-swellin’ up!” (593). This humor suggests The Complexity of Joy in an Unjust World, but it may also play into racial stereotypes, as 19th-century US culture often used Black people for comedic effect (as in minstrel shows).