The Innocents Abroad

In the Conclusion, Twain states that travel is “fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness” and fosters “broad, wholesome, charitable views” (512). Yet throughout the book, he speaks in derogatory terms about various societies and cultures he encounters. Is Twain hypocritical, or are his cracks at other cultures meant as satire of the narrow-mindedness of Americans? Is Twain bigoted himself, or is he deliberately playing the character of the “ugly American” to expose bigotry? Cite examples of the book to support your conclusion. 

Twain devotes a good deal of attention in the book to the Catholic Church. How would you characterize his attitude toward the institution of the Church? Does his view change or moderate throughout the book? How might Americans, at the time the book was written, received these views toward Catholicism?

What is Twain’s overall view of Islam and Muslims? Is his dismay at the pilgrims’ disrespectful entry of the mosque in Nain (in Chapter 51) consistent with these views?