'A Difficult Case': W.D. Howells's impression of Mark Twain

Studies in Short Fiction, Fall, 1994 by Lawrence I. Berkove

Of Twain's works, "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg" offers the richest number of connections to Howells's story. The convenient name change of Hadleyburg to something else is paralleled in "A Difficult Case" not only by the readiness with which West Mallow gives way to Hilbrook but also by the unexamined ease with which Ewbert slips from one religious and philosophical position to another, and by the revelation that his true character is quite different from the superficial pose he maintains. But, like the citizens of Hadleyburg, neither he, nor his wife, nor the townspeople are conscious of the ironic discrepancies between what they affirm and what they are.

It is not that Howells imitated "Hadleyburg" or any other Twain story, but rather that he appears to have assimilated Twain more deeply than has hitherto been realized. If Howells had attempted merely to parrot "Hadleyburg," it would have been obvious long before this, and probably not much better than imitations usually are. But 30 years of friendship with someone as intense, forthright, and closely reasoned as Twain had to have left an impression on Howells, at least in terms of some of Twain's values, ideas, and ways of thinking.

"A Difficult Case" is unusual among Howells's stories in that it gives so much respect to a fatalist and pessimist. The tale is not, of course, simply a reflex of Twain's views; Howells loaded it with his own concerns, and his deft use of irony toward Rev. Ewbert's hypocrisy is in line with the realism Howells advocated and practiced. Still, in light of the impact that ideas and attitudes associated with Twain have in the story, a question may remain about how much of Howells, himself, is invested in it.

Eble reports that in "Eighty Years and After" (Harper's Weekly, December 1919) Howells related how he in his early life had had a "faith in an afterlife, which gave way to 'the prevailing agnosticism of the eighteen seventies and eighties'" (Eble 216). Howells was too serious and independent a thinker to have drifted into agnosticism on a prevailing fad; like Livy Clemens he must have come up against arguments he could not refute. The issue of immortality was not decided in this story for Howells but continued to vex him for years.(7) Undoubtedly, Howells encountered many agnostics and atheists, but his long-term and close friendship with Twain would have made him a prime influence in Howell's life. "A Difficult Case" may have involved Howells in some painful recollections and deliberations, but if the story is rare Howells it is nevertheless authentic Howells.

In addition to the superb artistry that makes it deserving of more recognition and consideration than it has received, "A Difficult Case" is a remarkable testimony to Howells's friendship with Twain. The position represented by the Twain-like Hilbrook was not one with which Howells wanted to identify. Troubled as he was with the tragic death of a daughter(8) and with his own spiritual doubts, Howells was himself in search of grounds for consolation and security. That he could embark upon such a personally painful topic and endow Hilbrook, under these circumstances, with such integrity is an eloquent compliment to Twain's spiritual depth and honesty and reveals a new aspect of the nature of the powerful bonds between these two friends.