Character Analysis
We can't help being impressed by these two. When Italian twin brothers Luigi and Angelo show up in Dawson's Landing, they manage to attract more fans than Lady Gaga.
Sure, these guys are intriguing figures in their own right. How can we not be just as enthralled as the townspeople upon learning about their stint in the freak show and their involvement in, gulp, murder? (FYI: Rumor has it that Twain originally planned to make the twins even more extraordinary by depicting them as conjoined. Can you imagine how crazy the town would've gone over that?)
No doubt, the twins captivate our interest at a moment in the story when we might be growing a wee bit sick of hearing about Tom and his antics. More importantly, though, the twins help to point out some rather unflattering qualities of the citizens of Dawson's Landing (um, no offense, people, but it's true).
The town adores the twins before they even lay eyes on them simply because they're foreign. That's a little superficial, don't you think? Along that line, check out the narrator's description of Aunt Patsy's excitement over introducing them to everyone:
It was a proud occasion for the widow, and she promised herself high satisfaction in showing off her fine foreign birds before her neighbors and friends—simple folk who had hardly ever seen a foreigner of any kind, and never one of any distinction or style. (6.8)
Showing off "her fine foreign birds?" Way to dehumanize your visitors, Aunt Patsy. This lady, like the rest of the town, is all about superficial appearances.
As the description also hints, the townspeople aren't the most sophisticated people in the world. And when they actually meet the twins, boy-oh-boy, this couldn't be more apparent:
None of them had ever seen a person bearing a title of nobility before [. . .] A few tried to rise to the emergency, and got out an awkward 'My lord, or 'Your lordship,' or something of that sort, but the great majority were overwhelmed by the unaccustomed word [. . .] so they only fumbled through the handshake and passed on speechless. (6.15)
Yeah, awkward pretty much sums it up.
Now, don't get us wrong. It's no crime to be "simple folk." And we can't condemn these people for looking a little foolish in what they, based on pretty superficial evidence, perceive to be the presence of greatness. The thing to keep in mind, though, is that these are the very same folks who deemed themselves mighty enough to sit in judgment of Pudd'nhead and declare him a fool, ruining his reputation and career prospects.
But it looks like they don't have much room to talk when it comes to calling other people fools now, does it? So, if we hadn't already, we can feel free to take their assessment of Puddn'head with a grain—or even a barrel—of salt.
As we also discuss in our Character Analysis of Pudd'nhead himself (jump on over there and take a look), the town's reaction to the twins suggests just how superficial and foolish public opinion can be if the public itself is, well, superficial and foolish.