51 pages 1 hour read

Mark Twain

Roughing It

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1872

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Symbols & Motifs

Silver and Gold

Much of Roughing It is filled with conversations and speculation about gold or silver. These precious metals symbolize The Volatile Economies of the West, luring migrants from all over America and the world, driving economic booms that frequently end in catastrophic busts. By the time of Twain’s journey in 1861, the Gold Rush in California has long ended. However, this doesn’t prevent him from combing the same ground to pocket mine for gold when poverty overtakes him.

Gold mining and milling can ravage the landscape as mines are dug or blasted. Forests are felled to create support beams for mine tunnels. They are also needed to build houses in the boom towns that spring up in California and just as quickly disappear once the rush ends. Twain writes, “The men are gone, the houses have vanished, even the name of the place is forgotten. In no other land, in modern times, have towns so absolutely died and disappeared, as in the old mining regions of California” (414).

In contrast, the silver rush is still at its peak in Nevada. Virginia City sits atop the Comstock Lode so that this bustling metropolis surmounts an equally bustling metropolis below ground. Because the location is so inhospitable, the community is entirely dependent on silver to run its economy.

Related Titles

By Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Mark Twain

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

A True Story

Mark Twain

A True Story

Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

Letters from the Earth

Mark Twain

Letters from the Earth

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Mark Twain

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Mark Twain

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Gilded Age

Mark Twain, Charles Dudley Warner

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

Mark Twain, Charles Dudley Warner

Study Guide

logo

The Innocents Abroad

Mark Twain

The Innocents Abroad

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Invalid's Story

Mark Twain

The Invalid's Story

Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

Mark Twain

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Mysterious Stranger

Mark Twain

The Mysterious Stranger

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain

The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain

Teaching Guide + Study Guide

logo

Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mark Twain

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The War Prayer

Mark Twain

The War Prayer

Mark Twain