The Jumping Frog

Habibat Oguntade
Ap English III
11/30/09
The Jumping Frog : In Respect To Realism
Realism is a very natural form of writing because readers see situations that are very possible. Here, readers can make connections between the characters and themselves. Compared to Romanticism which is understood to be not so genuine in existence and much intricate to understand. Realism has a reasonable plot with which would don’t be as complex to understand. Most characters have colloquial dialects, which makes them more factual, in comparison to other stories, especially in terms of romanticism, where characters have their own distinct or linguistic dialects. “The Jumping Frog” is a very good example of one of the many stories that represents realism. The plot itself is very real, as the events that occur can happen to anyone. The setting of the story is a common one, as there are many situations, where various people leave in small towns. Also the use of vivid imagery helps readers to imagine exactly what the characters look like, without second guessing themselves. Twain construes the gist of realism, in the story, by making it as simple as possible, so that readers will be able to understand it as well as enjoy it at the same time.
If compared to many other stories, it can be said that The Jumping Frog is very straight forward and understandable. The Scarlet Letter will be a good story to be compared with The Jumping Frog. Rarely do we see people been put in jail, for having extramarital affairs, even though it might occur in certain parts of the nation. It is exceptionally unusual , for us to walk down the street and see someone walk past with a Scarlet letter on their bosom. On the other hand, it is very common to hear about people who bet on everything “ Well I’ll resk two-and-a-half, that she don’t anyway” (Twain). In this quote, Smiley bet that his wife might not be recovering from her illness, and this just shows the kind of individual he is. Another example is Pearl, in scarlet letter. It is very unusual, to hear about someone being demonic, or supernatural, even though some individuals do posses qualities like that, but in very rare occasions will you hear about or see them. Another important literary device used to construe realism in this story is dialect. Most languages or vernacular are informal, which gives the story complete verisimilitude. The use of words like thy, doth, thou, e.t.c. has been eliminated and substituted with simpler words. Realism writing calls for everything natural, as everyone talks in a straight-forward manner. The difference between the two forms of writing are very apparent. Romanticism is quite different from this, which can be easily noticed, by reading both types of writings after the other, to compare and contrast between them.
In conclusion, Twain construes the gist of realism, in the story, by making it as simple as possible, so that readers will be able to understand it as well as enjoy it at the same time. The overall story is self-explanatory, because it is very easy to assimilate, which is an advantage to the readers. It also helps them see the difference between realism and other forms of literature.