Mark Twain's story “Is he alive or is he dead?

Mark Twain's story “Is he alive or is he dead?” impressed me. It should be noted that in this story, which is generally characteristic of the author, the author acts as a narrator. The narration is thus conducted in the first person, which gives the narrative a lively story. This feature is inherent in the frontier oral tales - from the frontiers there was the Twain family (the real name is Samuel Clemmens).

The story deals with four artists, whose paintings, despite their best efforts, were not sold, and the artists practically starved. Then one of the artists came up with a cunning plan on how to sell paintings for big money. One of the artists who will be chosen by the lot will have to die - but only to the public. The rest should glorify his name, and then the paintings of the late master will be bought up very quickly, and everyone will benefit.

This idea is as brilliant as it is reckless - and, like many adventures, it works flawlessly. In the finale of the story, we learn that the acquaintance of the narrator is one of these four artists, and that this story happened to him and his friend, whom he met at the hotel.

This story shows us that we should always hope for the best and not be afraid to face difficulties, and that we should always believe in ourselves. However, besides talent, one also needs ingenuity, and it is with its help that the heroes manage to improve their affairs.

Interestingly, the story is about a truly existing artist, Francois Millet, known for his village painting. Partly the story is written off from his life - after the painter's death, speculators took up paintings by Millet, which caused a great demand at first, then a stir. Prices for landscapes and even Millet’s sketches soared to the skies.

The moral for me in this story is as follows: one should always consider all the possibilities, even if they seem insane. Maybe it is this madness that will work!