The plot of the Million Pound Note
As we all know, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885),[1] the latter often called "the Great American Novel." But today I want to talk about his another work------“The Million Pound Note”.
Story starts from a nice, delicate, unique little piece. It was a small piece of paper, but it was also one million pounds. It was an astronomical currency symbol, but it also was a small piece of paper just.
This book described a novel American lived in London. His name was Henry Adams. Just a few days ago, Adam was still on the streets and going hungry. Nobody sympathize with him at all. Fortunately, he met two billionaires and had a chance to get a little piece, a million pounds.
Then Henry went to a restaurant to have dinner first. When the manager saw the note, His eye was on the note, and he was petrified. He was worshiping, with all his body and soul, but he looked as if he couldn't stir hand or foot. He shrank from touching it as if it had been something too sacred for poor common clay to handle. Faced with a millionaire, the manager apologized again and again and told Henry that he didn’t need to pay for the bill right now.[2] So Henry managed to have a free dinner.
However, after Henry get the money, what he did is returning the money rather than use the money. So the servant said that: "You are an intelligent and honest man, as one may see by your face. We conceive you to be poor and a stranger. Enclosed you will find a sum of money." [3] This was the reason why the brothers choose Henry rather than others.
After that, the sight of a tailor-shop gave him a sharp longing to shed my rags, he asked them something, and the fellow he spoke to nod his head towards another fellow, and gave him no answer. He went to the indicated fellow, and he indicated another fellow with head, and no words. And the fellow worked up a most sarcastic expression of countenance. [4]Just few seconds later, the fellow’s expressions change greatly because of a small piece of paper.
Like the plot above, people were curious of such a rich man and tried every means to cozy up to him, from free food, clothes to accommodation. At the same time, his social status was becoming higher and higher.
Now Adams was mistaken for a millionaire and had no trouble getting food, clothes and a hotel suite on credit, just by showing his note. The story of the note was reported in the newspapers. Adams was welcomed into exclusive social circles, meeting the American ambassador and English Aristocracy. Took part in all kinds of banquet, dance, know all kinds of characters, this means that he also lived the upper people's lives.
Also at this time, he met a beautiful girl-Portia Langham . She was kind, decent and different from those people. He fell in love with her in two minutes, and she with him. But Henry was an honest man, and he was perfectly honest and square with her, and told her he hadn't a cent in the world but just the given million-pound note. However what Portia Langham only care about was Henry himself. This is true love. It is not connected with money, status and fames.
While Henry was deep in debt, not a cent in the world, only the girl knew him. At this point, Portia Langham gave him huge support. And told Henry: "Henry, you can save me! You can save me, and you're the only man in the universe that can. Will you do it? Won't you do it?" [5]
When the month was up at last, he had a million dollars to his credit in the London and County Bank. He came to minister's, and gave them a report. Of course he returned the million-pound note. Surprisingly he earned two hundred thousand pounds meanwhile.
Last of the passage, we can hear the sweet dialogue.
"You have got a situation open that I want."
"Name it."
"Son-in-law."[6]
This passage described the experience of an American from poor to wealthy. During this time, we reader also experiences a lot. The plot was ups and downs. It was unexpectedly but sensible. We saw people’s reaction to the changes. Mostly in people’ mind, it was only money that benefits. They didn’t enjoy themselves and only occupied themselves with searching money. I hope that we should remember that money and happiness can not be equivalent. As a saying goes: " I choose the likely man in preference to the rich man; I want a man without money rather than money without a man." [7]
We want to have a certain amount of money, but could not stay in the condition of just have money. Also we want to enjoy what money brings to us. We can get clothes, shoes, house, and cars and so on. But the most important is whether we can get happiness. Now what I want to emphasize is that money is the tools rather than the purpose of life.
References
[1]. " Mark Twain ". Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain Retrieved 2012/6/09
[2][3][4][5][6] Mark Twain . Oxford University Press, USA. The L1,000,000 Bank-Note.MIT. 1997-03-06.
[7] Plutarch. Themistocles. Lives Quotes. 527 BC - 460 BC
