It is often debated whether a person's character is instilled at birth or through the environment in which they grow up. Mark Twain's novel Pudd'nhead Wilson supports the latter by describing the development of two boys of the same age, Chambers and Tom. A slave named Roxy raises both boys, but while she is able to discipline Chambers, her son, she is forbidden from punishing her master's son, Tom. Therefore, as children become adults throughout history, it becomes evident that, although race and natural factors may slightly influence an individual's development, it is primarily upbringing and environment that determine the quality of an individual's adult character. an individual. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When the boys are newborns, Roxy switches them so that her son Chambers grows up like Tom and Tom grows up like Chambers. Both boys are very light-skinned and the same age, so no one notices the change, and the real Chambers easily passes for a white Tom. Fake Tom is an obnoxious child from the moment they are switched. He cries constantly, scratching and hitting anyone who comes within reach. However, instead of scolding him, Percy Driscoll, Roxy's owner and Tom's real father, forces Roxy to ignore Tom's tantrums and indulge his every whim. “All his whims were indulged, no matter how annoying and exasperating they might be” (Twain 76). In addition to having a loving mother in Roxy, Tom has a personal bodyguard in Chambers. Therefore, although Tom is widely disliked by his peers, he is not often bothered because he has Chambers' near-constant protection. Thus, Tom grows up believing that he can get away with any infraction, and this belief ends up being his downfall. Needing money to pay off gambling debts, Tom accidentally kills his father while being caught robbing him. However, when a pair of Italian twins whom Tom despises are tried for the murder in his place, Tom is pleased as he believes there is no way he can be caught. Tom even goes so far as to make fun of Crazy Wilson, the twins' defense lawyer. As Pudd'nhead attempts to shed light on the case using his fingerprint collection, Tom exclaims to him "Hello, we've returned to the amusements of our days of abandonment and obscurity for consolation, haven't we" (Twain 207) ? It is at this point that Tom leaves a fingerprint on one of Pudd'nhead's glass strips, leading Pudd'nhead to the revelation that it is Tom's fingerprint on the handle of the knife used in the murder. This compliant behavior stems directly from Roxy's permissive parenting during Tom's upbringing. Since Tom has never been punished for a wrongful act in his life, the idea that he could be caught for the murder doesn't seem feasible to him, and he spends his time admiring the ingenuity with which he managed to escape suspicion on the case. Conditioned by his youth to hide and let others take the blame for his wrongdoings, Tom is shocked when the story he hides behind collapses and for the first time he is held accountable for his actions. Chambers' childhood is completely different from Tom's, as he is forced to tolerate Tom's constant abuse. While Tom is conditioned to believe he is superior to everyone else, Chambers is forced into docile submission. When Tom hits him, instead of reacting, Chambers must meekly endure the blows, scratches and slaps or face punishment from Percy Driscoll, his master: "He (Percy) told Chambers that without any provocation he had the privilege of raise your hand.