Affectionately combining both the idyllic and the ironic, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, is Stephen Leacock’s most beloved books.” (back of book. ) Stephen Leacock’s, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, is a satirical novel about a town and the people that live in it. The little town, Leacock titled, Mariposa, is a universal town. The people in Mariposa all thought they are the perfect image until now. Stephen Leacock unwraps the characters layer by layer, to show the reader the inside and not the outside of the characters. Leacock put all his characters into one category which is, as perfect as you think you are, you are not.
This novel shows that humans are not as perfect as they think they are. Mariposa is a reflection of small towns everywhere. The town has many features in which you can find in most areas of the world. “The inhabitants of Mariposa represent people everywhere.” (back of book. ) Whether you live in a town in Toronto or a town in Dallas, you are still living the town life. The people of Mariposa contemplate the town life and a small amount of country life that surrounds Lake Wissanotti.
“The narrator, Stephen Leacock, is always highlighting the human folly of Mariposa. Nevertheless, it is in these follies that the little town of Mariposa is recaptured.” (website ) The mistakes Leacock illustrates in his short-story books are mistakes that other people make in real life. No matter how perfect one may think they are, Leacock will find a flaw. “When you meet Mr. Smith first you think he looks like an overdressed pirate.
The Essay on Small Town Living Person People Towns
ENGL 101, 055 September 20, 2003 Many people feel as if they are meant to live in a big city. They couldn't see themselves living in a small town. In a big city they can always find something to do. Places everywhere are always lit up and open. Just walking down the street, people see new faces everyday and feel that they have more opportunities in the city life. If a person from a big city were ...
Then you begin to think him a character.” (page 19) This is where Leacock begins to unwrap the individual layers of the characters identity. “You wonder at this enormous bulk. Then the utter hopelessness of knowing what Smith is thinking by merely looking at his features gets on your mind and make the Mona Lisa seem like an open book and the ordinary human countenance as superficial as a puddle in the sunlight.” (page 19) There you have Mr. Smith standing outside his bar, looking and feeling good about who he is, meanwhile Leacock is standing on the other side of the street eyeing and analyzing his figure. No matter how perfect you think you are, Leacock will find your flaw, and when he does, watch out. This is the type of novelist Leacock is; In the beginning of the story, Leacock made the reader look at Mariposa as an angel type of town, then went on to hook the reader on details of each individual character by using irony and mockery.
Perhaps Stephen Leacock should focus more on the main point and not get into the minor detail. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town mainly focuses on the good and bad in a character and how they can change.
