The Imagery of the Gold-sack
Twain describes, “The gold-sack stood on a little table at the front of the platform where all the house could see it. The bulk of the house gazed at it with a burning interest, a mouth-watering interest, a wistful and pathetic interest; a minority of nineteen couples gazed at it tenderly, lovingly, proprietarily, and the male half of this minority kept saying over to themselves the moving little impromptu speeches of thankfulness for the audience’s applause and congratulations which they were presently going to get up and deliver. Every now and then one of these got a piece of paper out of his vest pocket and privately glanced at it to refresh his memory.” The ‘gold-sack’ is emblematic of money which would transform one’s financial standing. All the occupants in the house and unequivocally absorbed in the sack. Everyone is engrossed and animated by the image of the gold based on their tender and covetous gazes.
The Imagery of Misery
Twain elucidates, “So three weeks passed—one week was left. It was Saturday evening after supper. Instead of the aforetime Saturday-evening flutter and bustle and shopping and larking, the streets were empty and desolate. Richards and his old wife sat apart in their little parlour—miserable and thinking. This was become their evening habit now: the life-long habit which had preceded it, of reading, knitting, and contented chat, or receiving or paying neighbourly calls, was dead and gone and forgotten, ages ago—two or three weeks ago; nobody talked now, nobody read, nobody visited—the whole village sat at home, sighing, worrying, silent. Trying to guess out that remark.” The hollowness of the streets illustrates the residents’ obsession with figuring the remark which would guarantee them the ‘golden sack.’ Moreover, the Richards are desolate since their minds are engrossed in the sack instead routine engagements which elicit contentment. Money is not an unqualified substitution for contentment.
