Analysis

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            Adaptation is first necessary for Twain when on board the ship. All of the travelers fall ill with seasickness, having to adapt to the rocking of the boat. They also must adapt to the different ways of speaking on the ship.  "The passengers soon learned to accommodate themselves to their new circumstances, and life in the ship became nearly as systematically monotonous as the routine of a barrack.......As is always the fashion at sea, the passengers shortly began to pick up sailor terms- a sign that they were beginning to feel at home." (38) After adapting to life on the water, travelers must adapt again, this time to the new cultures found in their destinations of Azores, Gibraltar, and Tangier. In the first destination of Azores, Twain and passengers are taken aback by the barefoot locals. The passengers notice the dress of the Portuguese women, as it is so different from anything they have seen before. Twain and the other "pilgrims", or travelers, go on a donkey ride in the Azores in chapter 6. "It was fun, skurrying around the breezy hills and through the beautiful canons. There was that rare thing, novelty, about it; it was a fresh, new, exhilarating sensation, this donkey riding, and worth a hundred worn and thredbare pleasures" (60). Here Twain is addressing the unique experience he and his group partake in as they ride donkeys through the Azores. This indicates his willingness to adapt to his surroundings and fully embrace this unusual lifestyle, even if only briefly for this trip. The next stop is in Gibraltar, where Twain is fascinated by the historical aspects. An example of adaptation in this section is when Twain is swindled by a saleswoman who convinces him to buy a pair of kid gloves that do not even fit him! He wants to fit in, and in his attempt to adapt to what he has been told is custom, his friends poke much fun at him and how gullible he is. Tangier is their next stop in Chapter 8, and Twain is finally pleased with the destination that it seems foreign enough to be interesting. He is fascinated with all of the sights and the foreign culture, proving he is willing and wanting to learn and adapt. Twain is entertained and less judgmental during his time in Tangier. In chapter 9, Twain is particularly enthralled with the interesting traditions the people of Tangier partake in, such as their pilgrimage to Mecca. Twain is overall pleased and entertained by his time in Tangier. 

            An important theme and aspect of The Innocents Abroad is the theme of foreignness. Twain is very observant of the different types of foreignness and the levels of foreignness in all of the places he visits. While on board, in the Azores, Gibraltar, and Tangier, Twain writes about the foreignness and differences he experiences, observes, and appreciates. Twain and his fellow passengers are emerged into sea life, language, and time. All of this is foreign and unknown to them, resulting in their curiosity and need to learn the language of the sea and how to tell time. The group next experiences foreignness at the first stop in the Azores. Twain and the other passengers know nothing about this place or the people and immediately experience how different the culture of the Azores is from America. It is seen how much Twain recognizes and is pleased with foreignness when the ship arrives in Tangier. He writes, "Here is not the slightest thing that ever we have seen save in pictures - and we always mistrusted the pictures before. We cannot anymore. The pictures used to seem exaggerations - they seemed too weird and fanciful for reality. But behold, they were not wild enough - they were not fanciful enough - they have not told half the story" (76). This quote shows Twain further expounding upon the immense foreignness of Tangier and his amazement with how different this place and culture is compared to America. Foreignness proves to be an important theme throughout Twains travels and is one of the main focuses. Without foreignness and non-American culture, many tourists would find no reason to be tourists and travel the world. The unknown and the “other” intrigues many and Twain shows how much it intrigues and interests him.

            The third important theme from the beginning of Twain’s writing as well as his writing as a whole is the theme of humor and mockery. Twain’s humor and mockery is present very often as he uses it to entertain the reader as well as his interest at poking fun at the ignorance and gullibility of others. One of the first instances that we see Twain using humor is when he describes how the trip is advertised. The trip is advertised to be selective when in reality Twain explains that anyone that can afford the trip can go on it. He finds it humorous the trip is presented this way in order to get people to sign up with the belief that it is “exclusive”. Twain mocks and pokes fun at the people of the Azores when they bring him to a cathedral and show him the cross that Jesus was supposedly crucified on. Twain finds this humorous that they are staging this authenticity when the cross clearly looks clean and new. Twain is very observant and does not allow himself to be gullible and believe the authenticity of the cross like other tourists might. Another example of Twain using humor in his writing is when he is tricked into buying gloves in Gibraltar. Twain writes that "... But they had bought gloves, too, as I did. We threw all the purchases away together this morning. They were coars, unsubstantial, freckled all over with broad yellow splotches, and could neither stand wear nor public exhibition. We had entertained an angel unawares, but we did not take her in. She did that for us" (75). It seems that Twain decided to mock himself, declaring the gloves unfit and ugly, not because they truly were, but he was embarrassed by the fiasco.