Ledesma 1

Christian Ledesma
Mr. Hackney
English 101: Rhetoric
13 November 2014
Dealing with Conflicts
Conflicts occur everyday in the world and people have to solve these problems. How
these problems are solved differs depending on the situation and who is involved. In
Cannibalism in the Cars, there are politicians that have to deal with the issue of starvation
when stranded in a blizzard that many other people would not have done. In Samuel Clemens
short story, he utilizes satire to illustrate how the way politicians solve political issues relate to
how the problems in the train car are solved.
Throughout the story, Clemens includes many examples of satire to show the times at
when the decision process of Congress wouldnt make any sense. During the story as the issue
of starvation grew throughout the train car, Mr. John J. Williams rose and said: Gentlemen- I
nominate the Reverend James Sawyer of Tennessee (Clemens 112). The characters continue to
nominate one another, but this does not solve their issue. With these nominations, it meant that
the members inside the train car finally gave into cannibalism, but the politicians act like
cannibalism is just another issue like one they would have in Congress. Another such example
of this act is when Mr. A. L. Bascom of Ohio says, I move that the nominations now close, and
that the House proceed to an election by ballot. (113) This makes this situation much more like
the way in which these congressmen would decide on an issue in Congress. To make it even
more like the decision making in Congress, Mr. Bell of Iowa says, Gentlemen- I object. This is
no time to stand upon forms and ceremonious observances (113). These objections are like how

Ledesma 2
people in Congress disapprove on certain resolutions to political issues. Clemens continues with
telling the story by adding structures of the American government to the plot. In the story, it
says, [t]he motion to elect officers was passed, and under it Mr. Gaston was chosen chairman,
Mr. Blake, secretary, Messrs. Holcomb, Dyer and Baldwin a committee on nominations, and Mr.
R. M. Howland, purveyor, to assist the committee in making selections (113). All of this means
that the congressmen on the train decided to give people power for what decisions will be made.
Clemens puts these in the story to show that this way of solving issues would not work and look
ridiculous when the situation of life or death is present.
Samuel Clemens then maintains the use of satire to show the voting process that the
characters have in the train car. After deciding on whom is on the committee as officers, one of
the characters, Mr. Rogers of Missouri, says, ...I move to amend it by substituting for the name
of Mr. Herrman that of Mr. Lucius Harris of St. Louis (114) This compares to the way on
how acts and laws are tweaked in Congress. These amendments are of which person will be
part of the candidates. The people being nominated in the train represent ideas that are being
tossed around in Congress. Once there are a few ideas left, the Congressmen would vote to see
which idea to add to an act or law. This is similar to the case in the train car. Once the three
nominees are decided, the people on the train voted to see which of the three will be consumed
first. For example, the text says, The balloting then began. Five ballots were held without a
choice. On the sixth, Mr. Harris was elected, all voting for him but himself (115). This shows
the voting in the cars is similar to the political voting. This is because some elections can be a
blowout or close. Another such example that is related to politics in the story was when there
was a tie between candidates (115). When there is a tie in the Senate, the Vice President has the
tie breaking vote. This was the case in the train car when [t]he president gave the casting vote

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for the latter, Mr. Messick (115). In reality, however, this most likely would not happen
because someone would not give themselves up so willingly for food.
During the short story, Cannibalism in the Cars, Clemens uses satire to show how the
American politics relate to what occurred in the train car. Factors such as the way the Senate or
the House would make decisions or the voting process in these bodies of the government are
related to the events in the train car.

Works Cited
Clemens, Samuel. "The Middle Years." The Oxford Book of American Short Stories. Ed. Joyce
Carol Oates. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. 110-17. Print.
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. New York: Garland, 1999. Print.