We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

Pudd'nhead Wilson Conclusion Summary

  • Short and sweet: The narrator briefly fills us in on the aftermath of the trial.
  • The town is in total awe over everything that went down at the trial. They wonder when Tom's trial is going to start.
  • Three cheers for David Wilson who is now the town hero and will never again be called the P-word.
  • Arrivederci: the twins go back to Europe.
  • Poor Roxy. We're told that "[her] heart was broken." Even though Chambers (i.e. the "real" Tom) gives her money each month, she's so depressed that she can only find comfort in the church.
  • And speaking of Chambers, he's not in such great shape either. He can't read or write and has the manners of a slave so he's pretty out of place among white folks. But his former slave friends aren't too welcoming of him either.
  • As for Tom, he confessed to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Pretty bad, right?
  • Actually, it gets worse: it turns out Driscoll had some debts so his creditors claimed that Tom, as a slave, was now their property.
  • The creditors appealed to the governor who agreed that putting a valuable slave away for life would kind of be a waste. So he pardoned Tom and the creditors Sold Him Down the River.
  • How's that for karma?