This paper analyzes Mark Twain's book "Pudd'nhead Wilson" which brings together the coalesced selves of small-town America
and in their midst, three figures - Tom, Roxy and Wilson, who try to escape the
reality of life by changing their social identities. It discusses how Twain limits the freedom of the individuals to the context of their relationship with the people in
society and how the pessimism inherent in the story suggests that near the end of his writing career Twain moved from depicting realism to showing the lack of control that humans have over their lives, an aspect of naturalism.