The Connecticut Yankee

Hank Morgan acts as a false god or prophet through his actions at the well. His performances during the restoration of the well have a messianic quality. There are a number of reasons for this. First, he performs a “miracle.” Hank seems to have a great desire to use his knowledge of technology to do things that others consider miraculous. The washing rituals performed by the religious men at the well also are reminiscent of scenes that appear in the New Testament of the bible. Hank Morgan creates their ability to bathe… I propose that this can be seen as a form of baptism.
Hank can be described as a prophet, the bringer of good news, of a new life. His knowledge gives him power over others, and the method in which he reveals it to others causes those people to fear or follow him. He becomes the proponent of a new religion- his 19th century beliefs. This includes ideas of democracy as well as innovations in technology. He brings these ideas to the people, much like a modern (or 6th century lol) Jesus, Muhammad, Moses…. Etc.
However, he is a false god in that his cause is self-serving. He does seem to wish to improve the quality of life of the people he finds through science and equality. Hank believes that the masses will be better off through his leadership. But he wants to be the leader. This is what makes him lack integrity. He wishes to improve his own status by using his knowledge to allow him to rule over others. He is in it for his own personal gain, his true motives are self-serving.
Hank’s role as a leader of this new “religion” is interesting. First, it portrays his views of technology and democracy as a religious institution that must be spread among the people. There is a resemblance of Christian Crusaders in his knights that he sends to spread his ideas. In addition, this type of undertaking is interesting as one of his greatest enemies is the Church. He disapproves of the leadership of the Church, yet many of his own actions reflect those of the hypocritical religious leaders.
The correlations between Hank Morgan and popular religious figures provides interesting insight about his character. He is working against the hypocrisy of the Church, yet he also uses his power to his own advantage. He is bringing “enlightenment” to the masses- as a traveler from the future he feels he knows what is best for society. Yet this rationalization is also used by the Church, who also poses as a benevolent entity acting only out of concern for its people. So… is Hank just as bad as the Church? Does power always corrupt those that have it? Or is he truly looking to improve the lives of the common people in King Arthur’s kingdom? We see his appreciation for human-like qualities when he admires Arthur when he helps the smallpox infected woman in the hut. But does he really care about others? His actions display selfishness and a desire to further himself at the expense of others. Rather than a savior, he is a false prophet, playing at being god.

My name is Brittany (Bney) Baker. I am a senior a the University of Redlands and I am pursuing a major in Psychology, a minor in English Lit, and I am also concurrently enrolled in the School of Education. I am looking forward to doing an in-depth analysis of time travel in leiterature through a variety of mediums, such as this blog. I enjoy walks on the beach at sunset, the soft sound of rain caressing the ground, and music of the soft jazz persuasion.