1. History: Satire is a very fragile form of work. They are those who have to make the most unpalatable of news swallowed without a second thought. He spoke of catharsis. The release from forbidden is release within the soul to know that there are others who have our same thoughts – our same problems with society.

2. Reader Reaction: At first I was amused; then I was outraged; then I was in near complete agreement. There was a good deal of Biblical discrepancy in his surmises and conclusions. However, the main arguments he poses are valid questions. The New and Old Testaments seem to be a discordant series in which the original book is a good deal better than the sequel. It breaks all the rules of sequels, and maybe that is its charm. The things which Mr Twain has said are not new and they are not invalid. However, there was a good deal of the story that he either left out or knew nothing about. Much of what he said was out of its context. However, the god which he describes is a fairly accurate representation; his questions are the questions of us all.

3. Plot: Heaven is convened in order to witness the great and strange creation that God has come up with. The angels in heaven wonder upon this strange, strange creature the divine he called ‘man.’ Such a funny creature he is – always making up these funny rules that time and time ago go against his nature. Such a funny creature he is that God calls evil. Who is the truly evil one?

4. Character: Primary: God – a cruel, whimsical, hypocrite; humanity – oppressed, confused, victimized, cruel. Secondary: Satan – sarcastic and curious; Gabriel and Michael – compliant but confused.

5. Setting: Created Cosmos, generally during Old Testament times; Heaven (which runs on a different time).

6. Point of View: Third person omniscient objective

7. Objects/Events: Creation, Destruction and rape of the Midianite virgins, advent of Jesus; Mercy of God, Creator, hypocrite, man, limits, edited/unedited, law of God/law of Man.

8. Mood: the mood is only at first flippant. As the story progresses, it becomes deeply critical, angry, and sarcastic.

9. Ideas: Creation/Evolution, time, law, nature, sex, cruelty, hypocrisy, irrationality, Sunday School foolishness.  Taboo is also discussed extensively. Though many taboos are broken by Mr Twain, the deeds of God seem to break many more by doing senseless horrific deeds in the name of holiness. Most importantly, though, it discusses both the purpose of man. Man seems to be conflicted between his own goodness and evil.

10. Style: The sentences are long and complex; the work is a series of sometimes unrelated epistles. The style is elegantly simple, questioning, and biting.

11. Genre: Satire: It’s humorous beginning allows the ideas to be swallowed more easily than they would have been had he begun with the frustrated tone of the ending. The delineated lack and insertion of editing and limiting of taboo fills the piece. Discussions of sex are also frequently (as are here) included in a heavily sarcastic and open manner in many satiric pieces.