Mark Twain (the narrator)

Throughout the novel, the narrator of "Roughing It" recounts his adventures as he seeks fortune in the western territories of the United States in the early 1860's. He accompanies his brother, who has been hired as Secretary to the Governor of Nevada, and travels on a boat from St-Louis to St. Joseph. The two men then travel to Carson City aboard a stagecoach operated by the Overland Company. After several adventures, the narrator catches the "Silver fever," joins the frenzy of silver mining and gets involved in several ventures related to the mining business. He repeatedly fails at securing any profit from his projects and eventually moves to Virginia, a small mining town in Nevada, where he starts working as an editor for a local paper. He works as a reporter during the years of the economic boom that blessed the region. After a few...