45 pages 1 hour read

Mark Twain

The Innocents Abroad

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1869

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 8-16

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 8 Summary

The next stop is Tangier in Morocco, the second-oldest city in the world and a mélange of cultural influences, including Arab-Muslim, which is especially evident in the picturesque marketplace with its tiny stalls selling many kinds of goods. Twain visits the Cave of Hercules and explains that Hercules may have been a real historical person. He reflects on the “soulless” despotism of the Emperor of Morocco, whose practices include levying heavy fines on the rich to pay for his expenses. 

Chapter 9 Summary

Twain continues his account of Tangier, describing how Islam strongly shaped its social and religious character. The confluence of three “sabbaths” a week—of the Muslims, Jews, and Christians—strikes him, as well as the practice of polygamy both among the Muslims and the Jews. The harsh bigotry of the Muslims toward Christians is emphasized. Overall, Twain is astonished at the boredom, sameness, and changelessness of life in this country. At the end of the visit, he is well ready to bid goodbye to Tangier.

Chapter 10 Summary

The company celebrates the Fourth of July on board the Quaker City with dinner, champagne, and dancing. The Oracle, a pretentious passenger, exasperates Twain and the others, as the Oracle constantly bores them with his pseudo-learned discourses about the places they are visiting.

Related Titles

By Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Mark Twain

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

A True Story

Mark Twain

A True Story

Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

Letters from the Earth

Mark Twain

Letters from the Earth

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Mark Twain

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Mark Twain

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Gilded Age

Mark Twain, Charles Dudley Warner

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

Mark Twain, Charles Dudley Warner

Study Guide

logo

The Invalid's Story

Mark Twain

The Invalid's Story

Mark Twain

Plot Summary

logo

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

Mark Twain

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Mysterious Stranger

Mark Twain

The Mysterious Stranger

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain

The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mark Twain

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mark Twain

Study Guide

logo

The War Prayer

Mark Twain

The War Prayer

Mark Twain