Abe Lincoln, Storyteller
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| (A Daniel Mackie illustration) |
Abraham Lincoln was often criticized by the media and others for his efforts and behaviors as the Chief Executive of a split nation. One day, after reading some particularly scathing articles, his aide John Hay recalled Lincoln telling this story:
“A frontiersman lost his way in an uninhabited region on a dark and tempestuous night. The rain fell in torrents, accompanied by terrible thunder and more terrific lightning. To increase his trouble his horse halted, being exhausted with fatigue and fright. Presently a bolt of lightning struck a neighboring tree, and the crash brought the man to his knees. He was not an expert in prayer, but his appeal was short and to the point:
‘Oh, good Lord, if it is all the same to you, give us a little more light, and a little less noise.’”
This is just one of the many stories attributed to Lincoln – a man known far and wide for his prowess as a storyteller, in-person, in the courtroom, on the campaign trail, and as president.
Abraham Lincoln – Storyteller
While all storytelling is generally interesting, only some are captivating, glued-to-the-seat presentations – humorous or otherwise. That element of drama depends on an author’s ability to tell the story.
"His stories may be literally retold," wrote Henry C. Whitney, a Lincoln contemporary, "every word, period and comma, but the real humor perished with Lincoln"; for "he provoked as much laughter by the grotesque expression of his homely face as by the abstract fun of his stories." [1]
Whitney's insult aside, even a hundred later, Lincoln scholars recognize that Lincoln had an art for telling stories. Benjamin P. Thomas, American historian and Lincoln biographer, notes:
"...the effectiveness of a joke depends in large measure upon the manner of its telling. We may not be at all amused by reading some of Lincoln's jokes or hearing them at second-hand; whereas we might have split our sides had we heard them as he told them. For Lincoln was a master of the story-telling art; and when told by a master, even a dull joke may be irresistible." [1]
Because he was so awkward physically and socially, some scholars maintain Lincoln told stories for the sake of exploiting his humor as a promotional tool, or that “Lincoln, the story-teller, was simply the whimsical, good-natured philosopher…” [2]
While there is some truth to these perspectives, they are much too shallow to be complete representations of Lincoln, the man. He was far more complex. Consequently, so were his stories - or more precisely - the intent behind each story.
As many of Lincoln's contemporaries maintained, his stories were humor – but with a point. Recalled John H. Littlefield, a former law clerk in Lincoln’s office:
Often I have seen him look up from a case into which he was studying, with the remark, ‘This fellow reminds me of such and such a story’ – and the little anecdote always fitted, like a lady’s glove.” [3]
Another contemporary, former Illinois attorney and the U.S. Minister to Belgium (1893-1897), James S. Ewing also remembered:
“Mr. Lincoln wasn’t a story teller in the sense that people tell stories for the thing in the story. I doubt if he ever told a story just because it was a story. If he told an anecdote it was to illustrate or make more clear some point he wanted to impress. He had a marvelous aptitude for that…” [4]
Even modern historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin said Lincoln’s form of storytelling demonstrated his “extraordinary ability to convey practical wisdom in the form of humorous tales his listeners could remember and repeat.” [5]
Lincoln’s own view of his “storytelling” prowess indirectly supported his use of them to make a point. He maintained the true “art” of story-telling was to fit the delivery to the audience.
The Rev. Phineas Gurley, pastor of the Presbyterian church in Washington, D.C. where President Lincoln sometimes worshiped, was present when Lincoln explained his storytelling technique to a Cabinet member.
"There are two ways of relating a story,” Mr. Lincoln [said]. “If you have an auditor [listener] who has the time, and is inclined to listen, lengthen it out, pour it out slowly as if from a jug. If you have a poor listener, hasten it, shorten it, shoot it out of a pop-gun.” [6]
One technique Lincoln sometimes used to maintain the listener's attention was to put himself, as the central character, in the plot of his story.
For instance, during his inauguration trip to Washington D.C. in 1861, President-elect Lincoln’s train made frequent stops so he could introduce himself to a worried nation. At one such stop in Columbus, Ohio, Lincoln told the gathered crowd:
“Two friends of mine in Illinois were talking about me. One said, ‘Mr. Lincoln is a self-made man, isn’t he?’ to which the other said, ‘Yes, but I didn’t know that he ever took much pains about it.” [7]
In these instances where he used himself as a character, Lincoln - as he did in the previous story - always used himself as a foil or as a passive participant or as the object of the lesson in his stories - but he never cast himself as the "hero".
In her 1992 work, Abraham Lincoln the Orator, rhetoric scholar Lois Einhorn offers probably the most comprehensive breakdown of Lincoln’s story-telling technique - from his style:
“Lincoln’s pragmatic attitude toward life and speaking and his need to be understood – to reach the people — help explain the homespun nature of his humor…his stories were colloquial, concrete, colorful, and occasionally off-color. They included commonplace details, vivid imagery, frontier vernacular, and short, straightforward sentences that sometimes deviated from the formal rules of grammar.
To his intent:
The simplicity of his stories made them easier to digest. They usually employed analogical logic and sometimes used the techniques of exaggeration, distortion, and caricature often associated with the ‘tall tales’ of the West. Few of his stories were uproariously funny; they sought to make listeners smile while understanding a serious point.” [8]
I grew up with Abe Lincoln’s stories, and I still enjoy retelling my favorites. They amuse me, and they often make some event, attitude, or issue from his times more understandable - even in the 21st Century.
But wasn’t that his intent in the first place?
He was, after all - Lincoln, the Storyteller
Food for thought.
Mac
Works Cited
[1] Thomas, Benjamin P. (1981) "Lincoln's Humor: An Analysis". Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Volume 3, Issue 1: pp. 28-47.
[2] Sandburg, Carl. (1954). Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years. (Book Club Edition). New York: Harcourt Brace & World.
[3] Newton, Joseph Fort. (1910). Lincoln and Herndon. New York: Torch Press. p. 250.
[4] Stevens, Walter B. (1916) A Reporter’s Lincoln. Lincoln, NE: Bison Press. p. 61.
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