Mark Twain, “The Five Benefits of Life” is a very interesting short story in which the gifts of life are given to a man, describing the effects of each choice on his life and where these choices have led man. I was intrigued by how often the fairy warned the man to choose wisely and by the description of her reaction after the man chose a gift. I also found the results of each giveaway interesting. Man chose pleasure and ended up disappointed and empty. The man then chose love, finding himself once again with nothing after the death of his wife. After choosing fame, man lived through years where he was praised, envied and hated, then slandered, mocked and left with nothing. The gift of wealth had the opposite effect after a few years, plunging him into poverty. When the fairy returned, she brought with her the four gifts of pleasure, love, fame and wealth but no longer had the fifth gift to give, which she had always expressed as the most valuable. . The gift was given to a child who asked the fairy to choose the best gift for him. From now on, man should remain in his state, with nothing and no one to justify himself and for the years he has lived, until he finally dies. Death was not an option or an answer to his wishes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Analysis “The Five Benefits of Life” was written by Mark Twain during the period of Realism. Realism coincides with the Romantic period. Realism, however, rejected idealism and focused on solving real problems; focusing on real people and their daily lives facing poverty, hunger, violence and other difficult topics. Other fundamental issues of this period included the growth of an empire, industrialization, and urbanization. Realism is often seen as a revolutionary movement that depicted ordinary people and simplistic points of view, which were often the product of everyday life experiences and meanings. Charles Darwin and his theories about evolution and organic species helped fuel the shift from faith-based thinking to scientific proof. Mark Twain focused on the rich versus the poor, wealth versus poverty, love versus solidarity. Every gift the man in the short story received ultimately had a negative effect on him. Each gift offered instant gratification and a feeling of power, joy and excitement. And each gift left the man asking for more. During the period of realism, authors such as Mark Twain focused their writing on how real people were affected by the social, economic, technological, and political changes that were rapidly affecting the world they knew at the time. Mark Twain was no stranger to difficult times in life. Very early in his life he lost his father, had to leave school and start working. While he grew to enjoy working on steamboats on the Mississippi, when the Civil War began he found himself traveling west to attempt mining. While writing about his experiences and worldview, Mark Twain married and had four children, three of whom died. He, his wife and only daughter traveled and met many influential people of that period. He had to go on a speaking tour because of the debts he had accumulated. He has received honorary degrees from Ivy League colleges and been invited to speak to the President of the United States and.