The heights are always sought after in combat and have many advantages as such. This advantageous location provides vision, command and value to its holder. Yet, no matter how this position is achieved, the owner remains undisturbed in the catbird seat. Knowing full well that they could ease some thoughts of agony about the battle to come. No throne of ease is more vividly described than James Thurber's "The Catbird Seat." And no way to reveal the deception used to sit in the catbird seat is cast in a stranger way than Mark Twain's "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg." Literary pieces like these, whose similarities and differences reveal more than a humorous story. A symbolic life lesson about authority, deception, and appearance prevails in both of these works. Yet to the untrained eye, the average reader misses key ideas that can apply to any power struggle. A struggle for strength can be triggered by several faults of man in this world. Because the lack of wealth is fueled by greed. The quest for power is motivated by pride. And the desire of all this for oneself is the only wish of vanity. All of these can be obtained through true authority granted through deceptive appearance. Because it is what you are perceived to be, not how you got there, that is feared and respected. Such qualities are prevalent in both courageous and treacherous leaders. Authority figures are necessary in a story to ground rebellion and conflict. For Twain's story, this character is the set of elected officials of the 19s, who are the iron fist of community control. These leaders are a false representation of the city which was said to be incorruptible. The lack of authority is shared equally among all members, but is only revealed... middle of paper ... it appears to be the case. In short, both stories say the same thing, which can be described in a famous Shakespearean phrase from Hamlet. “This above all: be true to yourself,/And this must follow, as the night the day,/You cannot be false to anyone” (ll.78-80). In this work of comparison, this means: be your own authority, when you deceive others, you deceive yourself and you look the way you give yourself. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. May 1st. Internet 2011. .The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg. Ralph Roseblum, director. Original story, Mark Twain. Monterey Home Video. 1980. Video cassette. Thurber, James. “The Catbird Seat.” Literature and the writing process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day and Robert Funk. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2007, 465-471. Print.