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Jim Smiley
Simon Wheeler is a simple old man who lives in a small mining town in the West called Angel’s Camp. Wheeler tells the bulk of the story, as later transcribed by the unnamed narrator. The narrator, an out-of-towner from the East who has been sent to ask Wheeler about a supposed acquaintance by the name of Leonidas W. Smiley, is instead forced to listen to Wheeler’s rambling story about a different man named Jim Smiley. Wheeler speaks with a heavy Western accent and spins a strange tall tale about Smiley and his pet frog, Dan’l Webster. Wheel loves talking, and at the end of the story, he attempts to launch into another tale about Jim Smiley’s one-eyed, stump-tailed, and yellow cow. However, the narrator declines to listen to another story and instead hurries away from the tavern.
Simon Wheeler Quotes in The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
The The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County quotes below are all either spoken by Simon Wheeler or refer to Simon Wheeler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Quotes
I have a lurking suspicion that Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth; that my friend never knew such a personage; and that he only conjectured that if I asked old Wheeler about him, it would remind him of his infamous Jim Smiley, and he would go to work and bore me to death with some exasperating reminiscence of him as long and as tedious as it should be useless to me.
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In this passage, the unnamed narrator considers that his friend tricked him—at his friend’s request, the narrator dutifully sought out Simon Wheeler to ask about Leonidas W. Smiley, but Wheeler’s subsequent story about Jim Smiley suggests that there is no Leonidas. The narrator thinks it was a ploy to make him sit through a long and boring story from Wheeler. Here, the narrator already haughtily assumes that the story will be of no use to him; it will merely be an “exasperating reminiscence” that is both “long” and “tedious.” As Wheeler’s story unfolds, much of this proves true—his story is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut
He never smiled, he never frowned, he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned his initial sentence, he never betrayed the slightest suspicion of enthusiasm; but all through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity, which showed me plainly that, so far from his imagining that there was anything ridiculous or funny about his story, he regarded it as a really important matter, and admired its two heroes as men of transcendent genius in finesse.
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As Simon Wheeler begins his story about Jim Smiley, the unnamed narrator provides a detailed description of Wheeler and his peculiar delivery. Although the narrator is candid about not being interested in the content of Wheeler’s story, he is fascinated by Wheeler’s distinctively Western presentation of this tall tale, which seems to go against the grain of the Eastern narrator’s own approach to language, education, and storytelling. By recording Wheeler’s story through the written word, the narrator demonstrates how he values the Western tradition of storytelling. The narrator is particularly intrigued by Wheeler’s obvious passion for the story—Wheeler’s delivery contains Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperi
“Any way that suited the other man would suit him—any way just so's he got a bet, he was satisfied. But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner.”
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As Simon Wheeler begins his story about Jim Smiley, he describes Smiley as an avid gambler. Wheeler tells the narrator that Smiley was willing to place or accept any bet, even if it was based on his opponent’s suggestion. He was a very talented gambler and loved placing bets with all of the people around him. This situates Smiley as a man who interacted with others and was an active member of his community. Often “lucky” gamblers are cheaters, but Smiley was an honest man who demonstrated integrity in his dealings. In addition, by writing out the phonetic spelling of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. C
“Parson Walker's wife laid very sick once, for a good while, and it seemed as if they warn't going to save her; but one morning he come in, and Smiley up and asked him how she was, and he said she was considerable better-thank the Lord for his infinite mercy and coming on so smart that with the blessing of providence she'd get well yet; and Smiley, before he thought, says, ‘Well, I'll resk two-and-a-half she don't anyway.'”
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In this passage, Wheeler further emphasizes that Smiley was willing to bet on absolutely anything—even if it was insensitive. One day, when the Parson’s wife had been sick for a long time and finally seemed to be recovering, Smiley visited her and placed a bet that she wouldn’t survive her illness. This was a shocking thing to bet on, especially because someone else’s life was involved. Even though Smiley’s bets were sometimes insensitive or downright rude, he remained an integral part of his community at Angel’s Camp. The story implies that people in the community overlooked his bad manners and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi.
“They used to give her two or three hundred yards, start, and then pass her under way; but always at the fag end of the race she'd get excited and desperate like, and come cavorting and straddling up, and scattering her legs around limber, sometimes in the air, and sometimes out to one side among the fences, and kicking up m-o-r-e dust and raising m-o-r-e racket with her coughing and sneezing and blowing her nose-and always fetch up at the stand just about a neck ahead as near as you could cipher it down.”
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Here, Wheeler explains to the unnamed narrator that Smiley loved betting on animals, and he often won his bets regarding their various matches, fights, or races. This was due to the fact that Smiley would buy or find animals that looked very sickly or weak. A surprisingly keen businessman, Smiley knew that people would underestimate his animals’ abilities because they didn’t look like winners, so then his opponents would be willing to bet money against his animals. In this passage, Wheeler explains that the same held true for Smiley’s mare, who looked terribly ill but was extremely well trained and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntu
“But as soon as money was up on him he was a different dog; his under-jaw'd begin to stick out like the fo'castle of a steamboat, and his teeth would uncover and shine like the furnaces.”
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After telling the narrator about Smiley’s mare, Wheeler tells him about a bulldog puppy that Smiley owned and named Andrew Jackson. Like the mare, the bulldog looked weak and unassuming, so people didn’t think that he would be able to win a fight. Although Smiley’s method of choosing weak-looking animals is tricky, it’s not necessarily dishonest—the animals’ strength and success come from Smiley’s dedication to training them well. For instance, at the beginning of the fight, Jackson would allow the other dog to beat him up while the stakes of the bets were increased. When Jackson noticed that everyone was Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur m
“He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'lated to educate him; and so he never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump.”
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After talking about Jim Smiley’s mare and bulldog, Simon Wheeler begins telling the unnamed narrator about Smiley’s pet frog, named Dan’l Webster. Like Smiley’s other star animals, Webster didn’t look exceptional. Smiley used this to his advantage by training Webster to be extraordinary, defying the expectations of his appearance. For three months, Smiley dedicated himself to training Dan’l Webster how to jump high, underscoring Smiley’s integrity and commitment to winning his bets honestly. Smiley demonstrated remarkable dedication and perseverance, and his efforts paid off when Webster became the most talented high-jumping frog in the entire county of Calaveras. Smiley was Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Di
“Smiley said all a frog wanted was education, and he could do 'most anything—and I believe him.”
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In this passage, Wheeler tells the narrator that Smiley once told him that a frog could do anything if he received a proper education. A man with integrity, Smiley believed in the value of hard work, and he was willing to dedicate time to training his animals to win his bets for him. Rather than cheating to ensure that he would win bets, Smiley concentrated his efforts on honest ways to win his gambling enterprises. He put hard work into training his animals to be winners, and in this way, he viewed these animal-focused bets to be competitions, rather than Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
“And the feller studied a minute, and then says, kinder sad-like, ‘Well, I'm only a stranger here, and I ain’t got no frog; but if I had a frog, I'd bet you.'”
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In this passage, Wheeler tells the narrator about the stranger who came to Angel Camp and placed a bet against Smiley’s prized frog, Dan’l Webster. Before going through with the bet, the stranger revealed to Smiley that he was an outsider and didn’t own a frog. His tone, “kinder sad-like,” revealed a disappointment in his role as a roamer—he didn’t belong to this community at Angel’s Camp and would soon move on. Smiley, on the other hand, was a well-integrated member of his community and belonged at the camp. This dynamic is strengthened after the bet takes place; when the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium e
“[…] the new frog hopped off lively, but Dan'l give a heave, and hysted up his shoulders—so—like a Frenchman, but it warn't no use—he couldn't budge; he was planted as solid as a church, and he couldn't no more stir than if he was anchored out.”
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Here, Simon Wheeler recounts to the unnamed narrator how the stranger filled Dan’l Webster with heavy gunshot pellets while Smiley went to find the stranger another frog in the swamp. After Webster didn’t jump, Smiley was flummoxed and paid the stranger the agreed-upon forty dollars for losing his bet. While throughout the story Smiley had been aware of how the appearances of his animals were deceptive, this time the roles were reversed. When looking at Webster, Smiley had no idea that the frog was stuffed with heavy gunshot and would not be able to jump. The stranger plays Smiley at Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam con
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Simon Wheeler Character Timeline in The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
The timeline below shows where the character Simon Wheeler appears in The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Following the suggestion of a friend, the unnamed narrator meets a man named Simon Wheeler to ask Wheeler about another man named Leonidas W. Smiley. The narrator, a man hailing...
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When the unnamed narrator asks Simon Wheeler about Leonidas W. Smiley, Wheeler instead launches into a long story about a different man...
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Simon Wheeler is “fat and baldheaded,” and he looks like a simple but content man. As Wheeler...
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Simon Wheeler claims that Jim Smiley was the “curiousest man,” who was willing to bet on anything....
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Wheeler recounts how Smiley once trained an unassuming mare to be a racing horse. The mare...
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...bulldog named Andrew Jackson. Jackson didn’t look like a very good fighter; according to Simon Wheeler, “to look at him you’d think he warn't worth a cent but to set around...
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...he couldn’t use his winning move, he gave up and died in the fight. Simon Wheeler is sad that Jackson died because he “had genius” and was a very talented fighter.
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...he taught it to catch any fly with its tongue, no matter the distance. Simon Wheeler recalls watching the frog in action himself—once, when Smiley was in the same tavern that...
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...travelers said that Webster was the most talented frog that they had ever seen. Simon Wheeler explains that “fellers that had traveled and been everywhere all said he laid over any...
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The story is interrupted when Simon Wheeler hears someone calling his name in front of the tavern. He asks the narrator to...
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