马克·吐温历来以幽默作家著称。很多人不知道他曾在内战中加入邦联军队,并以自己的战争经历创作了短篇小说《败仗秘史》,表达自己的反战诉求。小说发表后引起评论界的种种猜测与攻击,认为吐温在作品中虚构误杀陌生人的情节是为自己在内战中当逃兵开脱。但通过分析发现,《败仗秘史》自始至终贯穿着作者的反战诉求。作品中轻松幽默的故事情节实际暗讽了战争的愚昧,并为最后枪杀陌生人的情节进行铺垫;枪杀陌生人的情节旨在揭露所有战争的真实本质。纵观吐温的创作,反战是一贯的主题,“人道情怀”是其作品的本质特征。 Mark Twain has long been known as a humorist. Many people do not realize that he had joined the Confederate army in the civil war and used his own experience of war to create the short story Secret History of defeat and to express his own anti-war appeal. After the publication of the novel, it caused speculation and attacks from the critics. Twain considered that the fictional mistaken killing of strangers in Twain’s work is a departure for himself as a deserter in the civil war. However, through the analysis found that “Secret History of defeat” throughout the author’s anti-war appeal. The easygoing and humorous storyline of the work actually satirizes the ignorance of the war and paves the way for the final shootings of strangers; the plot to kill strangers aims to uncover the true nature of all wars. Throughout Twain’s writing, anti-war is the consistent theme, “humane feelings ” is the essential characteristics of his works.