Essays (Introduction) | Class 11 English Notes

My Watch - Part II

In the second part of 'My Watch,' Mark Twain continues to chronicle the misadventures of his watch as he seeks to restore it to proper working order. After the initial cleaning and oiling, the watch exhibits erratic behavior, sometimes running fast and other times slowing down, causing confusion and frustration.

Twain takes the watch to another watchmaker who diagnoses a broken king-bolt, a crucial component in the watch's mechanism. Although Twain admits ignorance about what a king-bolt is, he is relieved that the problem is not more serious. The repair leads to the watch running intermittently, stopping and starting unpredictably, and making loud noises akin to a musket kickback.

Subsequent visits to different watchmakers reveal further issues: bent crystal, misaligned mainspring, and sudden buzzing noises causing the hands to spin rapidly, making it impossible to tell the time. Twain humorously describes the hands as a 'delicate spider's web' spinning uncontrollably.

Eventually, Twain encounters a watchmaker who is an old acquaintance, a steam-boat engineer known for poor engineering skills. This watchmaker diagnoses the watch as producing 'too much steam' and suggests 'hanging the monkey-wrench on the safety-valve,' a nonsensical recommendation that frustrates Twain to the point of violent fantasy.

Throughout this section, Twain uses humor, metaphor, and personification to depict the watch's decline and the author's exasperation. The narrative also reflects on the futility of repeated repairs and the increasing costs, both financial and emotional, associated with trying to fix something that may be beyond repair.

📊 Diagram: See figure_2: ^{}[] Reprint 2026-27

🧪 Activity: Discuss in pairs or groups the challenges of repairing old machines versus replacing them, and the sentimental value attached to personal items like watches.

🔗 Connection: This section concludes the narrative of the watch's troubles and leads to reflections on the author's final decision and philosophical remarks about repairers.