"The Return of a Private" is a story by Hamlin Garland. The story describes a Civil War soldier, Private Smith, who left his farm "to fight for an idea." Upon his return, he faces a life of economic hardship and injustice in Wisconsin. Although the vision is quite bleak, the Private enjoys some occasional happiness when he spends time with his fellow veterans and his wife and children.
On the other hand, in "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain, we learn about a group of men in a tavern in California. They talk about a man named Jim Smiley who trains animals in order to win bets.
The two stories are examples of regionalist fiction because they both discuss the realities of specific regions in the United States. Moreover, both stories employ literary devices such as dialect and diction in order to convey what the people of the area are like. However, while Twain's story is mostly positive and fun, Garland's story is political and it provides a social criticism on the working conditions of these rural areas.
