I'd like to ask what this means (excerpt of 19th novel)
But a stranger would have supposed that Mr. Higginbotham was an object of abhorrence at Parker's Falls and that a thanksgiving had been proclaimed for his murder, so excessive was the wrath of the inhabitants on learning their mistake.

In this paragraph, I'm confused about whether I get right or wrong..

Does that mean,

1) The inhabitants thougth -
A stranger might have thought that people of Parker's Falls hated Mr. Higginbotham
and (the stranger also might have thought) that people would like to thank to the God about Mr. Higginbotham's death. (because they hated him)

- so they were angry about that.

2) The inhabitants thougth -
A stranger might have thought that people of Parker's Falls hated Mr. Higginbotham
and

because of it(people let the stranger think like that), the inhabitants of Parker's Falls
ALMOST made the Thanksgiving's Day to the Murdur's Day.

- so they were angry about it.

Actually I thought N.2 was right at first, but 'a thanksgiving' is not capitalized,
so it was started to confusing..

Is there anyone who could help me?

Question

I'd like to ask what this means (excerpt of 19th novel)
But a stranger would have supposed that Mr. Higginbotham was an object of abhorrence at Parker's Falls and that a thanksgiving had been proclaimed for his murder, so excessive was the wrath of the inhabitants on learning their mistake.

In this paragraph, I'm confused about whether I get right or wrong..

Does that mean,

1) The inhabitants thougth -
A stranger might have thought that people of Parker's Falls hated Mr. Higginbotham
and (the stranger also might have thought) that people would like to thank to the God about Mr. Higginbotham's death. (because they hated him)

- so they were angry about that.

2) The inhabitants thougth -
A stranger might have thought that people of Parker's Falls hated Mr. Higginbotham
and

because of it(people let the stranger think like that), the inhabitants of Parker's Falls
ALMOST made the Thanksgiving's Day to the Murdur's Day.

- so they were angry about it.

Actually I thought N.2 was right at first, but 'a thanksgiving' is not capitalized,
so it was started to confusing..

Is there anyone who could help me?

Answer

It is difficult to answer without a bit more context but I will do my best.

The term "thanksgiving" just means a time to be thankful for something. Some countries have created a Thanksgiving holiday but it's really just an application of the word that means "a day to be thankful".

"But a stranger would have supposed that Mr. Higginbotham was an object of abhorrence at Parker's Falls and that a thanksgiving had been proclaimed for his murder, so excessive was the wrath of the inhabitants on learning their mistake"

I'll rephrase it to what I think it means:

A stranger would think that Mr H was hated at Parker's Falls and that the inhabitants celebrated his murder. The inhabitants had a really bad reaction when they discovered this is what strangers thought.

Answer

Hi, Courtney.
Your first option is closest. They are not specifically talking about the holiday "Thanksgiving" here, but simply the giving of thanks, that they are grateful for what has happened. So, a stranger may have thought that the inhabitants hated him so much, they actively wanted to celebrate the fact that he died.

Answers · 4

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!