Help! im confused and 100 points

Read the following excerpt from life on the mississippi by mark twain. no girl could withstand his charms. he "cut out" every boy in the village. when his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months. but when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism. how does twain's use of understatement serve his purpose? be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

2. page 1: schlosser describes "just another gorgeous rocky mountain vista. and yet cheyenne mountain is hardly pristine." why do you think schlosser describes the beautiful cheyenne mountain scene in detail before describing the military installation that lies inside?

Based on part two of trifles, which of the following images most reinforces the them of loneliness that exists throughout the play?