What is usually the theme of the pardoner's stories?

Which statement best expresses the meaning of these lines from “the courage that my mother had”? that courage like a rock, which she / has no more need of, and i have. a. the speaker equates her mother's courage with a rock. b. the speaker needs the kind of courage her mother showed. c. the speaker realizes her mother no longer needs courage d. the speaker realizes her mother found courage in rocks.

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.

Answer the question on the screen plzzz