Twain a racist? The answers to these questions lie in the examination of
             Mark Twain's life and historical era, incidents and character comments
             throughout Huckleberry Finn, and reviews by critics of many races.
             Researching the life and times of Mark Twain led to various facts that
             negate the popular opinion that he was racist. Born Samuel Langhorn
             Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Missouri, Mark Twain witnessed an era
             of accepted slavery and racism (Roberts, 5). Growing up in the slave state of
             Missouri, Twain's father was a slave trader several times in his many
             occupational ventures. After his father's death Twain spent several summers
             with his uncle, John Quarles, who owned twenty slaves which provided
             Twain with an up close view of slavery in action. Twain was deeply affected
             by witnessing the brutal murder of a slave by a rock-throwing white man for
             the crime of "merely doing something awkward" (Smith). Twain completed
             Huckleberry Finn in 1884, at a time when black identity in American society
             was undefined. Even though blacks had been granted citizenship in 1870 by
             the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, Southern white society still looked
             upon them as sub-human creatures without souls or feelings. "However, for
             his time Twain was liberal on racial issues." The themes of Huckleberry Finn
             portray Mark Twain's unrelenting belief in the equality of all races.
             Although Huckleberry Finn is primarily a novel about freedom and the
             quest for freedom, through the portrayal of the characters, Twain depicts the
             human qualities of all, regardless of color. It details the story of a slave, Jim,
             who breaks the law and risks his life to win his freedom and be reunited with
             his family. Jim is accompanied by a white boy, Huck, who befriends him and
             aids in his escape. This storyline of a white boy helping a runaway slave, and
             in the process, perceiving Jim as ...