ricans, this degrading attitude towards them is all stylized of the pre-Civil War tradition.
             Racism is only mentioned in the novel as an object of natural course and a precision to the actual views of the setting then. Huckleberry Finn still stands as a powerful portrayal of experience through the newfound eyes of an innocent boy. Huck only says and treats the African-American culture accordingly with the society that he was raised in. To say anything different would truly be out of place and setting of the era. This amalgamation of fiction with non-fiction invites the reader to take a realistic viewpoint of the novel. The self-evident realism of the satire is rendered in such a manner that the book takes on a much more serious tone as opposed to its predecessor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Instead of the just writing an adventure story, he decided to address more serious issues concerning racial equality, freedom, bondage, and society's problematic institutions (i.e. slavery).
             Researching the life and times of Mark Twain leads to various facts that negate the popular opinion that he was racist. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Missouri, Mark Twain witnessed an era of accepted slavery and racism (Kaplan 20). Growing up in the slave state of Missouri, Twain's father traded slaves several times in his many occupational ventures. 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. He developed a deep respect for the dignity and self-respect with which they carried themselves. He was fascinated by the black world there, the richness of their language and the freedom from the puritanical household he longed for. Twain later in life made this remark; "It was on the farm, that I got my strong liking for [the black] race and my appreciation of certain of its fine qualities." (Kaplan 23) Twain comp...