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Subject:
From:
David Davis <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:56:32 -0400
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> Roughing It comes from very early in Twains career so I'm wondering
if,
after all his world travels, he ever came to see native Americans in a
better light.  

Not that I know of. I would think the uncompleted "Tom and Huck Among
the Indians" would be a good next step for looking into the question.

Further on topic: Does he ever say anything nice about "the French" Or
someone who was French? 

/DDD

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott
Holmes
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 8:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: A Prejudice against Indians

I've been working my way through Roughing It (again) recently, doing
public readings.  It caused me pause when I reached his description of
the Goshoots Indians.  It's quite common for discussion of Twain to
center on assumed racism because of his use of a particular word but
rarely have I seen any discussion of his prejudice against native
Americans - Indians. When it does come up it is generally in regard to
Injun Joe.  Injun Joe is an entirely different matter, he is for the
most part a product of the dominant culture, the "white" culture.  The
Goshoots are part of an entirely foreign culture to Twain and he seems
unable to understand it or even recognize that it is a foreign culture.

Roughing It comes from very early in Twains career so I'm wondering if,
after all his world travels, he ever came to see native Americans in a
better light.  

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 There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
                          in your philosophy.
                        http://bscottholmes.com
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