>Was Huck Black and on Jane Smiley's book.

    Somehow, I can't see Huck as black for a couple of reasons.
First, pap's hatred of blacks doesn't gell with the idea of him
having a black son.  Secondly, the freedom Huck has in his
interactions with whites and the ease with which he pretends to be
Tom Sawyer would rule out any substantial quantity of black blood.
The events in the story make it clear that if Huck has any African-
American heritage, it would be a "teaspoon full," like Roxy's
(Pud'nnhead Wilson)

    Pap can't be part black, or he wouldn't rail against mulatto
voting the way he does.  Huck's mother can't be part black, because
if she was, pap probably wouldn't mention her when he lectures Huck
for learning to read.

    The essays in the recent Oxford edition of Huck Finn would be
well worth the time and effort to read.  They have a lot of
interesting insights, and can teach you a lot about the book.

    I hope you're reading Huck Finn in English.  A lot of irony,
pathos, meaning and humor are lost if you take away the language and
dialects, editors have found that you can't even pull out the "n"
word without damaging the text.

    If you are reading it in translation, you might want to read the
version of the "Jumping Frog" story that contains the French
translation, and Twain's comments on it.  At the very least, it'll
give you an idea of what can be lost through translating a Twain
story.  The dialect is very important, and Twain was a master at
capturing the way people actually talked.

Matthew Miller