Dear Larry, The web site is very interesting and worthwhile, and Twain's views of Indians are often troubling. However, I think there is more to investigate, particularly when you take his development in relationship to other colonial situations, such as his late writings about the American annexation of the Philippines. Even The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is far more complex than simply providing a stereotype of Indians. Joe is the most interesting and "real" character in the book, the one who exposes the racial stratifications in the apparently homogenous, complacent town, and it's remarkable how, just by dressing up as a "Spaniard," racial classification seems to disappear, and I believe that in many ways TS is a far darker, far more disturbing and revelatory novel than most who regard it as innocent children's literature realize, so I find Joe a far more interesting and appealing character than might be supposed. In a way, the mixed signals of Joe's characterization remind me of discussions about Shylock in The Merchant of Venice: actual human dynamics erupting from beneath received stereotypes. Hilton Obenzinger