If the question is, "did Twain's attitudes change by the end of his career," I think the answer is, at best, a qualified "maybe." "The Dervish and the Offensive Stranger," written in 1902 when Twain was usually writing against imperialism, does criticize the European displacement of native-Americans, but concludes that the crime is at least balanced by the "good" of providing an outlet for Europe's oppressed. By 1902 he at least recognized that it was a conquest, though one does not get the sense that he was overflowing with sympathy. Gregg ----- Original Message ----- From: John Davis <[log in to unmask]> Date: Friday, April 22, 2011 7:47 am Subject: Re: A Prejudice against Indians To: [log in to unmask] > For one view, you might glance through my article, "Cowboys and > Indians in > King Arthur's Court: Hank Morgan's Version of Manifest Destiny...," > in *The > Mark Twain Annual *for 2007. For another, there is Kerry Driscoll's "'Man > Factories' and the 'White Indians' of Camelot: Re-Reading the Native > Context > of *A Connecticut Yankee..."* in the 2004 *Mark Twain Annual,* which > is one > of several she has written on the subject. For broader views of the > subject, see some of her other writings and what Joe Coulombe has to > say in > his book, *Mark Twain and the American West *(2003). For a much less > recent > take, see Lynn Denton's article in *Mark Twain Journal* from the early > 1970s. The issue of his prejudice. lack of, or changed attitude may > not be > entirely settled as yet. > > .On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 8:48 PM, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > > > 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. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are > dreamt of > > in your philosophy. > > http://bscottholmes.com > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > -- > John H. Davis, Ph.D. > Professor of English > Department of Language and Literature > Chowan University > Murfreesboro, North Carolina 27855 >