Many writers have used their talents to influence the thinking of a generation, but few writers have had the remarkable influence of the legendary Mark Twain. In his books we see insights into the human psyche and every word he writes arouses both controversy and admiration. In the following article we will see whether Mark Twain used them to show a real emotional bond between Huckleberry Finn and the Negro Jim or whether he used them to assert that these two races could live as one. Mark Twain was a young man, slavery was practiced very often and not despised by people, in fact it was almost a status symbol to have many slaves, given that slaves were expensive both to care for and to buy. The conditions in which a slave lived were atrocious, a slave was often malnourished and riddled with disease. At the time Mark Twain lived, most people would have looked unfavorably on a free slave. This shows that, without a shadow of a doubt, Twain was ahead of his time and embraced the ideals that all men were created equal. Huckleberry Finn stated in reference to his father, "...you can never find him these days. He used to get drunk with the pigs in the tannery" (Twain PG#. 20). Twain obviously intended for the reader to infer from that statement that Huck had not only been mistreated by his father but also excluded by him. Franklin Dahal, of Psycholog... at the center of the article ...... makes the valid point that man is capable of living in harmony with man, whatever his color. Works Cited1) Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Views of Mark Twain New York: The Franklin Library 19502) Smith, Nash. The Development of a Writer Toronto: The Banan Company 19553) Cardwell, Guy A. Discussion of Mark Twain New York. New York 1968 (Article)4) Franklin, Dahl. Psychology Today New York. New York 1977 (Article title: Parental counterparts)