In Huckleberry Finn I have drawn Tom Blankenship exactly as he was. He was
ignorant, unwashed, insufficiently fed; but he had as good a heart as ever any
boy had. His liberties were totally unrestricted. He was the only really independent
person--boy or man--in the community, and by consequence he was tranquilly and
continuously happy and envied by the rest of us. And as his society was forbidden
us by our parents the prohibition trebled and quadrupled its value, and therefore
we sought and got more of his society than any other boy's.
- Mark Twain's Autobiography
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| [NOTE: In interview dated January 25, 1885, in the Minneapolis Tribune, Mark Twain claimed that his character Huckleberry Finn was not based on any one youngster. The story that Huck was based on Tom Blankenship came later in Twain's career. It is not known whether or not the structure identified as Huckleberry Finn's home in Hannibal, Missouri was ever connected with the Blankenship family.] |
MARK
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