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Twain was the sixth child born to John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton .
At the age of four, Twain’s family moved to Hannibal , Missouri in hopes of improving their living situation.
As a young boy, Twain was mischievous and he was the prototype of his character, Tom Sawyer . Although he experienced poor health during his childhood, “by age nine he had already learned to smoke, led a small band of pranksters, and had developed an aversion to school.”
Twain's formal schooling ended after age 12 , due to the death of his father.
Twain began working as an apprentice in a printer's shop and eventually worked under his brother, Orion , at the Hannibal Journal .
At the age of 17 , Twain published his first literary pieces.
Twain eventually grew tired of his printing jobs and worked as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River for the next four years. Twain was 24.
With the beginning of the Civil War , Twain gave up his “traveling lifestyle” and enlisted as a Confederate soldier . His military career was short and he, along with many other young men, moved West to avoid the draft.
Twain hoped to become rich from mining silver and gold , but after realizing the impossibility of his dream, he began to write again, and, in 1863 , he adopted the pseudonym ( pen name ) Mark Twain, a river pilot term that describes safe navigating conditions .
Twain was a man who was familiar with hard times. He struggled financially during his literary career and he experienced the loss of his son Langdon to Diptheria .
Twain died on April 21 , 1910 a highly acclaimed author of works such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , The Prince and the Pauper , and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an extremely controversial piece of literature. In some Southern states , the novel was banned due to its “extensive criticism of the hypocrisy of slavery .” Some circles feel that the novel is racist because of the frequent use of the word “ nigger .”
Sadly, many readers do not understand Twain’s motive in using this word which was for the purpose of “simply projecting a realistic portrayal of Southern society ” during the period surrounding the 1830s .