Mark Twain's racial attitudes as related in his works to shifting patterns in tone

Mark Twain's attitudes toward non-whites are seen to be thinly spread throughout the content of much of his published material. Because of this and because these attitudes are often vague and inconsistent, they are not easily explained. However, one overall pattern to these views seems to be evident. Twain most often vacillates between two extreme views or dual myths pertaining to a given race. These views generally represent popular myths current in Twain's own time, such as the myth of hereditary evil in Negro "blood," and the myth of white supremacy. Twain's affinities for and conflicts between such unrealistic extremes prevail; he seldom takes a center position.