Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in Missouri. Samuel L. Clemens was his real name but wrote under his pen name of Mark Twain. Two main classics of American literture that he wrote was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark was also a riverboat pilot, journalist, lecturer and inventor. A lot of his writing came from his natural eye to see things in truth and the way they are. Growing up Mark's father took on many different occupations including a store keeper, lawyer, judge and land inspector to be able to take care of his family. Mark was devestated when his father, John, died when he was eleven. Pushing Mark out into the struggle of providing for his family began to shape his career. He grew up in a rather …show more content…
The books are full of fun activites but also poverty, loneliness and boredom all things that Mark experienced as a child. Mark was forced to get his first job at twelve years old because he needed to help support his family. He worked at a printer company and got paid with food rations. At age fifteen Mark got a part time job as an editor and occasional writer at a newspaper company owned by his brother. When Mark was twenty-one he finally fulfilled his dream of being a steamboat pilot. He was more than happy with what he was doing until he lost his job in 1861 because the Civil War broke out. Mark joined the Confederate Army in the summer of 1861 but only ended up serving for a couple weeks. Twain headed west to find gold and silver but soon gave up because he was flat broke. He then got a job at another newspaper company and began to write new stories, editorials and sketches. During this time is when he adoped the name Mark Twain. Mark began a known storyteller in the West because of his friendly and funny narratives. His first big break was when one of his tales was printed on magazines and newspapers around the