Free Essay

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

In:

Submitted By lecests48
Words 758
Pages 4
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Truth and Tom Sawyer

“The road to truth is long, and lined the whole way with annoying bastards.” Alexander Jablokov

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, has many themes; one theme is the importance of truth in society. A Society is inevitable. It will always be there as a pleasure and a burden. Society expects, or perhaps demands, certain behavior from the individual. If one wishes to enjoy the pleasures of society then one must play by society’s rules.

Tom Sawyer, THE MAIN CHARACTER, is an imaginative young man who sometimes allows his imagination and high-spirit TO get in the way of telling the truth. Tom is very adventurous; he never passes up a chance to play pirates, robbers, or soldiers. We are introduced to Tom, when he is climbing in his window after a long night of cavorting with his friends. Soon after this, Tom meets Huckleberry Fin. Huck is a social outcast who likes to live by his own terms. Tom and Huck become good friends. One night the two boys go to the graveyard AND while they are there they witness the murder of the town doctor, Mr. Robinson. The boys watched as Injun Joe kills the doctor and frames a drunk by the name of Muff Potter, who happens to be IN the wrong place at the wrong time. The boys swear never to speak of THE MURDER again.

Later, Tom falls in love with his new neighbor, Becky Thatcher. Eventually the two become engaged, but the engagement falls through when Tom accidentally mentions his former love while talking with Becky. The two feud and do not speak. Meanwhile, the whole town is gossiping of the murder of Dr. Robinson and the prosecution of Muff Potter. A trail quickly forms and Muff is put on the stand. Tom cannot allow the innocent Muff TO go to jail. As the trial comes to a close, Tom testifies and indicates the guilt of Injun Joe. When the trial ends, the manhunt for Injun Joe begins AND Tom is treated like a hero.Tom feels guilty knowing he broke a sacred oath with Huck. Becky and Tom soon become friends again after Tom takes Becky’s punishment at school for being careless with the teacher’s things. Becky finds Tom to be very noble.

Summer is coming near. Injun Joe is still at large and Tom and Huck are searching for treasure. While searching near an old ghost house, one night, the two boys over hear Injun Joe talking about some loot that he hid AND THE boys are determined to find it. As an end of the year celebration, Tom’s whole class goes on a picnic and a cave exploration near the wood outside of town. While in the caves Tom and Becky get lost. The whole town searches for them, but THE BOYS ARE not found. While in the cave, Tom sees Injun Joe snooping around. This inspires him to find a way out, which he does. After Tom and Becky are home the caves are sealed, leaving Injun Joe and his treasure locked inside. Injun Joe dies of starvation at the gated entrance of the cave and his treasure are discovered buy Tom and Huck who had found a secret way into the cave. The boys become the richest men in town. Huck decides to break away from the outcast life and moves in with a respectable widow in town. Tom and Huck are happy and rich and they promise to always stay together.

Tom was an imaginative young man. Tom often used his creative imagination to get out of punishment from his Aunt Polly. Tom could make up lies like nobody else. Tom would use his adventures to escape the havoc of daily life. When Tom had a hard day at school or a problem with Sid, he would go on a treasure hunt, or go play Robin Hood in the woods. Tom understood it was his truthfulness that saved the life of Muff Potter during his trial. HIS LIES saved Becky Thatcher from being whipped (p134).

Tom is portrayed as a wild and conniving cheater at the beginning of the book, but as the story proceeds he begins to mature, TO tell the truth, and show signs of nobility and charisma. Tom goes from boy to man. His view of the importance of truth changes and he learns to do what is right will not be easy -- there will be many hardships along the way.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Antics Of Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

...The Antics of Tom Sawyer In Mark Twain’s timeless classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, he shows how in Tom’s little town one can be adventurous, smart, and loving. In the novel Twain does not make his character, Tom, adventurous, smart, and loving; he gives instances for Tom to show these traits to the reader and a plethora of such instances is given. These instances are for the most part very noticeable to an observant reader, but with regards to a few situations it takes a critical eye to notice how Twain may change the way he writes while Tom is in front of an important character. Tom is a typical teenage boy, but when he goes on his “adventures” he completely changes his view on the world he lives in. For example, when Tom runs away with Joe Harper and Huck Finn, the boys run away to pretend to be pirates. Tom completely immerses himself into his newfound lifestyle, “For a few days they are happy on the island and learn from Huck how to smoke and swear. They are beginning to get homesick when they hear a cannon being fired over the river from a steamboat. Then the boys realize that the townspeople are searching for their bodies.” (Batzer 84). After the townspeople give up on looking for the boys, Tom goes back...

Words: 723 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Emotions In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

...Throughout The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, Tom goes on a roller coaster of emotions. Most of the time Tom is laughing, playing pranks, and telling jokes with his friends. In chapter 8 however, Tom is severely depressed because of his troubles with Becky, and questioning the idea of his death or disappearance. Tom wonders that if he were to go missing, become a soldier, become an Indian, or even a pirate, and not be seen for several years, if anybody would miss him, or even notice that he was gone. If aunt Polly would grieve, or if his friends and townspeople would search day and night for him, and if everyone would give up their search, or if they would continue searching until they found him. “Soon he had another idea. What...

Words: 314 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Honesty In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

...In the first ten chapters of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, honesty plays a very important role in the overall basis of the story. Throughout the chapters, Tom battles with his conscience on issues of minor importance to situations which could impact the lives of the other characters around him. It is these decisions that deal with the honesty of Tom Sawyer that shape is personality overall. From the begining Tom has had a dishonest nature that define his mischievous character. For example, “Tom pulled a boys hair, stuck a pin in another boy, presently, in order to hear him say, ‘Ouch!’” (page 41). This negative interaction between Tom and some of his classmates at Church shows Tom’s immaturity. It is insignificant acts such as...

Words: 402 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Dynamic Character In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

...story The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain is an intrepid twelve-year-old named Tom Sawyer. Tom was mischievous young man, who liked to disobey his aunt. I presume Tom’s parents died when Tom was at a young age because he lives with his aunt, but Mark Twain is ever explicit with this idea. The troublesome boy enjoyed swimming in the Mississippi river, and bamboozling his peers. Tom is a exceptionally dynamic character throughout the story. At a young age Tom is not an innocent character. He could fool any child in the town. One time in the story Tom Sawyer was sent to do whitewashing for his aunt Polly. As the other boys came along he convinced them that they were missing out on whitewashing, and that it was an intriguing experience. The boys were convinced by Tom, and traded goods such as apples and kites to whitewash for him (pg.23)! Tom was a deceitful young man; and his thirst of...

Words: 750 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Dynamic Character In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

...In the novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Tom is portrayed as a dynamic character who changes throughout the story from selfish to selfless. In the beginning of the story Tom acts as if he cares about nobody but himself. He is just a boy who likes to get out of trouble. Tom gets in trouble with aunt Polly and gets his punishment. He used his persuasion skills to get people to work for him. “ ‘Like it?’ ‘Well, I don't see why I oughtn’t to like it.’ ‘Does a boy get to whitewash a fence everyday?’ That put the thing in a new light Ben stopped nibbling on his apple.”(page 13). Tom’s persuasion skills were used for his own personal benefit. He got out of work by almost making other people do it. Tom will do anything to make his...

Words: 301 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Vs. Tom Sawyer

...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he describes the adventures that Huck takes down the river. Huck is the main character, and the narrator of the book. After a while of Huck traveling, he finds his friend Tom Sawyer. Along with Tom, Huck is the one that ends up saving Jim, the black slave who escaped with Huck. Huck and Tom never really agreed on much throughout the story. One of the two always thought that they had the better idea. Huck’s character changes throughout the book as he matures, whereas Tom’s character stays the same as a rebellious boy, even though it is obvious that they are similar. Huckleberry Finn's character is very different from Tom Sawyer, as far as maturity levels. Huck always tried to make the right decision in every situation....

Words: 844 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Tom Sawyer Argumentative Essay

...Many parents think it's a terrible idea for their kids to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain uses the offensive n-word throughout his novel. The word was demeaning when Twain wrote it and still is to this day. This book is disapproved for its portrayal of blacks and Native Americans. Most people just can’t get past the n-word and all of the casual insults and racial prejudice in the book. There is also a general sense of lawlessness present in the novel. Tom Sawyer could be deemed a subversive person. Nevertheless, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer should be included in every school’s curriculum because it has stood the test of time and is a substantial model of literary construction while also leaving us with important life lessons. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...

Words: 689 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Mark Twain Research Paper

...classics that are being read today in several high schools in America or most likely the world. Books like: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper and so many others, are still amusing to this day. Mark Twain is considered one of America’s greatest novelist and one of the world’s greatest writers of juvenile and comic literature. In all of his works he utilizes similar techniques, like, satiric irony, which are currently still being studied today. Mark Twain had a very weird and unique writing technique...

Words: 1091 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Take a Risk and Survives

...stories are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. They have different plot, different author, different setting and different protagonist. But they have same theme, this is human of adventurous and stronger survival ability. “Robinson Crusoe” is the representative work of Daniel Defoe. It is a famous and impartment literature. The story talk about us a retire life. In navigation, Robinson riding in a boat ran aground near the island, the seaman and passengers were all drowned, but only Robinson was lucky to survive and the waves roll him on the beach in island. The protagonist Robinson that used strong will and unremitting efforts tenaciously survive on the island about 28 years. He experienced limited risk; he was to overcome the fear of living alone and no water of pain. He wins he own spiritual despaired and over back to home by British ships. The story is divided into three parts; the first part is about “Robinson” three nautical experiences. The second part is the main body of the novel, written survives experience in the island. The third part is written after he left the island. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is American writer Mark Twain long novel. It published in 1876. The background is St. Technetium town and it is near the Mississippi River in the United States. The story describing the young Tom Sawyer and his partner Huckleberry Finn and his girlfriend Bache Thatcher together go to adventures of experience...

Words: 955 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Huckleberry Finn Compare And Contrast

...In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the central character Huckleberry Finn escapes on the river to avoid civilization, along the way he meets several different characters whom he precedes to make friends with. Tom Sawyer, whom we met in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is Huck’s good friend. Although they are good friends, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer have very different qualities. Huck and Tom have had very different childhoods, they have different character traits, and the roles in their friendship also differ greatly. Huckleberry Finn has had a very unconventional childhood. With the absence of his father, Huck has been taking care of himself most of his life. Tom on the other hand has come from a stable home and a good upbringing. Tom has been brought up properly, born and raised in the middle class of society. Tom has access to education and books that provide him with a sense of adventure. Huck is taken in by Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, two sisters who do their best to teach Huck manners and to civilize him: “The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me” (Twain 58)....

Words: 423 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Reading Report

...Reading report of the Adventure of Tom Sawyer I think that every young person used to have the dream of travelling around the world and trying to find the treasure, but most of them just hold it as a dream ,not take it into action. In the book The adventure of Tom Sawyer you can see a very exciting and mind-blowing story,which shows a young boy’s adventure life. It is one of the best-written novels of Mark Twain, which brings the fresh recollections of Mark Twain’s memory of his childhood. Tom Sawyer ,who is always causing mischief and troubles, but sets a new and original image which is totally different from the other children. In the novel, Tom Sawyer with Huck Finn leads a typical American-style life with innocence and happiness. In order to get rid of the usual life and the control of contemporary moral values, Tom and Huck make chances for adventures and have fun in realizing their dream with naughtiness and heroic justice to eradicate evil. childhood which is the best time for me, and maybe the best time for most people. That’s the reason why Tom Sawyer has become one of the most impressive images in world literature which enjoys lots of reputation and popularity. It also should be one of the most memorable time for Mark Twain himself, and we can dig out his values for kids and his past childhood. I ‘m a faithful reader of Mark Twain, , I have covered almost all of his short stories, most of his novels. So I think I understand and know his values and judgment to some...

Words: 903 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Huckleberry Finn's Development

...Mark Twain’s widely known and appreciated novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follow countless boyhood adventures between the rambunctious young boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. While Twain’s novels depict long playful summer days spent in the sun, his work is far from children’s literature. Twain’s novels include dark adult themes such as death, ignorance, physical punishment, deceit and most prominently, racism. Twain modeled both novels based on his own life experiences growing up along the Mississippi River (Frost), hoping to mirror how one's surroundings influence their character development, furthermore shaping who they will become. To do so, Twain creates a world of struggle for his protagonists,...

Words: 1536 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Compare Children’s Images in Western and Chinese Children’s Fantasy Literature

...Rousseau, believed that every child has a unique value and children should not be seen as immature adults. He also emphasized the importance of moral development in his writing ‘Emile’, in which he believed it could be performed by living a simple life. Rousseau’s ideas had a major influence on the development of children’s literature. People raised awareness about children and children’s fantasy literature was flourishing in the 19th century. In this Golden Age, different varieties of children’s fantasy literature were written to entertain children, such as modern fantasy stories and adventure stories. The naughty image of children could be shown in many adventure stories as well, such as ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ (1876) by Mark Twain and ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ (1883) by Carlo Collodi. Up to the 20th century and recent decades, Naughty main characters are typical and common in children’s adventure stories, they are appealing and popular to young readers as well, for example ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (1964) by Roald Dahl. On the other hand, Chinese children’s fantasy literature had a rather short history of development. Before the 20th century, children’s fantasy literature did not exist in China. Until the Inter-war...

Words: 1773 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Mark Twain Research Paper

...Mark Twain Mark Twain was a very successful writer in his lifetime, but he is more known for some of his earlier writings. Some of his writings were The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. "The secret of getting ahead is getting started". This quote by mark twain is a sign of his hard work he put in his lifetime he never slacked. Mark Twain had a very hard and interesting early life. Mark Twain also was known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in a small town in Florida, Missouri. He lived his childhood years in the great town of Hannibal, by the Mississippi River. At age eleven Mark Twain’s father passed away from pneumonia, his father was a lawyer. To provide for the family and sustain a steady income mark twain dropped out of school, and began working as a store clerk and also a delivery boy. He then started working as an apprentice, to learn some kind of trade, then he worked as a compositor, along with other printers, with small pieces to local newspapers. When Mark Twain was seventeen his first comic sketch was published by the sportsman's magazine in Boston,...

Words: 687 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Tom Sawyer Quotes

...The Growth of a Boy Into a Young Man “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up” (Twain). This quote can apply most situations, however, Tom Sawyer had not understood that for a long time. As a young boy, Tom thought that he would be happiest if he had done anything and everything for only himself, but he later had a deeper understanding of this quote and its meaning and applied it to his own life. One of the themes that Mark Twain covers in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is maturity and responsibility over time. Examples of this theme include Tom comforting Becky in the cave, Tom defending Muff Potter during the trial, and Tom taking the blame for Becky. One example of Tom Sawyer’s growth over time occurs between Tom and nature. Tom Sawyer and Becky were exploring in McDowell’s Cave alone, and, consequently,...

Words: 812 - Pages: 4