Essay About Tom Sawyer And Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer
Join now to read essay Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain uses The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to reveal
his own childhood; thus, many specifics in the book, such as
the characters and the setting are very dear to his heart. It is
the story about life in a boy’s world, and it discloses the
feelings of Mark Twain concerning his boyhood, his town,
and the people there. The time period is about two decades
before the Civil War, and the setting is in St. Petersburg,
Missouri, a small village on the Mississippi River. The main
character in the book is Tom Sawyer, of course. Throughout
the book, the author compares himself to Tom and his
adventures. Tom is all boy, meaning that he is about as
rambunctious and mischievous as a little boy can be. He
despises anything that places restrictions on his boyhood
freedom including school, church, and chores. Not only does
he despise these restrictions, but he also will do anything to
get out of them. For example, he skips school, and he cons
friends into doing his chores for him. While he detests the
restraints of life, he loves the liberating parts of life. He longs
to take advantage of nature and all it has to offer. A quote
from the book that exemplifies Tom Sawyer’s attitude
toward life is when the author reveals his philosophy, “that
work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that
play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” The
other characters in the story revolve around Tom’s
character. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly because of the
death of his mother. She tries to keep Tom in line, but she
struggles because she has such a soft spot in her heart for
Tom. When she does discipline Tom, she feels terrible, and
in a way, she punishes herself. Sidney is Tom’s half brother
who seems to always be making Tom look bad. While Tom
is the so-called bad boy who is always getting into trouble,
Sidney is the good boy who always does what he is told.
However, Tom is presented in a compassionate way, but
Sidney is portrayed as a tattler and a deceiver. He is shown
to be deceitful when he allows Tom to take the blame and
punishment for the broken sugar bowl even though he is the
one who broke it. Tom does not let Sidney get the best of
him because no matter what Sidney says or does, Tom will
always get him back. Huckleberry Finn is Tom’s partner in
crime. Together, they go on adventures that eventually lead
them into dangerous situations. Because of their experience
at being sly and escaping from trouble, they are able to
overcome the danger. They first find themselves in jeopardy
when they decide to go to the cemetery one night. They
become witness to a grave robbery being executed by three
men, Dr. Robinson, Injun Joe, and Muff Potter. A quarrel
takes place between the three men, and Muff Potter is
knocked unconscious. In addition, Injun Joe murders Dr.
Robinson. At first, Tom and Huck vow to keep the event a
secret. They write up a pact that says, “Huck Finn and Tom
Sawyer swears they will keep mum about this and they may
drop down dead in their tracks if they ever tell and rot.”
Once