Archetypes In The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

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In Chapter two of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the main character, Tom Sawyer, is shown to be more than just a typical boy. The Author, Mark Twain, applies detailed imagery to create an archetypal hero. An archetype is a character shown as the model boy, girl, American, etc. During the story, Twain depicts a glorious Saturday morning full of sunshine and life. The description causes the reader to picture a faultless paradise. He opens with: Saturday morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young the music issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The locust-trees were in bloom and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air. …show more content…

Tom appears on the sidewalk armed with his whitewashing equipment, extremely low in spirit. For what boy wouldn’t be downhearted and melancholy at having to work while the rest on of the world is free to frolic in the sunshine. Applying his genius, Tom puts his plan to turn this utterly hopeless situation into a hopeful one into action by playing on human nature. In the story there is a scenario including Tom and one of the local town boys, Ben: “Like it? Well, I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth—stepped back to note the effect—added a touch here and there- criticized the effect again—Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said: “Say, Tom, let ME whitewash a little.” Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind:

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