Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer

Growing up in a small community can be hard, I won’t be the only on to tell you that, but living in one in the 1800’s was tougher. This is especially true when there’s a murdering robber who wants revenge lurking about. But it’s got its good qualities too, I mean, there’s the picnics and the adventures and everybody knows everybody so no ones threatening anybody with their strange presence. This is why The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain display such a realistic life; it portrays both the Good and Evil in a little society.

There’s Evil in a small town? Isn’t that impossible? Amazingly enough, no, it’s not. A prime example of it comes straight from the book in the character Injun Joe. When we first meet Injun Joe, he’s taking part in the despicable crime of grave robbing. That’s bad enough, but he adds on to his sins with a more heinous act; murder. If you still don’t believe that’s Evil, then maybe his last two extensions are. He starts with a bout of robbery and tallies it all up with a threat to an old woman named Widow Douglas. So you see there is such a thing as iniquity in a place like Tom’s home town.

But like I said, you also have some good no matter where you go, and this is especially true in the book, too. If you still want to find me at fault, just ask Huck Finn, he’d back me up anytime. See, poor Huck, though unwanted by the city adults, was worshipped by all the local boys and cherished by a few elders here and there. But there was no elder more loving towards him than Widow Douglas, especially after he saved her from Injun Joe’s wrath. She bestowed upon him the kindest, most generous gift she could think of, and that was the right to call her Mother. You can’t disagree with me now, if a drunkard’s son can become the child of a respected family, then there’s got to be some humanity in the town, too.

That’s all just a story though, right? Nothing like that happens in real life, does it? I beg to differ, and after I support my claim, you probably will, too? It’s right here in the town I grew up in, all of it. Our community’s Evil struck when I was little, a mad drunk stormed through a bar and shot and killed three people.