The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Molly Childers In the story of, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Tom's adventures taught him many lessons that prepared him for adulthood and the consequential decisions he would have to face that would save Potter, and his friends because he chose to be unselfish for them, regardless of how it affects him. Thomas Sawyer is the hero of this story because he takes different actions than the antagonist to help others. He starts as a charming, reckless little boy who is full of silly childish pranks and he draws everyone he meets into the fun. Despite these initially consequence-free games, his adventuring starts to get him and his friends into trouble. The biggest threat is the antagonist: Injun Joe, a half-breed …show more content…
"Tom's fearful secret and gnawing conscience disturbed his sleep as much as a week after this," states page 153. His guilty silence towards the false arrest moves him to start helping Muff. As said on page 156, "Every day or two, during this time of sorrow, Tom watched his opportunity and went to the little grated jail-window and smuggled such small comforts through to the "murderer" as he could get hold of." This shows Tom looking for the things that would comfort Muff. Even though nine chapters ago, he treasured and hoarded these very same things. Tom has put Muff's needs above his own because he is emphatic towards other people; a trait Injun Joe wouldn't be caught dead wearing. In conclusion, Tom is very different from Injun Joe. He chooses to take great caution to never hurt anyone else because Tom looks after others, and knows what is wrong, due to his empathetic nature and kindness. Another major difference between the two characters is that Tom is the only one who shows mental growth and maturity. In the beginning, Tom shows the naivete of a child, with his interest in make-believe superstitions. In Chapter 6, Tom and Huck discuss ways to get rid of …show more content…
Tom's whole structure of faith was shaken to its foundations." This shows us how Tom is maturing and molding himself into a powerful, brave, and generous man. One of the biggest acts of selfishness Tom does is on page 237. He chooses to be forgiving and takes responsibility, including punishment, for something Becky did because he wants to demonstrate how much he cares about her despite their fights. The last act of defining maturity is the central climax. In this story, the climax is internal; the trial of Muff Potter is starting so Tom is again struck with guilt and anxiety. He and Huck meet and discuss what they are going to do. Neither boy wants an innocent man to be hanged, but they are still terrified of Injun Joe. They have to decide if they will risk his wrath or stand up for what is right, and save Potter. Tom's lessons throughout the novel prepare him for this final test, and he is again unselfish and determines to save Potter. At the trial, Tom testifies to his true account of what happened in the graveyard. Everyone slowly starts to realize Injun Joe
When Huck and Tom reencounter towards the end of the novel, Twain’s portrayal of each boys’ ideology sparks sharp contrast between practicality and romanticism. Tom is a risk-taker, a divergent thinker, an imaginative boy; exactly Huck’s opposite. Huck is a realist, a hesitant decision-maker, and a submissive boy. When faced with the challenge to free Jim from captivity by the Phelps family, both adventurists come up with a plan and after Huck presents his effective plan to Tom he says “Wouldn’t that plan work?” to which Tom replies, “Work? Why cer’nly, it would work, like rats a fighting.
Tom gives him forty dollars for being such a good prisoner. He is so excited and says that he 's rich; he knew he would be rich again one day because of his hairy arms. Tom suggests that they all go and play around in outfits among the Injuns. Huck says that he would like to but he doesn 't have the money for an outfit. And he doesn 't want to go home to get money because he thinks Pap probably stole it all already. Jim tells him that isn 't possible and Pap isn 't going to be coming around ever again. He tells Huck that the dead man he found covered up was
In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn goes on a journey that results in his moral evolution. Twain uses this main character to show how hanging out with certain people can change one’s morals for the worse or the greater good. Having bad intentions in beginning of his adventure, Huck soon comes to realize what is truly right.
After Huck asks Tom why he tried to free a free slave, and Tom told him about how they’d become heroes and what not, Tom says to himself, “But I reckened it was about as well the way it was”(pg.291). Here, we see that Huck has really become dormant in his own thinking, and seeks to know what others like Tom think. Interestingly, by the end of the novel he has become somewhat submissive and willing to listen to what he is told to do, but still with an overall heightened sense of morality that developed throughout his adventures.
When Tom said he “wanted to resk it” and “tie Jim to the tree for fun,” Huck disliked the idea of disturbing Jim after getting away unnoticed, proving that Tom is more daring than Huck. When everyone in Tom Sawyer 's Gang questioned the purpose behind their plans to rob and murder, Tom replied that “it 's in the books...”, implying that Tom has read multiple books as opposed to Huck who is barely literate. Twain manipulates their characters so that Tom is the more bold, outgoing, and socially-rounded when compared to Huck. However, Twain does not outline all the differences between Tom and Huck for naught. They help highlight special characteristics about Huck that show his character 's positive contribution to the novel. Such characteristics include his kindness and sense of
This early characterization keeps readers interested in Tom and what he will do throughout the novel due to his intriguing early rebellious behavior and personality. To start analyzing Tom’s life one must start with the earliest mention of him as a child, this being a scene of Tom harassing young girls during his own baptism, ignoring those who tell him to stop. This shows early rebellion and an apt for trying societal rules, revealing that he does not care about the outcome of any situation as long as he is enjoying himself. This is backed up later in his life when Tom gets into a fight at a bar and ultimately kills a man, resulting in him going to jail for multiple years, in which he does not break maintaining sanity revealing his aptitude and strength in his ways of leading his life. This philosophy would follow him through his life, ultimately starting to take a new shape when he would later meet again with the preacher who baptized him, Jim
However his teasing and care-free nature shows how he has little care for those around him, rather only focusing on how he will benefit from the experience. This can be seen when Huck proposes an easier way to get Jim out of Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally’s shed. Tom chastises Huck by saying, ‘Oh, shucks, Huck Finn, if I was as ignorant as you, I’d keep still – that’s what I’d do. Who ever heard of a state prisoner escaping by a hickry – bark ladder? Why, it’s perfectly ridiculous’ (pg 254). This shows both Tom’s tendency to complicate simple things in order to follow the “rules” of adventure, as well as how careless he is of other people and his dominating nature. Tom is so self-absorbed in his own world that he does not realize how cruel he is being to Huck and everybody
The link within the two traits shows character development. Throughout, Huck struggled with the idea of freeing a slave, riding along the fence between what was right and what was wrong. It is not until the climax of the story when he declares, "All right then, I 'll go to hell," (Twain 201) that signifies the pinnacle changing point within himself. After seeing how people such as his best friend, Tom, the Grangerfords, and the duke and dauphin treat others in society makes Huck despise what the world has come to. His gut feeling seems more logical or realistic to him than the hypocrisy engulfed around him. Unlike Tom, Finn cuts ties off with the rest of the people to save his new ally, Jim. "Once he has plunged into his fantasy, Tom 's reasoning and behavior are the reductio ad absurdum of the adult precepts and practices- the best authorities- that have stamped him" (Gibb 181). While Tom has authority over Huck, he has no distinction between his imagination and reality. His absurdity of role playing shows a large contrast between Sawyer 's and Finn 's personalities. "He told me what is was, and I see in a minute it was worth fifteen of mine, for style, and would make Jim just as free a man as mine would, and maybe get us all killed besides," (Twain 216) shows the simplicity versus the complexity of freeing Jim. Tom does not understand the
Tom wants to do this simply because he hates African American people, especially slaves. When Tom finally sees Huck again at the Phelps’ farm, Tom decides to help Huck free Jim, which is shocking. This makes readers think he has changed, but when Tom complicates the plan, it shows readers that he is just seeking adventure and is doing this for fun. Huck wants to just go through the door, but Tom says, “We’ll dig him out. It’ll take about a week!”(Twain 236).
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, our protagonist, Tom significantly matures into an adult over the course of the book. The reader, throughout this 230 page story, observes Tom develop from a reckless boy full of mischief, being “Full of the old Scratch”(Twain2), to a young man who understands the need to be a positive part of society. His actions throughout the book, tricking children to whitewash a fence for him, testifying against Injun Joe, and persuading Huck to stay with the Widow Douglas demonstrate this, and these particular examples are some of the larger turning points in the progression of his development from a child to an adult. From these events we see Tom retain a more insightful, compassionate, and obedient conscience.
Have you ever liked a movie more than the book it was based on? A book being made into a movie is sometimes stressful when it could be a total hit or a total flop. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer book by Mark Twain was a captivating book with details that molded well together. A movie was made in 1938 off of the book and I favored it over the book. The movie did leave me unsatisfied with its loss of an important scene that can cause confusion. Yet, the fast paced action scenes left me feeling enthralled and hooked. Adding on to that, the main character’s personality stayed true to the book without a feeling that something is missing. The movie, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is far more exciting and appealing because of its heart racing action and true characters that keep the audience glued to the screen.
Tom Sawyer is an adventurous boy, a mischievous boy, a kindhearted boy, and a static character. Twain created Tom as a boy. He did not include any evidence for the reader to conclude that Tom has matured, or grown up, over the course of the story. Isn't The Adventures of Tom Sawyer a book about the nostalgia and greatness of childhood? If Twain was concerned about the growth of Tom and included it in the book, then would the story be as enjoyed? Would it still do its job, that is, making the reader miss the great days of their youth?
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are two close friends, but are also very different from each other. While one lives in a well-respected family, the other is abandoned out onto the streets. While one boy is liked by almost everyone in the community, the other is looked down on by society. The only similarities the two companions have together are their bravery and courageousness, their strong belief in superstition, and their love of adventure. Despite their many differences, both boys know when to make the right decision, and both value friendship above all.
Tom Sawyer, the main character of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, written by Mark Twain, is an average boy who is bored with his civilized life and escapes these constraints by pulling pranks. The character, Tom is presented as a realistic and convincing boy. He is kind and loving, but also cruel, stupid, and hypocritical. As the story progresses, Tom shows signs of maturity. The story of Tom Sawyer, as well as TOM being about a realistic character, is a story that is instructive to adults and children.
How Thomas Hardy Controls the Reader's Response to Donald Farfrae in The Mayor of Casterbridge