Tom S Essay, Research Paper

I. Introduction A. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain B. This type of book is realistic fiction. C. The main character is Thomas Sawyer, a twelve year old boy, whose parents are dead. Tom lives with his aunt, Polly. Tom is busy either making trouble or thinking up new schemes. Another character is Huckelberry Finn, hated by all mothers and loved by all children. Tom is friends with Huck and they share many adventures together. Becky Thatcher, the daughter of a judge, who likes Tom but sometimes fights with him. Injun Joe is an indian who kills someone named Dr. Robinson and makes everyone believe that the real killer is a man named Muff Potter. Mr. Potter, a nice man, helps Tom and Huck to fish and fly kites. D. This story takes place in St. Petersburg, Missouri, in the mid-1800’s. E. The main problem in this story is the many ways which Tom tries to avoid Injun Joe because as a witness to the murder of Dr. Robinson, Injun Joe is trying to kill Tom. Poor Tom also has to deal with being punished on a Saturday when he could be out playing. The last problem is how Becky and Tom will escape from a cave. II. Tom, Sid, Tom’ half brother, and Tom’s Aunt Polly were sitting down at the table eating supper. Aunt Polly asked Tom questions hinting that she suspected him of playing hooky and going swimming instead of going to school. Aunt Polly gave up but then Sid pointed out that Tom had a different color thread than the one Aunt Polly sewed on Tom’s collar. Tom’s punishment was to whitewash the fence, but Tom wanted to go out and play. Tom used reverse psychology to make his friends think that whitewashing was an honor and they even gave him trinkets for the honor of whitewashing the fence. At school, Tom meets a new girl, Becky Thatcher, daughter of Judge Thatcher. Becky and Tom both like each other but Tom mentioned that he was engaged to Amy, and Becky hated him for it. Tom and his friend Huck go to the cemetery with a dead cat, a supposed wart cure. While at the cemetery they see Injun Joe kill Dr. Robinson while blaming Muff Potter. Both Tom and Huck swear to themselves that they will not say a thing about the murder. One day when looking for treasures in a haunted house, Tom and Huck overhear Injun Joe talking with another man about finding treasures. Tom and Huck decide to track the men in order to find the treasures which the men hide in “the number 2″. Becky invites Tom to a picnic and they both end up getting lost inside a cave. Finally they find an opening in the cave and slip out without Injun Joe, who was there, realizing that Tom and Becky were there too. Becky’s father decides to seal the cave so that no one will get lost in there. Tom asks that Judge Thatcher open the cave and they find Injun Joe’s dead body. Tom returns to the cave with Huck and they notice a number 2 printed on the wall, the mark of the hidden treasure. Tom and Huck find the treasures under a big rock and bring their wealth back with them from the cave. III. A. My favorite character is Huck Finn because he is so free and doesn’t worry about school or parents. He has the freedom to pick up Tom in the middle of the night and not worry about being caught. While the other children in the book are at school, Huck is relaxing and probably smoking without being criticized or punished for doing it. IV. I enjoyed reading this book because it has many ideas and adventures that I can easily relate to. This book was not hard to follow but it did have some challenging vocabulary words. V. I would rate this book, on a scale of 1 – 5, a 4. I would recommend this book because it was put together nicely and well written. Mark Twain is a fine writer who writes interestingly, using metaphors, similes, etc. VI. 1. vise – noun, a two jawed instrument which holds things steady while they are being worked on. 2. zephyr – noun, the west wind named after the ancient Greek god, Zephyrs; or any gentle breeze. 3. clandestinely – adverb, secretly. 4. conflagration – noun, a great destructive fire. 5. vivacity – noun, liveliness and animation. VII. 1. At the beginning of the book I would agree with Twain’s description of the story as a “hymn to boyhood”. The book warmly tells the story of childhood, especially boyhood. Although as the book progresses we see more and more of Tom as a boy becoming a man, maturing as all boys eventually do.