Tom Sawyer Essay, Research Paper

Book Report #4 Ben

The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

By Mark Twain

Mark Twain?s, The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, is a story

told from the eyes of the young Tom Sawyer. The story takes

place in the small rustic town of St. Petersburg Missouri. Tom

Sawyer is the main character of the book. Tom is an

imaginative young man who always seems to be getting into

trouble. Tom is very adventurous, he never passes up a chance

to play pirates, robbers, or soldiers. This book has multiple

themes but the most important is knowing when its right to

talk and tell the truth and when its better to be quiet or lie.

At the beginning of the story Tom is introduced by

climbing in his window after a long night of cavorting with his

friends. Soon after the start of the story Tom meets

Huckleberry Fin. Huck is a local outcast of society who likes to

live by his own terms. Tom and Huck become good friends.

One night the two boys go to the grave yard. While they are

there they witness the murder of the town doctor, Mr.

Robinson. The boys watched as Injun Joe kills the doctor and

frames a drunk by the name of Muff Potter who just happens to

be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The boys swear never

to speak of this again. Soon after this Tom falls in love with his

new neighbor, Becky Thatcher. Eventually the two become

engaged but the engagement falls through when Tom

accidentally mentions his former love while talking with Becky.

The two fued and do not speak. Meanwhile, the whole town is

gossiping of the murder of Dr. Robinson and the prosecution of

Muff Potter. A trail quickly forms and Muff is put on the stand.

Tom knows he can not let the innocent Muff go to jail so as the

trial comes to a close Tom testifies, proving Injun Joe guilty.

This is the climax of the story. After the trial ends, the man

hunt for Injun Joe begins. Tom is treated like a hero, but feels

bad knowing that he broke Huck?s oath. Becky and Tom soon

become friends again after Tom takes Becky?s punishment at

school for being careless with the teachers things. Becky finds

Tom to be very noble. Summer is coming near. Injun Joe is still

at large and Tom and Huck are searching for treasure. While

searching near an old ghost house one night the two boys over

hear Injun Joe talking about some loot that he hid. The boys

are determined to find it . As an end of the year celebration,

Tom?s whole class goes on a picnic and on a cave exploration

near the wood outside of town. While in the caves Tom and

Becky get lost. The whole town searches for them but they are

not found. also in the caves Tom sees Injun Joe snooping

around. This inspires him to find a way out, which he does.

After Tom and Becky are home the caves are sealed, leaving

Injun Joe and his treasure locked inside. Injun Joe dies of

starvation at the gated entrance of the cave and his treasure is

discovered buy Tom and Huck who had found a secret way into

the cave. The boys become the richest men in town. Huck

decides to break away from the outcast life and moves in with a

respectable widow in town. Tom and Huck are happy and rich

and they promise to always stay together.

The main character of the book is Tom Sawyer. Tom is an

imaginative young man. Whenever Tom plays he pretends to be

a pirate or Robin Hood and his friends would be his merry men.

?Just here the blast of a toy tin trumpet came faintly Tom flung

off his shirt using it as a belt sticking in it a rude bow and

arrow and a wooden sword. ?Hold on me merry men! keep hid

till I blow.? (page 59) Tom is also very adventurous and loves

to go hunting for treasure with Huck. ?There comes a time in

every rightly constructed boy?s life when he has a ragging

desire to go somewhere and dig for buried treasure.? (page

151) This feeling suddenly came upon Tom one day. Tom got

Huck and the went to search for treasure by the old abandoned

ghost house. Tom often uses his creative imagination to get out

of punishment from his Aunt Polly. Tom could make up lies like

nobody else. He was very slick. Tom would use his adventures

to escape the havoc of daily life. When Tom had a hard day at

school or a problem with Sid, he would go on a treasure hunt ,

or go play Robin Hood in the woods.

This book is known to have multiple themes but I tried to

connect all of them into one. The presence of truth is the

cornerstone of my theme. I believe it can best be summed up

by a quote from Alexander Jablokov.

?The road to truth is long, and lined the whole way with

annoying bastards.?

Tom has many important decisions to make throughout the

book. It is his truth that saves the life of Muff Potter during his

trial and actually his lie that saves Becky Thatcher from being

whipped(page 134). Tom is made out to be this wild conniving

little cheater at the beginning of the book, but as the story

proceeds Tom begins to mature, tell the truth, show signs of

nobility and charisma, and not be such a naughty little boy.

Tom goes from boy to man in this book. His view of the

importance of truth changes and he understands that in order

to do what is right it wont be easy and that there may be some

hardships along the way.

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