THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

It is very difficult for Tom to be well-behaved and do his schoowork. He is always looking for more exciting ways to spend his time. In their search for adventure, Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn run away to live on an island, look for buried treasure and track down some real robbers!

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

JOHANA GUTIÉRREZ LÓPEZ 2º Bach

CHARACTERS

TOM SAWYER

The novel’s protagonist. Tom is a boy with an active imagination who spends most of the time getting himself, and his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite his mischief, Tom has a good heart and a strong moral conscience. As the novel progresses, he begins to take more seriously the responsibilities of his role as a leader among his schoolfellows.

AUNT POLLY

Tom’s aunt. Aunt Polly is a simple, kindhearted woman who struggles to balance her love for her nephew with her duty to discipline him. She generally fails in her attempts to keep Tom under control because, although she worries about Tom’s safety, she seems to fear constraining him too much.

HUCKLEBERRY FINN

The son of the town drunk. Huck is a juvenile outcast who is shunned by respectable society and adored by the local boys, who envy his freedom. Like Tom, Huck is highly superstitious, and both boys are always ready for an adventure. Huck gradually replaces Tom’s friend Joe Harper.

BECKY THATCHER

Judge Thatcher’s pretty daughter. From almost the minute she moves to town, Becky is the “Adored Unknown” who stirs Tom’s lively romantic sensibility. Naïve at first, Becky soon matches Tom as a romantic strategist, and the two go to great lengths to make each other jealous.

JOE HARPER

Tom’s friend. Joe is a typical best friend.Though Joe mostly mirrors Tom, he diverges from Tom’s example when he is the first of the boys to succumb to homesickness on Jackson’s Island. As the novel progresses, Huck begins to assume Joe’s place as Tom’s companion.

SID

Tom’s half-brother. Sid is a goody-goody who enjoys getting Tom into trouble. He is mean-spirited but presents a superficial show of model behavior. He is thus the opposite of Tom, who is warmhearted but behaves badly.

INJUN JOE

A violent, villainous man who commits murder, becomes a robber, and plans to mutilate the Widow Douglas. Injun Joe’s predominant motivation is revenge. Half Native American and half Caucasian, he has suffered social exclusion, probably because of his race.

MUFF POTTER

A hapless drunk and friend of Injun Joe. Potter is kind and grateful toward Tom and Huck, who bring him presents after he is wrongly jailed for Dr. Robinson’s murder. Potter’s naïve trust eventually pushes Tom’s conscience to the breaking point, compelling Tom to tell the truth at Potter’s trial about who actually committed the murder.

DR. ROBINSON

A respected local physician. Dr. Robinson shows his more sordid side on the night of his murder: he hires Injun Joe and Muff Potter to dig up Hoss Williams’s grave because he wants to use the corpse for medical experiments.

JUDGE THATCHER

Becky’s father, the county judge. A local celebrity, Judge Thatcher inspires the respect of all the townspeople. He takes responsibility for issues affecting the community as a whole, such as closing the cave for safety reasons and taking charge of the boys’ treasure money.

WHAT IS THE STORY ABOUT?

Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and Sid, in St. Petersburg, Missouri. After dirtying his clothes in a fight, Tom is made to paint the fence as punishment. He persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. Tom falls in love with Becky Thatcher and persuades her to get “engaged” to him. Their romance ends when she learns that Tom has been “engaged” before—to Amy Lawrence. Then, Tom and Huckleberry Finn go to the graveyard at night and they see the murder of Dr. Robinson. It actually is Injun Joe, although he blames his friend, Muff Potter, for the crime. Tom, Huck, and Joe Harper run away to an island to become pirates, but the boys become aware that the community is looking the river for their bodies. Tom is struck by the idea of appearing at his funeral and surprising everyone so he persuades Joe and Huck to do the same. When they return, they become the envy and admiration of all their friends.

Summer arrives, and Tom and Huck go hunting for buried treasure in a haunted house. By a hole in the floor, they see Injun Joe enter the house. He and his companion, plan to bury some stolen treasure of their own. By an amazing coincidence, Injun Joe and the man find a buried box of gold themselves. Huck follows Injun Joe watching for an opportunity to nab the gold. Meanwhile, Tom goes on a picnic with Becky and their classmates. That same night, Huck sees Injun Joe and his partner making off with a box. He follows and overhears their plans to attack the Widow Douglas. By running to fetch help, Huck forestalls the violence and becomes an anonymous hero. Tom and Becky get lost in the cave, the horror of the situation increases when Tom, looking for a way out of the cave, happens upon Injun Joe, who is hidden at the cave. Finally, Tom finds a way out and Judge Thatcher locks up the cave. Injun Joe, trapped inside, starves to death. A week later, Tom and Huck go to the cave and they find the box of gold, the proceeds of which are invested for them. Besides, the Widow Douglas adopts Huck.

THE STORY TAKES PLACE IN

The story takes place in the imaginary town of St Petersburg, on the banks of the Mississippi River, in the United States of America in the 1840s.

PERSONAL OPINION

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a great book to read for anyone who loves classic stories. If you don't like it, it is not because is not a good book. It may be the childish plot. The novel clearly describes the desire of children of freedom, as well as their behavior. We immediately identify with them and we remember our childhood, happy and comfortable.