The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the classic Mark Twain novel about a boy and his adventures. Growing up with his Aunt Polly in a small Missouri town along the Mississippi River in the 1840s, Tom lives for adventure, freedom, and glory. And trouble—his disobedience earns him frequent punishments at home and school. But Tom cares not; he lives for himself, and floats from one activity or desire to the next with little regard for consequences. We follow Tom for a brief period in his life as he runs off with friends (to be pirates, robbers, indians, Robin Hood, or treasure-seekers), skips school, falls in love, invents ingenious ways to turn situations to his advantage, witnesses a murder, and finds a great treasure. Is there any hope for him? Perhaps—intermixed with his typical self-absorptions are several examples of self-sacrificial love.
This was a fun and briskly-paced read. There is a touch of wisdom throughout, but that is not the focus. In the preface, Twain claims that "most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred," and that many of the characters had characteristics based on one (or several) boys Twain knew growing up. The book's stated purpose is "mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls," but his goal was also "to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in." He succeeds; he conveys the child's mindset well, with all its wonders, desires, fears, struggles, hyperbole, and follies. He also shows how 'free' children of the age were, in the sense that they could roam around (and outside of) the town, sometimes for days, without concern. A large part of the book's amusement comes in this portrait of childhood, and part of this in turn involves conveying superstitions. The ones here "touched upon were all prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the period of this story," which fascinated me.
Rating: A-
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