What is said in the story of the adventures of Tom Sawyer. Review of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

The work of the famous American publicist and writer Mark Twain about the adventures of two boys is still the most loved and read all over the world. And not only a favorite work for boys, but also for adults who remember their mischievous childhood. This is the story of young America, the romanticism of which touches the boys of the whole world to this day.

History of writing "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

The first work in the series of adventures of American boys was published in 1876, the author at that time was just over 30 years old. Obviously, this played a role in the brightness of the images of the book. America at the end of the 19th century had not yet got rid of slavery, half of the continent was "Indian territory", and the boys remained boys. According to many testimonies, Mark Twain described himself in the volume, not only his real self, but also all his dreams of adventure. Feelings and emotions are described real, which worried the boy of that time, and which continue to excite the boys today.

The main characters are two friends, Tom, who is brought up by his own lonely aunt, and Huck, a city homeless child. Inseparable in their fantasies and adventures, both boys are typical images, but Tom Sawyer remains the main character. He has a younger brother, more rational and obedient, has school friends, boyish love - Becky. And like any boy, the main events in life are associated with a thirst for adventure and first love. An ineradicable thirst constantly involves Tom and Huck in dangerous adventures, some of which, of course, are invented by the author, some are real events. In such as running away from home or going to the cemetery at night, it is easy to believe. And these adventures, interspersed with descriptions of ordinary boyish everyday life, ordinary pranks, joys and annoyances, become reality thanks to the genius of the author. The description of the life of Americans at that time is impressive. What is lost in the modern world is democracy and the spirit of freedom.

Chronicle of Young America (plot and main idea)

A town on the banks of the Mississippi, in which the inhabitants mixed into a single society, regardless of property, racial and even age differences. Negro Jim, enslaved by Aunt Polly, half-breed Injun Joe, Judge Thatcher and his daughter Becky, homeless child Huck and mischievous Tom, Dr. Robenson and undertaker Potter. Tom's life is described with such humor and such naturalness that the reader forgets in which country it takes place, as if he remembers what happened to himself.

The boy Tom Sawyer, along with his younger brother, who is clearly more positive than him, is brought up by an old aunt after the death of his mother. He goes to school, plays in the street, fights, makes friends and falls in love with a beautiful peer, Becky. One day, they met their old friend Huckleberry Fin on the streets, with whom they had a deep debate about ways to reduce warts. Huck told a fresh method of mixing with a dead cat, but it is necessary to visit the cemetery at night. From this began all the significant adventures of these two tomboys. Previous conflicts with my aunt, entrepreneurial ideas about getting a bonus bible in Sunday school, whitewashing the fence as a punishment for disobedience, which Tom successfully transformed into personal success, fade into the background. Everything but the love for Becky.

Having witnessed a fight and a murder, the two boys have long doubted the need to bring everything they saw to the judgment of adults. Only sincere pity for the old drunkard Potter and a sense of universal justice make Tom speak at the trial. Thus, he saved the life of the accused and put his own life in mortal danger. Revenge of Injun Joe is a very real threat to the boy, even under the protection of the law. Meanwhile, Tom and Becky's romance has taken a turn for the worse, and this has taken him away from everything else for a long time. He suffered. It was finally decided to run away from home from unhappy love and become a pirate. It is good that there is such a friend as Huck, who agrees to support any adventure. They were joined by a school friend - Joe.

The adventure ended as it should have. Tom's heart and Huck's rationality forced them to return to the town from the island on the river, after they realized that the whole city was looking for them. The boys returned just in time for their own funeral. The joy of the adults was so great that the boys were not even given a beating. Several days of adventure brightened the life of the boys with the memories of the author himself. After that, Tom was sick, and Becky left for a long time and far away.

Before the start of the school year, Judge Thatcher hosted a lavish party for the kids to celebrate the birthday of her returning daughter. A boat trip on the river, a picnic and a visit to the caves, even modern children could dream of. This is where Tom's new adventure begins. After reconciling with Becky, the two of them run away from the company during a picnic and hide in a cave. They got lost in the passages and grottoes, the torch that illuminated their path burned out, and there were no provisions with them. Tom behaved courageously, this showed all his enterprise and responsibility of a growing man. Quite by chance, they stumbled upon Injun Joe, hiding the stolen money. After wandering around the cave, Tom finds a way out. The children returned home to the joy of their parents.

The secret seen in the cave does not give rest, Tom tells Huck everything, and they decide to check the treasure of the Indian. The boys go to the cave. After Tom and Becky got out of the maze safely, the city council decided to close the entrance to the cave. This became fatal for the mestizo, he died in a cave from hunger and thirst. Tom and Huck endured a fortune. Since the treasure did not belong to anyone in particular, two boys became its owners. Huck received the patronage of the widow Douglas, falling under her care. Tom is also rich now. But Huck could endure the “social” life for no more than three weeks, and Tom, who met him on the shore at the barrel hut, frankly declared that no wealth could keep him from the career of a “noble robber”. The romanticism of the two friends was not yet crushed by the "golden calf" and the conventions of society.

Main characters and their characters

All the main characters of the story are the thoughts and feelings of the author, his memories of childhood, his sense of that very American dream and universal values. When Huck complained that he could not live in idleness, Tom answered him uncertainly: “But everyone lives like that, Huck.” In these boys, Mark Twain writes out his attitude to human values, to the value of freedom and understanding between people. Huck, who has seen more bad things, shares with Tom: “It just makes you feel ashamed of all people,” when he talks about the insincerity of relations in high society. Against the romantic background of the story about childhood, written with good humor, the writer clearly outlines all the best qualities of a little man, and the hope that these qualities will be preserved for life.

A boy who is brought up without a mother and father. What happened to his parents, the author does not reveal. According to the story, it seems that Tom received all his best qualities on the street and at school. Attempts by Aunt Poly to instill in him elementary stereotypes of behavior cannot be crowned with success. Tom is the perfect boy and a tomboy in the eyes of boys all over the world. On the one hand, this is hyperbole, but on the other hand, having real prototypes, Tom really carries all the best that a growing man can carry in himself. He is bold, with a heightened sense of justice. In many episodes, it is these qualities that he shows in difficult life situations. Another feature that cannot affect the feelings of an American. It's resourcefulness and enterprise. It remains only to remember the story of whitewashing the fence, which is also a far-reaching project. Burdened with various boyish prejudices, Tom looks like a completely ordinary boy, which captivates the reader. Everyone sees in him a small reflection of himself.

A homeless child with a living father. The drunkard appears in the story only in conversations, but this already somehow characterizes the living conditions of this little boy. Tom's constant friend and faithful companion in all adventures. And if Tom is a romantic and a leader in this company, then Huck is a sober mind and life experience, which is also necessary in this tandem. An attentive reader has the opinion that Huck is registered by the author as the other side of the medal of a growing person, a citizen of America. The personality is divided into two types - Tom and Huck, which are inseparable. In subsequent stories, the character of Huck will be revealed more fully, and often, in the soul of the reader, these two images are mixed and always receive sympathy.

Becky, Aunt Polly, Negro Jim and half-breed Injun Joe

These are all people, in communication with which all the best in the character of the protagonist is manifested. Tender love in a girl of the same age and real care for her in moments of danger. A respectful, if sometimes ironic, attitude towards an aunt who spends all her strength to raise Tom as a real respectable citizen. The Negro slave, which is an indicator of the then America and the attitude towards slavery of the entire progressive public, because Tom is friends with him, justifiably considering him equal. The author's attitude to Injun Joe, and hence Tom, is far from unambiguous. The romance of the Indian world at that time was not yet so idealized. But the inner pity for the half-breed who died of starvation in the cave characterizes not only the boy. The realities of the Wild West are seen in this image, a cunning and cruel half-breed takes revenge on all whites with his life. He is trying to survive in this world, and society allows him to do so. We do not see that deep condemnation, which it would seem should have been for a thief and a murderer.

Continuation of the epic adventure

In the future, Mark Twain wrote several more stories about Tom and his friend Huck. The author grew up along with his characters, and America changed. And already in subsequent stories there was no that romantic recklessness, but more and more bitter truth of life appeared. But even in these realities, both Tom, and Huck, and Becky retained their best qualities, received by them in childhood on the banks of the Mississippi in a small town with a distant name of the Russian capital - St. Petersburg. You don’t want to part with these heroes, and they remain ideals in the hearts of the boys of that era.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a wonderful book, magical, mysterious. It is beautiful above all in its depth. Everyone at any age can find something of their own in it: a child - a fascinating story, an adult - the sparkling humor of Mark Twain and memories of childhood. The protagonist of the novel during each reading of the work appears in a new light, i.e. Tom Sawyer's characterization is always different, always fresh.

Tom Sawyer is an ordinary child

It is unlikely that Thomas Sawyer can be called a bully, rather he is a mischievous one. And, more importantly, he has the time and opportunity to do everything. He lives with an aunt who, although she tries to keep him strict, is not good at it. Yes, Tom is punished, but despite this, he lives quite well.

He is quick-witted, resourceful, like almost every child of his age (about 11-12 years old), one has only to remember the story of the fence, when Tom convinced all the children in the district that work is a sacred right and privilege, and not a heavy burden.

This characterization of Tom Sawyer gives him a person who is not very bad. Further, the personality of the most famous inventor and mischief-maker will be revealed with more and more new facets.

Friendship, love and nobility are not alien to Tom Sawyer

Another virtue of Sawyer - the ability to love and sacrifice - appears before the reader in all its glory when the boy discovers that he loves. For her sake, he even makes a sacrifice: he exposes his body to the blows of the teacher's rods for her misconduct. After all, this is a wonderful characteristic of Tom Sawyer, which highlights the sublime attitude towards the lady of the heart.

Tom Sawyer has a conscience. He and Huck witnessed the murder, and even despite the far from illusory danger to their lives, the boys decided to help the police and rescue the poor fellow Meff Potter from prison. The act on their part is not only noble, but also courageous.

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as a confrontation between the world of childhood and the world of adulthood

Why is Tom like this? Because he is relatively good. Tom, though difficult, is a beloved child, and he knows it. Therefore, almost all the time he lives in the world of childhood, in the world of dreams and fantasies, only occasionally looking out into reality. The characterization of Tom Sawyer in this sense is no different from that of any other prosperous teenager. Such a conclusion can only be drawn if we compare the two images - For Sawyer, fantasy is like the air he breathes. Tom is full of hope. There are almost no disappointments in him, so he believes in imaginary worlds and in imaginary people.

Gek is completely different. He has a lot of problems, no parents. Rather, there is an alcoholic father, but it would be better if he did not exist. Father for Huck is a source of constant anxiety. His parent, of course, disappeared several years ago, but it is known for certain that he did not die, which means that he can appear in the city at any moment and begin to bully his unfortunate son again.

For Huck, fantasy is an opium, thanks to which life can still be somehow endured, but an adult cannot live in a world of illusions all the time (and Finn is just like that).

Sawyer is even a little sorry, because he does not know how things really are. His world is without tragedy, while Huck's existence is a constant struggle. Just like an ordinary adult: he comes out of the world of childhood and realizes that he was deceived. Thus, another characteristic of Tom Sawyer is ready.

How could Tom be an adult?

A tempting question for all those who have read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But it seems that the story about the boys does not say anything about their adult lives for nothing. There can be at least two reasons for this: either there will be nothing remarkable in these lives, or for someone, life will not bring pleasant surprises further. And all this can be.

What will Tom Sawyer be like? The characteristic may be as follows: in the future he is an ordinary, ordinary person without special life achievements. His childhood is full of various adventures, but by and large they always happened in some comfort zone, and this allowed Tom to constantly fabricate fantasies.

Gek is a different story. At the end of the adventure, Finn leaves the bourgeois world, where satiety and morality reign, into the world of the streets, where freedom reigns, in his opinion. The tramp boy does not tolerate limits. But it is impossible to live forever outside the framework and breathe only the air of freedom, because any life needs one form or another. If a single vessel (man) is not limited, then it will break out, destroying the vessel itself. Simply put, if Huck does not choose a certain value system for himself, he may well become drunk and die under the fence, like his father, or disappear in a drunken brawl. Adult life is not as bright as the life of a child, which is a pity.

On this not too joyful note, Tom Sawyer says goodbye to us. The characterization of the hero ends here.

Mark Twain's story "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" tells about a 12-year-old boy with a very mischievous character. Tom lives in England with his old but very beloved Aunt Polly.

She often punishes him, does not allow him to do many things, tries to trace all his actions. He does not listen to her in many ways, he does everything in his own way. His brother Sid is considered a smart and good boy, and Tom is an arrogant and irresponsible bully. Despite all this, when Tom pretends to die, the aunt almost goes crazy, because she loves him and is afraid of losing him. But when Tom runs away from home, he worries about his family, although they often scolded and beat him.

The boy returns home and hears a lot of good things about himself and about all the friends who ran away together with Jack London. When the aunt goes to bed, he kisses her and leaves. some time
later, Tom and his friends can't stand the amount of freedom and return Home. Everyone is happy there, and Tom tells his aunt as if he had a prophetic dream. Auntie is glad that at least in a dream he remembered her, but the truth is revealed very soon. In this story, the author describes the life of a simple mischievous boy.

Tom falls in love with Betty, and it takes him a long time to prove his love. Betty also loves Tom, but she hides it very carefully. The book describes many fights in which Tom considers himself the strongest. This shows his arrogance. I believe that the story gives an example of a bully boy who, for all his irresponsibility, can find a way out in various difficult situations.

Thomas "Tom" Sawyer gets into trouble every now and then. Going in search of a treasure, Tom sees with his own eyes how a murder is being committed. Subsequently, he helps the authorities expose the perpetrator. He runs away from home and lives on a deserted island. He "walks" at his own funeral. For three days and three nights, hungry Sawyer wanders through the cave and finds a way out only thanks to his inexhaustible optimism ...

Sawyer is the protagonist of Mark Twain's 1876 novel Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Sawyer also appears in three other Twain novels: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894), and Tom Sawyer the Detective ( "Tom Sawyer, Detective") 1896.

Sawyer is involved in at least three of Twain's unfinished works: Huck and Tom Among the Indians, Schoolhouse Hill, and The Tom Sawyer Conspiracy ( "Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy"). All three of these works were published after the writer's death, but only in "The Conspiracy of Tom Sawyer" the plot is fully stated. Sawyer renounced the other two books, writing only a couple of chapters for each of them.

The literary character probably got his name in honor of the real-life Tom Sawyer, a cheerful and prominent firefighter whom Twain met in San Francisco (San Francisco, California), where the writer worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Call newspaper. Twain listened to Fireman Sawyer's amusing stories of his youth with great interest, and from time to time wrote something down in his notebook. Sawyer stated that one day Twain approached him and said that he was going to tell about the days of Sawyer's life in his book. The fireman agreed, but only on the condition that his name would not be tarnished on the pages of the novel.

Twain admitted that he created the image of the character by putting together the characters of three people. The other two were John B. Briggs, who died in 1907, and William Bowen, who died in 1893. As the third real image, Twain chose himself. Then, even later, the writer changed his "testimony", and claimed that Tom Sawyer was completely a figment of his imagination. To this attack, Robert Graysmith said that Twain, the great appropriator, simply liked to pretend that his characters flowed entirely from his rich imagination.

Be that as it may, on the pages of the novels, Tom appears full of energy and wit as a boy who has just begun to follow the path of adolescence. The enterprising Sawyer was left an orphan, and his aunt Polly, a stern and prim Christian, is engaged in his upbringing. Polly - the sister of Tom's late mother - studied the Holy Scriptures, in which she found that not punishing a child and "spare the rod" means deliberately spoiling his character. Aunt Tom was also raised by his half-brother Sid and cousin Mary. Pretending to be a good boy, Sid is ready to inform on Tom in any case, while Mary is distinguished by kindness and patience. Nothing is mentioned about Sawyer's father. However, Tom has another aunt, Sally Phelps, who lives in Pikesville.

From Twain's novels, it turns out that Sawyer's best friends are Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the writer reveals that Tom is passionately in love with his classmate Rebecca "Becky" Thatcher. Twain endows his hero, a carefree boy with freckles and pants on the shoulder, with a penchant for adventure and adventure. Sawyer, like most tomboys, does not want to go sour in school at all, but craves romance - craves to show the reader how wonderful childhood was in the middle of the 19th century.

Tom Sawyer is a restless, funny boy who does not like to obey adults and dreams of becoming as free as his familiar homeless Huckleberry Finn. Consider briefly the characteristics of Tom Sawyer - the hero from the book of Mark Twain.

Tom Sawyer has more than enough energy. He always comes up with something interesting, his wit and enterprise seem like genius for the age of twelve. Tom is an orphan, and Aunt Polly is raising the boy. She cannot be called evil, she is generally good and kind, but she is guided by the principle from the Bible, which speaks of proper punishment for a child. Therefore, Aunt Polly considers it her duty to punish the pupil.

Although we are talking about the characterization of Tom Sawyer, it is worth mentioning that in the upbringing of Aunt Polly, the good boy and terrible sneak Siddy is Tom Sawyer's half-brother, and the sweet and patient girl Mary, who was Tom's cousin, lives with them. It is clear that Siddi is the opposite of Tom, they are so different in their characters and views on how to live. Therefore, Siddy likes to talk, and Tom is not averse to hacking.

What is told in the book about Tom Sawyer

For example, once Tom accidentally acted as a witness to a murder and even managed to expose the criminal. Then he got engaged to a girl from his class, ran away from home with the goal of starting to live on a distant island where there is no one. Tom Sawyer attended his funeral, and once he got lost, got into a cave, but was able to find a way out in time. He also found a treasure. All these adventures show what a characteristic of Tom Sawyer is.

If you look at the purpose of the book, you can see that the image of Tom Sawyer represents the carefree and wonderful childhood of the guys in the middle of the 19th century.

A bright episode characterizing Tom

The characterization of Tom Sawyer is revealed very well at the very beginning of the story. Consider one episode from his life.

One day, instead of going to school, Tom decided to take a swim. Aunt Polly found out about these tricks and roughly punished her pupil - Tom should have whitewashed the long fence. But this is half the trouble. I had to do whitewashing in the midst of Saturday - a day off! The guys were playing merrily at that time, and Tom already imagined how they would laugh at him, seeing their friend at a tedious job.

Tom Sawyer did not lose his head, he made a cunning plan. There were many useful things in his pockets, for example, a dead rat with a rope (for greater convenience, unwind it in the air) or a key that could not open anything. But is it possible to buy at least a little bit of freedom for these "jewels"? The boy Ben came up to Tom, obviously with the aim of getting behind. And then the characterization of Tom Sawyer was revealed in all its glory. What did Tom think?

Our sly one told Ben that painting the fence is his favorite thing, and therefore he is happy to do it. Ben at first began to tease, but Tom asked in surprise what kind of work Ben thought was good, and then announced to him that Aunt Polly had barely agreed to entrust this responsibility of whitewashing the fence to Tom. Tom's idea and his plan turned out to be correct, because soon not only the rogue Ben, but also others begged Tom to let them work on the whitewash...

Tom made an important conclusion, and so did we: when a job, even if it is difficult and tedious, is not paid, it becomes not a job, but a hobby, and it is interesting to do it. But as soon as they start paying for it, the hobby turns into work, and this is already boring.

You have learned what the characteristic of Tom Sawyer is, what kind of character he is and what we can learn from him. Be sure to read about his adventures.