Tom Sawyer Character Analysis

Although loved by many, Tom Sawyer is the most selfish character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This could be the opinion of many people if it wasn’t for adult characters such as the Duke, the Dauphin, and Pap Finn; Tom Sawyer is a young boy, therefore, his antics are seen as comical and there is less resentment towards his character. The character of Tom Sawyer is extremely egocentric and selfish because he displays blatant disregard for the practical way to make plans in life-or-death situations, doesn’t understand the gravity of murder and robbery, and he will do anything, no matter how crazy or impractical, to make himself seem like a hero.

Tom throughout the story displays many characteristics including the previously discussed, but the most noticeable and important is his adventurous nature. Toms sense of adventure is what drives the story forward more times to count. The audience gets the first taste of Tom's adventurous nature is when Tom accompanies Huck to the graveyard where they encounter the villain of the novel, Injun Joe, killing a man. This demonstrates that Tom's adventures also are the cause for most of the novels conflicts, even if he doesn’t see it. Another adventure, or misadventure, is the trip to the island that Huck, Tom, and Joe take to be “pretend” pirates. This is where Tom, demonstrates his wide imagination (and, as previously

A boring lifestyle is never appealing to an imaginative child. In Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Tom is a young child who dreams of an exciting and adventurous life outside his small town. Although while his dreams become more and more ambitious so does his reality. The sudden change in events soon begin to change Tom’s life. As Tom’s small town attracts a criminal everything Tom wishes for begins to come true only in a corrupt way that he never imagined. With all new to keep up with Tom is forced to mature and develop as a character along with those around by leaving behind his childish games and accepting reality. Twain uses character development in Tom and Huck Finn to create unique and special characters.

When talking about Tom being shot, he states, “He had a dream,” I says, “and it shot him” (Twain 277). The climax of the novel is when Huck says he will go to hell in order to save Jim. They show the true meaning of friendship as Tom sacrifices his body as well as what Huck says. It is ironic how Tom and Huck were doing what is right, but, are shot because of how stupid racism was. It is also cool how Huck seems so calm under pressure. He tells a funny lie and still somehow gets away with it. He is willing to do anything to save his friends just like they would for him. The falling action is the best part of the story as the story comes together as a whole, and we learn new things. Jim has far more humanity than Tom Sawyer. Earlier in the book it states, “I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so"(Twain 157). Jim is superstitious and occasionally sentimental, but he is also intelligent, practical, and ultimately more of an adult than anyone else in the novel. Bercovitch states, “Jim, the example of man-reduced-to-beast-of-burden, is articulating the self-evident truths of human equality”(Bercovitch). Throughout the story, Jim never wants to hurt Huck, but, Tom is a liar. Kevin Scott states in his writing, “Tom has none of Huck's concerns” (Scott). Tom doesn’t know what it is like to be in

Tom loves to make every plan more complex like when he was trying to save Jim, a slave. He wants to dig a tunnel all the way to Jim, which is absolutely insane. Then, Sawyer wants to add snakes and different creatures to Jim’s room to make it like a real prison. This is also insane. Tom just wants to add more fun to his own adventure not caring if it troubles others. Tom says “It’s as simple as tit-tat-toe, three-in-a-row, and as easy as playing hooky. I should hope we can find a way that’s a little more complicated than that, Huck Finn” (Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 212). He even knew Jim was a free man. However, Huck is a realistic person. Huck wants to get Jim out as fast and effectively as possible. His plan was to just steal a key and leave with Jim. Huck does this because he views Jim as a close friend, not just a piece of property. Jim also loves Huck like he is own family. Cassander Smith says, “Jim's actions, though, register more than a concern for his own self-interest. He also exhibits protectiveness for Huck's childish sensibilities” (Smith). Mark Twain makes them similar, by being adventurous, but in different ways. By doing this, he once again creates another unique and memorable trait for Tom and Huck. The audience really gets to feel them personally because they can relate to Tom and Huck’s minds. In conclusion, Tom has an overwhelming imagination while Huck is a realistic

In the Adventures of Tom Sawyer a young boy named Tom has a job to be done which is whitewashing the fences. While on the other hand in “Born Worker” is another young boy named Jose who loves to work has a big job opportunity that is to clean Mr.Clemmens pool. Both of these characters are similar because Tom and Jose both have a job to do and need to get it done so they can do what they planned to do that day. As along the way there are some effects that get in the way such as in “Born Worker” on page 120 when Jose starts to freshen the pool with bleach and scrubs it down till it is spotless while his cousin Arnie who is full of himself just sits and “supervises” does none of the work. In Tom Sawyer, on page 1015 it states that Tom daintily

Early on, we see Huck following suit with Tom’s escapades, yet Huck matures rather fast. He soon quits the “gang” and no longer believes in Sawyer’s tomfoolery, and the fantasies Tom spins as taken from his numerous adventure novels. “…I judged that all that stuff was only just one of Tom Sawyer’s Lies”. (115). Huck has reached a point, as do most kids, where a child begins to latch on to what the real

Because of this, Tom’s constant need for stimulus overshadows Huck’s need for growth. After Huck debriefed Tom on Jim’s whereabouts, he came up with a feasible strategy, “We can easy find out if it’s Jim in there…steal the key out of the old man’s britches... shove off down the river on the raft…hiding daytimes and running nights” (195). Tom replied, “…it’s too blame’ simple; there ain’t nothing to it” (195). Huck has a legitimate plan that is workable, but because of Tom’s dominant personality and need for adventure, Huck is not able to voice his opinions and that is definitely not helping him become a better

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follows a young boy named Huck through his adventures down the Mississippi River. Through the adventures and obstacles he faces and overcomes with Jim, a loyal run-away slave, Huck changes and becomes more mature. He is no longer the careless, prank playing boy that ran around and had fun at other people's expense. Near the end of his life-changing journey down the Mississippi, Huck is reunited with his idol and close friend Tom Sawyer and these once very similar boys now have many obvious differences. Huck differs from Tom in his way of thinking, in his treatment and attitude towards Jim, and in his tendency to question his surroundings.

Mark Twain’s book is a novel that follows the juvenile life of a small boy. You will see how much fun the main character, Tom, and his friends have by skipping school, fishing, swimming, and using with their imaginations to have a good time. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a classic novel for many reasons. The plot gives us an idea about how people lived in the era the book takes place in. Readers enjoy the book because they can relate to Tom and enjoy his fun experiences. Tom is always into having a good time with his friends. It is a classic because it is enjoyable to readers of all ages, no matter what century, place, or gender you belong to.

Throughout the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” its author Mark Twain demonstrates both Huck and Toms contrasting personalities. The two friends at the start of the novel spend endless time playing and having fun with each other but that soon changes as the story progresses when we start to see Tom not in person but always in Huck’s mind. Tom is gone for much of the novel while Huck develops into his own person. Huck and Tom at the start are like any boys that age they both have a desire and sense of adventure. Throughout chapters 26 to 36 we start begin to see how far each is willing to go! Huck is an individual who sets himself up spiritually with both morals and standards. This determines how far he will take himself on a journey.

His extreme malleability as a teenager makes Huck the paragon of this stereotype and is a weakness that spawns from his confusing upbringings, creating a portal through which much of the audience of this book can truly understand Huck. The relatability of Huck to a modern teenager is apparent as the book displays Huck’s yearning to model after his friend Tom Sawyer. Tom’s sole purpose in this book is to provide a foil to Huck, as he becomes the ringleader of Huck’s group and then does little more for Huck than give inspiration for very poor decisions throughout the novel (Eliot 18). One example of this poor decision making occurred when Huck and Jim come across the wrecked Walter Scott in the middle of a thunderstorm. Huck reasons to Jim that the pair should board the ship and plunder because “[Tom Sawyer] would call it an adventure… and he’d land on that wreck if it was his last act” (63). Upon discovering that there were three robbers on the ship, two of which were plotting to kill the third, Huck still refused to leave because, as he told himself, “Tom Sawyer wouldn’t back out now, and so I won’t either” (65). Huck’s desire to follow in suit of his peer is extreme to the point of actually putting himself in harm’s way. Twain utilizes the faults in the approach taken by Huck to be a carbon copy of Tom to teach possibly

“There is no better test of a man’s integrity than his behavior when he is wrong.” (Marvin Williams). This story takes place in St. Petersburg, Missouri. Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, has another book, Huckleberry Finn. “Tom Sawyer hates boredom. So he makes life as exciting as possible – for everyone!”(Twain, back cover). Tom Sawyer, even though he can be a bezonian, has integrity because he helps his friends in indecent situations.

At the start of Huck Finn, Huck is a follower of Tom, and does not stand up for his opinion, yet throughout the middle chapters, Huck develops morally and is able to see Jim as a human, and friend. When Tom returns in the finals chapters, Huck’s “clarity and moral resolve fade, and he becomes, if anything, more of a passive Sawyer-lackey than he was at the beginning of the book” (Saunders 201). Huck’s reversion back into Tom’s follower (who is essentially racist) leaves Twain’s anti-racist message to deteriorate, which impairs the final chapters. Preceding the last chapters, Huck breaks society’s expectations for a young white boy, when he says, “all right then, I’ll go to hell...” and rips up the letter he wrote to Miss Watson about Jim’s

Between the discussions, encounters, and nail biting situations Huckleberry Finn and Jim experienced there is always a level of satire that Mark Twain uses to hint at bigger problems he saw in the world. Although a lot of elements of the book can be seen on a deeper level some of the most obvious points were the relationship between Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, the actions of Christians contradicting their beliefs, and the various unjustified deaths that occurred during their travels. Twain makes it a point to significantly juxtapose the perspectives of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer from the beginning of the book to the very end. Although Tom is more educated and has more exposure to different types of media he is so easily influenced making his judgment unrealistic. On the other hand Huck Finn has the small bit of “sivilizing” he got from the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson and the basic instinct he needs to survive.