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Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer": A Discussion Guide
Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer": A Discussion Guide
Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer": A Discussion Guide
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Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer": A Discussion Guide

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The purpose of this book is educational. I have read, studied, and taught Mark Twain’s "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" many times, and I wish to pass on what I have learned to other people who are interested in studying Twain’s "Adventures of Tom Sawyer." In particular, I think that the readers of this guide to Twain’s "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" will be bright high school seniors and college first-year students, as well as intelligent adults who simply wish to study Twain’s "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" despite not being literature majors.

This book uses a question-and-answer format. It poses, then answers, relevant questions about Twain, background information, and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." This book goes through "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" chapter by chapter. I recommend that you read the relevant section of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," then read my comments, then go back and re-read the relevant section of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." However, do what works for you.

Teachers may find this book useful as a discussion guide for the novel. Teachers can have students read chapters from the novel, then teachers can ask students selected questions from this book.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherDavid Bruce
Release dateAug 16, 2013
ISBN9781301159574
Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer": A Discussion Guide
Author

David Bruce

I would like to see my retellings of classic literature used in schools, so I give permission to the country of Finland (and all other countries) to give copies of my eBooks to all students and citizens forever. I also give permission to the state of Texas (and all other states) to give copies of my eBooks to all students forever. I also give permission to all teachers to give copies of my eBooks to all students forever.Teachers need not actually teach my retellings. Teachers are welcome to give students copies of my eBooks as background material. For example, if they are teaching Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” teachers are welcome to give students copies of my “Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’: A Retelling in Prose” and tell students, “Here’s another ancient epic you may want to read in your spare time.”Do you know a language other than English? I give you permission to translate any of my retellings of classic literature, copyright your translation in your name, publish or self-publish your translation (but do say it's a translation of something I wrote), and keep all the royalties for yourself.Libraries, download my books free. This is from Smashwords' FAQ section:"Does Smashwords distribute to libraries?"Yes! We have two methods of distributing to libraries: 1. Via library aggregators. Library aggregators, such as OverDrive and Baker & Taylor's Axis360 service, allow libraries to purchase books. Smashwords is working with multiple library aggregators, and is in the process of signing up additional aggregators. 2. On August 7, 2012, Smashwords announced Library Direct. This distribution option allows libraries and library networks to acquire and host Smashwords ebooks on their own servers. This option is only available to libraries who place large "opening collection" orders, typically in the range of $20,000-$50,000, and the libraries must have the ability to host and manage the books, and apply industry-standard DRM to manage one-checkout-at-a-time borrows."David Bruce is a retired anecdote columnist at "The Athens News" in Athens, Ohio. He has also retired from teaching English and philosophy at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.SOME BOOKS BY DAVID BRUCERetellings of a Classic Work of Literature:Arden of Favorsham: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Alchemist: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Arraignment, or Poetaster: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Bartholomew Fair: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Case is Altered: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Catiline’s Conspiracy: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Devil is an Ass: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Epicene: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Every Man in His Humor: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Every Man Out of His Humor: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Fountain of Self-Love, or Cynthia’s Revels: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Magnetic Lady: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The New Inn: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Sejanus' Fall: A RetellingBen Jonson’s The Staple of News: A RetellingBen Jonson’s A Tale of a Tub: A RetellingBen Jonson’s Volpone, or the Fox: A RetellingChristopher Marlowe’s Complete Plays: RetellingsChristopher Marlowe’s Dido, Queen of Carthage: A RetellingChristopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus: Retellings of the 1604 A-Text and of the 1616 B-TextChristopher Marlowe’s Edward II: A RetellingChristopher Marlowe’s The Massacre at Paris: A RetellingChristopher Marlowe’s The Rich Jew of Malta: A RetellingChristopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, Parts 1 and 2: RetellingsDante’s Divine Comedy: A Retelling in ProseDante’s Inferno: A Retelling in ProseDante’s Purgatory: A Retelling in ProseDante’s Paradise: A Retelling in ProseThe Famous Victories of Henry V: A RetellingFrom the Iliad to the Odyssey: A Retelling in Prose of Quintus of Smyrna’s PosthomericaGeorge Chapman, Ben Jonson, and John Marston’s Eastward Ho! A RetellingGeorge Peele: Five Plays Retold in Modern EnglishGeorge Peele’s The Arraignment of Paris: A RetellingGeorge Peele’s The Battle of Alcazar: A RetellingGeorge Peele’s David and Bathsheba, and the Tragedy of Absalom: A RetellingGeorge Peele’s Edward I: A RetellingGeorge Peele’s The Old Wives’ Tale: A RetellingGeorge-A-Greene, The Pinner of Wakefield: A RetellingThe History of King Leir: A RetellingHomer’s Iliad: A Retelling in ProseHomer’s Odyssey: A Retelling in ProseJason and the Argonauts: A Retelling in Prose of Apollonius of Rhodes’ ArgonauticaThe Jests of George Peele: A RetellingJohn Ford: Eight Plays Translated into Modern EnglishJohn Ford’s The Broken Heart: A RetellingJohn Ford’s The Fancies, Chaste and Noble: A RetellingJohn Ford’s The Lady’s Trial: A RetellingJohn Ford’s The Lover’s Melancholy: A RetellingJohn Ford’s Love’s Sacrifice: A RetellingJohn Ford’s Perkin Warbeck: A RetellingJohn Ford’s The Queen: A RetellingJohn Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Campaspe: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Endymion, the Man in the Moon: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Gallathea, aka Galathea, aka Galatea: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Love's Metamorphosis: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Midas: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Mother Bombie: A RetellingJohn Lyly's Sappho and Phao: A RetellingJohn Lyly's The Woman in the Moon: A RetellingJohn Webster’s The White Devil: A RetellingJ.W. Gent.'s The Valiant Scot: A RetellingKing Edward III: A RetellingMankind: A Medieval Morality Play (A Retelling)Margaret Cavendish's The Unnatural Tragedy: A RetellingThe Merry Devil of Edmonton: A RetellingRobert Greene’s Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay: A RetellingThe Taming of a Shrew: A RetellingTarlton’s Jests: A RetellingThomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker’s The Roaring Girl: A RetellingThomas Middleton and William Rowley’s The Changeling: A RetellingThomas Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside: A RetellingThomas Middleton's Women Beware Women: A RetellingThe Trojan War and Its Aftermath: Four Ancient Epic PoemsVirgil’s Aeneid: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 5 Late Romances: Retellings in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 10 Histories: Retellings in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 11 Tragedies: Retellings in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 12 Comedies: Retellings in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 38 Plays: Retellings in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV, aka Henry IV, Part 1: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 2 Henry IV, aka Henry IV, Part 2: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 1 Henry VI, aka Henry VI, Part 1: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 2 Henry VI, aka Henry VI, Part 2: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s 3 Henry VI, aka Henry VI, Part 3: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s As You Like It: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Coriolanus: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Cymbeline: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Hamlet: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Henry V: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Henry VIII: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s King John: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s King Lear: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Macbeth: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Othello: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Richard II: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Richard III: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Tempest: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Two Noble Kinsmen: A Retelling in ProseWilliam Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale: A Retelling in ProseChildren’s Biography:Nadia Comaneci: Perfect TenAnecdote Collections:250 Anecdotes About Music250 Anecdotes About Opera250 Anecdotes About Religion250 Anecdotes About Religion: Volume 2Be a Work of Art: 250 Anecdotes and StoriesThe Coolest People in Art: 250 AnecdotesThe Coolest People in the Arts: 250 AnecdotesThe Coolest People in Books: 250 AnecdotesThe Coolest People in Comedy: 250 AnecdotesCreate, Then Take a Break: 250 AnecdotesDon’t Fear the Reaper: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Art: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Books: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Books, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Books, Volume 3: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Comedy: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Dance: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Families: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Families, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Families, Volume 3: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Families, Volume 4: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Families, Volume 5: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Families, Volume 6: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Movies: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Music: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Music, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Music, Volume 3: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Neighborhoods: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Relationships: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Sports: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Sports, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Television and Radio: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People in Theater: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People Who Live Life: 250 AnecdotesThe Funniest People Who Live Life, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesMaximum Cool: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People in Movies: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People in Politics and History: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People in Politics and History, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People in Politics and History, Volume 3: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People in Religion: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People in Sports: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People Who Live Life: 250 AnecdotesThe Most Interesting People Who Live Life, Volume 2: 250 AnecdotesReality is Fabulous: 250 Anecdotes and StoriesResist Psychic Death: 250 AnecdotesSeize the Day: 250 Anecdotes and StoriesKindest People Series:The Kindest People Who Do Good Deeds: Volume 1The Kindest People Who Do Good Deeds: Volume 2The Kindest People Who Do Good Deeds: Volume 3Discussion Guide Series:Dante’s Inferno: A Discussion GuideDante’s Paradise: A Discussion GuideDante’s Purgatory: A Discussion GuideForrest Carter’s The Education of Little Tree: A Discussion GuideHomer’s Iliad: A Discussion GuideHomer’s Odyssey: A Discussion GuideJane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: A Discussion GuideJerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee: A Discussion GuideJerry Spinelli’s Stargirl: A Discussion GuideJonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”: A Discussion GuideLloyd Alexander’s The Black Cauldron: A Discussion GuideLloyd Alexander’s The Book of Three: A Discussion GuideMark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Discussion GuideMark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: A Discussion GuideMark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: A Discussion GuideMark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper: A Discussion GuideNancy Garden’s Annie on My Mind: A Discussion GuideNicholas Sparks’ A Walk to Remember: A Discussion GuideVirgil’s Aeneid: A Discussion GuideVirgil’s “The Fall of Troy”: A Discussion GuideVoltaire’s Candide: A Discussion GuideWilliam Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV: A Discussion GuideWilliam Shakespeare’s Macbeth: A Discussion GuideWilliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Discussion GuideWilliam Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: A Discussion GuideWilliam Sleator’s Oddballs: A Discussion GuideComposition Projects:Composition Project: Writing an Autobiographical EssayComposition Project: Writing a Hero-of-Human-Rights EssayComposition Project: Writing a Problem-Solving LetterTeaching:How to Teach the Autobiographical Essay Composition Project in 9 ClassesAutobiography (of sorts):My Life and Hard Times, or Down and Out in Athens, OhioMiscellaneous:Mark Twain Anecdotes and QuotesProblem-Solving 101: Can You Solve the Problem?Why I Support Same-Sex Civil MarriageBlogs:https://davidbruceblog429065578.wordpress.comhttps://davidbrucebooks.blogspot.comhttps://davidbruceblog4.wordpress.comhttps://bruceb22.wixsite.com/website

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    Mark Twain's "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" - David Bruce

    INTRODUCTION TO THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

    • Twain published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876.

    • Twain wrote to his publisher about Tom Sawyer: It is not a boy’s book, at all. It will only be read by adults. It is only written for adults. (Later, he agreed with friends that children would read it.)

    • Most of the characters in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are based on real-life people. Tom is a combination of three boys whom Sam knew. Aunt Polly is based in part on Sam’s mother. Sid is based in part on Henry, Sam’s younger brother. Mary is based on Sam’s sister, Pamela. Judge Thatcher is based in part on Sam’s father. Injun Joe is based in part on a harmless drunk, not on a murderer. Huck Finn is based in part on Tom Blankenship, the son of the town drunk. Sam’s early sweetheart, Laura Hawkins, became the main basis of Becky Thatcher.

    • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer accepts slavery as a given and does not deal with racism and slavery. It is much less controversial than Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which does directly deal with racism and slavery.

    • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a nostalgic look at childhood. To a child, growing up may be serious business, but in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer childhood is idyllic.

    • The character of Tom Sawyer is realistic, especially when compared to all the good little boys in 19th-century church didactic literature. (Didactic literature is literature that is intended to teach.) However, the plot of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is not realistic. Tom has a series of adventures — such as finding treasure — that we can only wish we had.

    • The name St. Petersburg means the town of St. Peter. St. Peter holds the keys of Heaven, so St. Petersburg is meant to be heavenly. For the most part, it is, especially for the children (childhood is heavenly, according to the novel), but occasionally it is not. The graveyard is not heavenly, and the schoolmaster has had his hope of becoming a doctor blighted by poverty.

    • Why does Tom live with Aunt Polly? Death in childbirth was common back then. Death at an early age was common back then. Chances are, Tom is an orphan. Tom has a half-brother, Sid, probably because one of his parents died, then the other parent remarried.

    • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is set in the 1840s. It is set when Mark Twain himself was a boy.

    • Tom Sawyer is a performer. He greatly desires the attention of the villagers and dreams up escapades to get their attention. Huckleberry Finn does not desire attention.

    • Tom Sawyer is literate, reads books, and tries to act according to what is in the books. Tom is romantic. Huckleberry Finn is nearly illiterate, does not read much, and acts according to what will work. Huck Finn is pragmatic.

    • In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain is subversive, turning these ideas on their heads:

    Money: After the whitewashing incident, Tom Sawyer is rich, but any adult looking at his wealth — such as a dead rat to swing on a string — would regard the wealth as trash.

    Work: Whitewashing a fence may seem to be work, but Tom turns it into play.

    Civilization: Adults may consider civilization to be a good thing, but Huck Finn prefers his freedom. The mothers of the village do not want their children to play with Huck Finn, but the children of the village envy Huck his freedom. Huck can swear, smoke, and do as he likes.

    PREFACE

    • When is the novel set, and where is it set?

    The novel is set during the 1840s, and it is set in the small, poverty-stricken village of St. Petersburg, which Mark Twain based on the village in which he grew up: Hannibal, Missouri. Hannibal was an ancient Carthaginian general who was famous for bringing war elephants across the Alps so he could use them to attack the Romans. The Romans were triumphant in this, the Second Punic (Punic refers to Carthage) War, and after the Third Punic War they completely destroyed Carthage. Many American cities, towns, and villages are named after ancient historical figures.

    • What do we learn from the Preface about the trustworthiness of the characters and events of this novel?

    The author of the novel wants us to trust him. He points out that the characters are based on real people, although some of them are based on more than one person. For example, Tom Sawyer himself is based on three real boys.

    In addition, the author writes, MOST of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred; one or two were experiences of my own, the rest those of boys who were schoolmates of mine (Preface).

    Of course, the adventures related in this novel are adventures that most readers wish had happened to them. The boys reading this novel may have dug for buried treasure, as no doubt Mark Twain did when he was a boy. Like Twain, however, the boys reading this novel did not find buried treasure — except in their imagination, which, after all, is not such a bad place to find it.

    The main point of the Preface, however, is that although Tom Sawyer may be a trickster, the author is someone whom you can trust.

    • What do we learn about superstitions in the Preface?

    We learn that the superstitions written about were all believed in at the time the novel is set:

    The odd superstitions touched upon were all prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the period of this story — that is to say, thirty or forty years ago. (Preface)

    Of course, this brings up an interesting point. Children and slaves believed in the superstitions. At the time the novel is set, slaves were uneducated; in fact, teaching a slave how to read and write was illegal. Children spent time around slaves, and no doubt children and slaves influenced each other. One kind of influence is a mutual belief in superstition. Society would have been better off if slaves had been educated. Children, including white children, would be less likely to believe in superstition. I think that most people would agree that it is better to believe in science than to believe in superstition. By not allowing slaves to be educated, white society hurt itself in addition to hurting the slaves.

    • Who is the audience of this novel?

    Twain clearly identifies the audience of his novel:

    Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try 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.

    Apparently, when Twain was writing the novel, he thought that he was writing it for adults; however, friends suggested that its rightful audience was children. After taking some thought, Twain agreed with them. Of course, he also thought that the novel could be read and enjoyed by adults — and I agree with him.

    All of us should read what we find enjoyable and not worry about what other people think of our reading material. In Great Britain, the Prime Minister can read Winnie-the-Pooh and no one thinks any less of the Prime Minister. C.S. Lewis enjoyed reading fairy tales in his middle age, and so he read fairy tales.

    In fact, C.S. Lewis once said that our possible actions could be divided into three groups:

    1) Things we have to do, such as paying our bills and making a living.

    2) Things we ought to do, such as behaving morally and taking care of our health.

    3) Things we want to do. As long as the things we want to do don’t conflict with the things we have to do and the things we ought to do, then, C.S. Lewis says, go ahead and do them.

    CHAPTER 1: TOM PLAYS, FIGHTS, AND HIDES

    • In chapter 1, Tom eats forbidden jam. Jam is made of fruit, so Tom is eating forbidden fruit. Where else have you heard of forbidden fruit? (Mark Twain is making an allusion here. To what is he alluding, and what is an allusion, anyway?)

    This is a definition of allusion:

    A brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature. Allusions conjure up biblical authority, scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, historic figures, wars, great love stories, and anything else that might enrich an author’s work. Allusions imply reading and cultural experiences shared by the writer and reader, functioning as a kind of shorthand whereby the recalling of something outside the work supplies an emotional or intellectual context, such as a poem about current racial struggles calling up the memory of Abraham Lincoln.

    Source: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_a.htm

    Of course, Twain is alluding to the biblical story of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Tom Sawyer is not an evil-doer, but he is certainly mischievous.

    • Which of these two is able to outsmart the other: Tom Sawyer or Polly?

    Aunt Polly likes to think that she is cunning, but actually Tom is able to outsmart her almost constantly. She thinks that he may have played hooky from school and gone swimming instead of going to school, so she asks if he was warm in school and feels his shirt. This allows her to tell if the shirt is damp. If it is damp, this is a very good indication that he has been swimming. Tom, however, knows what she is doing. His shirt is dry, but his hair is damp, so he tells her that he and the other boys pumped water over their heads to cool themselves down. Of course, this novel takes place at a time when there is no air conditioning and no way to make ice. The village has a water pump that is shared by its citizens; a chore of little boys and girls is to go to the pump and bring home some water. Thus, we know that the villagers do not have running water in their homes. We also know that the villagers use either a chamber pot or an outdoor privy.

    Tom is able to outsmart Aunt Polly almost continually. For example, in chapter 1, she is about to switch him, but he says, My! Look behind you, aunt! (2). Aunt Polly turns around, and Tom flees. He was also able to outsmart Aunt Polly about playing hooky, but Sid told on him. Tom had undone his collar where she had sewed it so he could go swimming, then he had sewn the collar back, using black thread. Unfortunately, after Aunt Polly had been satisfied that he had not gone swimming and had not undone the collar, Sid pointed out that the collar was sewn with black thread now, while Aunt Polly had previously sewn it with white thread. Tom, of course, has two needles. One has white thread, and the other black thread. He has trouble remembering which one Aunt Polly used on a certain day. (The use of the two needles and thread shows that Tom is a problem-solver.)

    • Write a character analysis of Aunt Polly based on chapter 1.

    Aunt Polly is kind hearted. We know this because she has taken in both Tom and his half-brother, Sid, who are probably orphans. Their mother, Aunt Polly’s sister, died, so she is now caring for them.

    Aunt Polly does believe that children should be punished when they are bad. She knows that the Bible says, Spare the rod and spoil the child. (The proverb is often thought to have come from the King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24: He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. However, more likely it came from the 17th century poem Hudibras by Samuel Butler: What medicine else can cure the fits / Of lovers when they lose their wits? / Love is a boy by poets styled / Then spare the rod and spoil the child.)

    However, we learn that Aunt Polly’s physical punishments don’t amount to much. She tries to switch Tom and fails. She also hits Jim, the little colored boy, with a slipper on his rump in the next chapter. Furthermore, she sometimes hits a child’s head with a thimble, but Tom (in the next chapter) says that doesn’t amount to much, either. What hurts Tom is when she cries; when she is disappointed in Tom and cries, it hurts Tom.

    Aunt Polly is an authority figure. One of my students described Aunt Polly as Tom’s parole officer.

    • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is mostly a light-hearted novel, but hints of the dark side of life appear in it. Which hints appear in chapter 1?

    One hint of the dark side of life is death. Tom and his half-brother, Sid, are probably orphans. That is why Aunt Polly is taking care of them. At this time, people frequently died early. For example, many women died in childbirth.

    One of the bad things in life is tattle-tales, and Sid is a tattle-tale, par excellence. Aunt Polly would never have discovered that Tom had undone his collar to go swimming if it weren’t for Sid. Sid told her that Tom’s collar was now sewn with black thread, although previously she had sewn it with white thread.

    We see other hints of the dark side of life. For example, Twain refers to St. Petersburg as a poor little shabby village (5). Certainly, St. Petersburg is filled with poor people.

    Tom Sawyer himself is poor. In chapter 4, Tom’s Sunday clothing is known as his ‘other clothes’ (28), so his wardrobe is quite small. In addition, he doesn’t wear shoes unless he has to — another example of his poverty (as well as his preference). We will see that the village schoolmaster has been disappointed in life. He wanted to be a physician, but poverty doomed him to become a village schoolmaster.

    Speaking about clothing, we never hear of Aunt Polly doing the wash, but of course she must occasionally. My mother grew up in poverty in Georgia, and she had only one suit of clothing — a dress. On washday, one day a week, she would stand behind the door, take off her dress, and give it to her mother to wash and dry. One day, my mother, then a young teenager, was standing behind the door when her boyfriend came over to visit.

    One more point. The illustrations in this book show Tom wearing checked pants. He is always wearing the same pants because except for his Sunday clothes, those are the only pants he has.

    In addition, of course, slavery exists in this village, although Mark Twain does not discuss slavery in this novel; that is something that he will do in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

    The dark side of life in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer:

    1) Tom is probably an orphan who has to stay with his Aunt Polly. Aunt Polly’s dead sister was Tom’s mother.

    2) Sid is his half-brother, so one of Tom’s parents died early and married someone else.

    3) Aunt Polly is unmarried, so Tom has no father-figure in his life.

    4) Twain refers to the shabby little village of St. Petersburg (5).

    5) The poverty of the villagers quickly becomes manifest.

    6) Slavery exists.

    • Twain is a Realist writer as opposed to a Romantic writer. Do some research and explain what Realism and Romanticism are.

    As a Realist writer, Twain wants to show things as they really are. Very often, he does that in a satiric way. The Romantic view of things, on the other hand, is often not realistic.

    For example, Tom Sawyer reads a lot of romantic adventure books. From these books, he gets an unrealistic view of the world. For example, he reads about Robin Hood, and he gets the idea that all robbers are honorable. Because of that notion, he wants to be the leader of a band of robbers. Twain, however, is a Realist writer, and he knows that robbers are not honorable men. The robbers that we see in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer — Injun Joe and his companion — are despicable.

    In contrast to Twain, Sir Walter Scott is a Romantic writer. He wrote such books as Ivanhoe, which glorified knight-errantry. Twain, however, being a Realist writer, mocks knight-errantry in his novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. For example, the Yankee goes on a quest while wearing plate armor. He begins to sweat in the hot sun, and he would like to get his handkerchief in order to wipe away the sweat. However, his helmet is of a kind that he can’t remove by himself to get at his handkerchief, which he is keeping in his helmet. Therefore, all he can do is cuss because of his discomfort. Later, a fly gets in his helmet, and it buzzes and flies around, lighting on his lip, then on his nose, then on an eye, and all the Yankee can do is endure the discomfort.

    I once saw a New Yorker cartoon that mixed elements of the Romantic and the Real. The cartoon showed a beautiful castle on top of a mountain, but at the bottom of the mountain, beside the road that led up to the castle, was a bunch of garbage cans.

    Here are a few notes on Realism and on Romanticism:

    • Realists center on the here and now with all its warts; Romantics

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