Literary Criticism Paper on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Essay

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life”, says Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the famous English scientist, naturalist and traveler.
In the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer written by the prominent American writer Mark Twain in 1876, the title character Tom Sawyer tries not to waste time and to learn more and more each day of his life. His prurient curiosity, optimistic turn of mind, great desire to be independent and free, and yearning after adventures help him to discover the value of life. The author of the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has the major goal – to reveal the young boy’s personality and the process of his maturation. (Csicsila 88) In addition, Mark Twain represents a lot of examples of morality and immorality of human society. The novel is written in the genre of detective fiction which captures the readers’ attention from the first chapters of the book. (Carpenter & Prichard 5) Tom Sawyer who is about twelve years old and who lives with his Aunt Polly in the fiction town of St. Petersburg along the Mississippi River becomes the witness of the murder at the town cemetery. The young boy Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn have many dangerous experiences. They try to solve the murder of Dr. Robinson and unmask the real murderer Injun Joe, secretly live on the island and learn about the buried treasure, stalk the criminals and find the treasure in the cave. (McArthur 46) The young boy tries not to waste his time and plunges into multiple life experiences which help him to discover the value of life, to mature and to develop his strong character. He struggles for freedom, develops his leadership skills and perceives his immoral actions.
The name of the author of the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is known throughout the world. However, Mark Twain is the writer’s pen name. The real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. (Kaplan 12) The numerous literary works of this American writer attract the readers’ attention due to his unique style of writing which includes humor, satire and the use of dialect and other techniques. Mark Twain hates oppression and hypocrisy in the society. It is known that he was one of the first American writers after the Civil war who introduced new social views into American literature. The writer was greatly influenced by political and social events which took place after the Civil war. (Powers 51) The writer was born in Florida. When the boy was four, his parents decided to move to the town of Hannibal where the young boy witnessed acts of violence of slave owners. That is why the theme of slavery is developed in many of his literary works. The first humorous story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County which was published in 1865 brought the writer national attention. The other well-known works are The Prince and the Pauper, a short story written in the genre of historical fiction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a children’s novel that is regarded as the first Great American Novel and others. (Gavin 47) Of course, one of his major literary works is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in which the main character Tom Sawyer was modeled on the writer as a child. (Howells 32)
Tom Sawyer is a boy of eleven-twelve years old whose major life principle is to be free and independent. Throughout the story, Tom Sawyer struggles for freedom. He wants to lead the same life as his friend Huckleberry Finn who does not have to go to school and to Church on Sunday. (Hendler 189) Huck “came and went, at his own free will. He slept on doorsteps in fine weather and in empty hogsheads in wet; he did not have to go to school or to church, or call any being master or obey anybody; he could go fishing or swimming when and where he chose, and stay as long as it suited him; nobody forbade him to fight; he could sit up as late as he pleased; he was always the first boy that went barefoot in the spring and the last to resume leather in the fall; he never had to wash, nor put on clean clothes; he could swear wonderfully. In a word, everything that goes to make life precious that boy had.” (Twain 71) Tom does not like to follow the established rules of the society he lives in because they lead to the loss of freedom for him. His Aunt Polly is the person who makes him obey. She makes him attend classes at school, whitewash the fence on Sunday, and dress in clean and fashionable clothes which Tom considers rather restrictive and even foolish. That is why when Tom gets a chance, he and his friend Huck escape to the island where they live as pirates. (Smith 48)
Moreover, in the novel Tom Sawyer is represented as a leader who is ready to make serious decisions and to bear responsibility for his actions. (Barbour & Quirk 100) He not only organizes childhood pranks and games, but also he makes a serious decision to keep the hotel where the criminal lives under observation in order to learn about the place where Injun Joe buried the treasure. He leads Becky Tratcher to the cave where they get lost and demonstrates his leadership skills. He remains calm and confident. Tom keeps a grip on himself and finds the way out of the cave. When Becky was too weak and could not move any more in the cave, “Tom kissed her, with a choking sensation in his throat, and made a show of being confident of finding the searchers or an escape from the cave; then he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping down one of the passages on his hands and knees, distressed with hunger and sick with bodings of coming doom”. (Twain 295) Tom knows that it is his fault that they lost their way in the cave. That is why he tries to change the situation and to find the way out of the cave. He knows that only he can do it, because he believes that “the search had been given over”. (Twain 294)
Besides, Tom Sawyer is ready to perceive his immoral actions and bad behavior. When Tom and Huck lived on the island as pirates, their behavior was immoral because they did not tell anybody about their location. (Emerson 80) “They felt like heroes in an instant. Here was a gorgeous triumph; they were missed; they were mourned; hearts were breaking on their account; tears were being shed; accusing memories of unkindness to these poor lost lads were rising up, and unavailing regrets and remorse were being indulged; and best of all, the departed were the talk of the whole town, and the envy of all the boys, as far as this dazzling notoriety was concerned. This was fine. It was worth while to be a pirate, after all”. (Twain 150) However, later Tom realizes that his Aunt Polly, his brother Sid and other people in the town are sore at heart. Tom makes a decision to return home. One more Tom’s action that proves his morality is when he makes a decision to testify against Injun Joe, the man who killed Dr. Robinson. Tom does not want Muff Potter to be hanged because he did not commit this terrible crime. (Michelson 95)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is necessary to note that Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is considered to be the greatest literary work as it develops the themes of morality and immorality which help to value the best traits of human personality, such as honesty, kindness, self-confidence, openness, and strength of will. The main character of the novel Tom Sawyer is represented as a leader who makes serious decisions, struggles for his freedom, and adheres to moral principles.