The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Estimated Read Time = 4 hours
This Article - Estimated Read Time = 10 minutes
Time This Article Saves You = 3 hours and 50 minutes
*Most books need to be read twice before they can really be understood. This article saves you time & effort by helping you reach a solid understanding with just one read.
Tom Sawyer - Podcast Episode
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the first Mark Twain novel I ever delved into. Honestly, with this work, I couldn’t wait to embark upon a journey into the mind of America’s literary fountainhead. Especially since Tom Sawyer is held to be one Twain’s two finest novels, the other being its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Published in 1876, but set in the 1840s of Twain’s own childhood, Tom Sawyer is filled with tales common to those who grew up in small towns alongside the Mississippi River in the mid-1800s.
I enjoyed the story, but over and over again, I kept finding that it wasn’t at all what I had expected. I went into it searching for sophistication and literary beauty, looking for high art. Instead, I found comic scenes and narratives based on silly, childhood dramas, which at first was disorienting.
However, after reading a few of his other novels, and returning once more to Tom Sawyer, I came to understand the truth of Twain’s own depiction of his writing.
“My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.”
Twain didn’t write to impress the literary critics of his day; he wrote to entertain the masses. When approached in this way, in that second read, I smirked, chuckled, outright laughed—and shook my head more times than I can count.
Because Twain truly is hilarious. And more often than not, he has us laughing at ourselves. My hope here is to help you, should you so desire, to enjoy some of those same laughs and chuckles, the first time around.
Story Recap - spoiler alert!
Nowadays, some have difficulty reading Twain’s novels because of the meandering, disconnected nature of his plots. Unlike novels today, there isn’t any single tension that drives the story forward; instead, there are many small tensions whose connections are often less than obvious.
In my opinion, reading Twain is like watching Seinfeld, where you enter into each mini-narrative expecting to laugh and enjoy it, even if it has nothing to do with what came before, or what follows after. The trick is to enjoy each mini-narrative for itself.
That being said, the shorter narratives do eventually compound into one sensible, larger plot. So what I’d like to provide is an overview, as the crow flies, of those smaller narratives, and the nature of their larger connectedness.
#1 Whitewashing the Fence
We’re introduced to Tom, and given a sketch of his character, as he tricks all the boys in town into doing his chore for him—painting his aunt’s fence white—and even paying him to do it!
Tom then uses these spoils to buy tickets at church, which technically were only supposed to be won by memorizing Bible verses. He then reimburses his stash of tickets, to the envy of all the other boys, for the grand prize—a Bible.
He achieves this victory, only to then make a fool of himself, demonstrating his complete lack of biblical knowledge before the entire Sunday school.
He also meets the new girl in town, Becky, who quickly becomes Tom’s romantic interest throughout the novel.
#2 Dead Cats & a Midnight Murder
Enter Huckleberry Finn. A child whose only guardian and relative, his father, is completely unable to care for him. So he wanders about, having nothing to do with school, spending his time however he likes. He’s the hero of all the boys.
He and Tom get to talking, and agree to visit a cemetery at midnight to test out their theory concerning warts and dead cats. While there, they witness a murder.
The young doctor in town had hired two men, Injun Joe and Muff Potter, to dig up a recently buried body. Before they finish the job, they attempt to exhort the doctor for more money. He refuses; a scuffle ensues. Muff Potter is knocked unconscious, and Injun Joe kills the doctor.
The two boys flee, in their terror vowing to “keep mum” about the whole thing. Muff Potter reawakens only to believe that he himself killed the doctor accidentally. He’s quickly arrested, but his trial is delayed till later in the story.
#3 Their Own Funeral
Next, Tom wins Becky’s affection at school, and convinces her to become engaged to him. They are full of bliss for about 30 seconds. Then, due to Tom’s lack of discretion, their engagement is broken off.
In his heartbreak, Tom and two of his friends decide to run off as pirates. So they make for Jackson’s Island, in the midst of the Mississippi River, just downstream from their town.
They spend a few nights there before they're plagued by an overwhelming case of homesickness. Tom returns one night and spies on some family members, only to find that the entire town believes them dead. Their funeral is already planned for that weekend.
So, the three of them decide to return right in the middle of their own funeral. Which they do, to much pomp and celebration.
#4 The Romance Thickens
Tom’s status soars to never-before-reached heights following the funeral stunt. Because of this, Becky is willing to take him back. But Tom, in his pride, spurns her advances.
They go back and forth a bit, until in the end, Tom covers for Becky at school, voluntarily taking the punishment for a crime she had committed. In the wake of his sacrificial heroism, the two are re-united.
#5 The Murder Trial
Finally, Muff Potter’s murder trial ensues, and the attention of the entire town is rapt by the proceedings. Lacking even the conviction himself that he didn’t do it, Muff Potter doesn’t stand a chance.
Tom and Huck are his only hope, the only ones who know of his innocence. But they don’t dare say a word, for fear of Injun Joe.
Until, on the closing day of the trial, a witness to the murder takes the witness stand—Tom himself. He testifies that Injun Joe is the real murderer.
Injun Joe, who is sitting in the audience, leaps out a window and escapes. Once again, Tom is lifted on high as the town hero.
#6 Treasure Hunt
One day, Tom gets the itch to hunt for buried treasure. Huck agrees to go along with him. In their search, the two find themselves in a haunted house at night, when who walks in but a disguised Injun Joe! And his new partner in crime.
While the boys hide, the criminals chat. And through their conversation, they reveal that the haunted house was indeed hiding treasure. Tom and Huck, trapped by the villains, are forced to spend the night in the house, hiding.
They overhear Injun Joe mention another hiding place for the treasure, and they form a plan to keep watch, to see if they can steal the treasure from him.
#7 Lost in the Cave
This is the section of the book where the seemingly disconnected narratives up until this point are all tied together.
A trip to a cave is planned, downriver from the town. Tom and Becky go together, and get lost in the depths of the winding cave.
While this is happening, Huck sees Injun Joe and trails him. He overhears his wicked plan to harm an old widow, as a way of taking vengeance upon her late husband.
Huck alerts some men who live nearby, who then rise up to defend the widow. In doing so, Huck saves the widow. The stress of the ordeal is too much for him though, and he falls ill. He is bedridden for some time.
Meanwhile, the whole town forms a search effort to locate Tom and Becky in the cave, but they are unsuccessful. Upon surrendering their search, they lock the entrance to the cave permanently, so that no other children could ever fall prey to the same fate. Tom eventually finds a way out, saving himself and Becky.
Injun Joe, who also turns out to be in the cave, unable to escape because of the sealed entrance, starves to death inside.
Upon their return, a party is thrown in celebration of Tom, Becky, and most of all, the now-recovered Huck, as the secret is shared about his heroism concerning the widow Douglas. Additionally, Tom and Huck reveal a secret too—that of their own wealth, since in the cave, they were able to find Injun Joe’s treasure.
#8 The End of It All
From there, the story wraps up quickly, with one final tangle. The widow Douglas adopts Huck, and attempts to clean and educate him. It’s a great opportunity for Huck, but he can’t stand it. He prefers to sleep outside and live in his dirty, comfortable clothes. So he runs away and returns to his old way of life.
Tom discovers this and, somewhat comically, convinces him to turn back. Then the narrative ends.
As you can see, there is a broader, sensible storyline that connects all of the shorter narratives. But not in a way that is obvious throughout, or that makes much use of pacing between them. They’re written so that the connections aren’t obvious until the very end, when all the threads are tied together in order to deliver one satisfying conclusion.
Good Medicine - An Interpretation
When it comes to the broader meaning of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain informs us of his purpose in the preface.
“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.”
The novel was created to entertain boys and girls, meaning more than anything else, it’s meant to be enjoyed. That is the primary purpose, which is worth noting before searching for anything deeper. However, as Twain himself remarks, that’s not the only purpose.
His intention is to remind adult readers of what they once were as children; namely, adventurous and troublesome.
His strategy for accomplishing this was to not only record the adventures, but also the romantic foibles, the superstitious theories, and the despairing pits and soaring heights of emotion that accompany Tom and his friends all throughout. Through their experience, we’re invited back into the world of childhood.
This we can tell because so many moments ring so true and familiar. Not because we too were lost in caves, stumbled upon treasure, or believed that dead cats could help rid ourselves of warts. But because we felt the same things they did in our own adventures.
Who, as a child, hasn’t suffered the embarrassing pains of first attempts at romance? Who hasn’t seriously considered running away, after being wrongfully, or even rightfully, punished? And who, if they made good on those plans, making some rash vow never to return, hasn’t had their convictions quickly drowned by the experience of overwhelming homesickness?
There’s a silliness to it all that causes us to laugh just as much at the characters in the story, as we do at our former selves. I think that in part was Twain’s strategy.
There’s a telling comment in the novel about laughter, and what it provides to us. This is the Welshman’s response to Huck, after questioning him about his own account of things, and Huck’s answer makes him laugh.
“Poor Huck was too distressed to smile, but the old man laughed loud and joyously, shook up the details of his anatomy from head to foot, and ended by saying that such a laugh was money in a man’s pocket, because it cut down on the doctor’s bills like everything.”
In other words, such a laugh was good medicine. Twains’ aim throughout this book is to provide as much of that same kind of good medicine as he can to his readers, by provoking smirks, chuckles, and outright laughter among them.
And in doing so, to cause grown men and women to remember what they once were. To draw back the curtain on the memories of their own childhood. To display before them their own folly and silliness, their own rash convictions and flawed logic, and at times, their own tremendous courage and selfless humility.
Tom Sawyer was written to remind its readers of what it was like to be a child, how adventurous and troublesome they once were, in the hope that something of that same spirit might be revived within them again.
Closing Thoughts - On Humor & Adventure
It’s worth spending some time considering Injun Joe, and the particulars of his character. But I’ll also say that I believe the book is primarily intended to foster two things within us—humor and adventure.
In reminding us of what odd features marked our own childhoods, as well as his, Twain is attempting to give rise to a spark. A spark that might set flame to the dry kindling within us, that is the forgotten memories and affections of our youth.
To this end, the book provides plenty of laughs. But what it cannot do is provide adventure. We’re invited to accompany Tom, Becky, and Huck on their adventures. But when it comes to keeping this alive within us, upon the closing of these pages, the responsibility lies with us.
So, the question is, how might you foster greater adventure in your own life? How might you tend the flame of an adventurous and troublesome spirit within? I ask not because the consequences of failing to do so are so severe. In fact, they probably don’t amount to much at all.
But perhaps that alone is the greatest tragedy. That to let this flame flicker away and die within us is to surrender ourselves to a life without adventure. It may be comfortable. It may be easy. It may even be tolerably pleasant.
What it cannot be is a life worth writing about. A life worth telling. And if it’s not that, we might ask, is it even a life worth living?
Just listened to this book on Audible a couple months ago. Loved it! Enjoyed your recap and takeaways from it! Might check out The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn sooner than later.