Рассказ о книге приключения тома сойера

«Приключения Тома Сойера» читательский дневник

«Приключения Тома Сойера» читательский дневник

4.6

Средняя оценка: 4.6

Всего получено оценок: 909.

Обновлено 26 Июля, 2021

4.6

Средняя оценка: 4.6

Всего получено оценок: 909.

Обновлено 26 Июля, 2021

«Приключения Тома Сойера» – увлекательная, веселая повесть Марка Твена о невероятных приключениях озорного мальчугана Тома Сойера и его друзей.

Краткое содержание «Приключения Тома Сойера» для читательского дневника

ФИО автора: Марк Твен

Название: Приключения Тома Сойера

Число страниц: 224. Марк Твен. «Приключения Тома Сойера». Издательство «Дрофа». 2003 год

Жанр: Повесть

Год написания: 1876 год

Опыт работы учителем русского языка и литературы — 27 лет.

Главные герои

Том Сойер – добрый, свободолюбивый, неунывающий мальчик, большой выдумщик, сорванец.

Гек Финн – лучший друг Тома, одинокий, никому не нужный беспризорник.

Бекки Тэтчер – красивая, умная девочка, добрая и романтичная.

Тетушка Полли – родная тётя Тома, заменившая ему мать.

Меффи Поттер – пьяница и дебошир.

Индеец Джо – отъявленный преступник, злодей.

Обратите внимание, ещё у нас есть:

Сюжет

Мать Тома Сойера умерла, и его воспитанием занималась тетушка Полли. Женщина пыталась сделать всё возможное, чтобы Том вырос порядочным благовоспитанным мальчиком, однако в этом ребёнке был силён дух бунтарства и тяга к приключениям, так что все усилия тетушки Полли были бесплодными. Целыми днями он только тем и занимался, что бегал с мальчишками и проказничал.

Лучшим другом Тома был Гек Финн – мальчишка, который вёл практически бродячий образ жизни. Его отец был горьким пьяницей и совсем не следил за сыном. Гек не посещал школу и ходил в лохмотьях, но это был самый верный и надёжный компаньон для проделок неугомонного Тома. Вместе они отправлялись на поиски приключений и неизменно находили их.

Также у Тома была возлюбленная – девочка по имени Бекки. Он всеми силами пытался привлечь её внимание. Когда же между Томом и Бекки произошла ссора, мальчик решил стать пиратом.

Как-то раз Том с Геком отправились ночью на кладбище, где стали случайными свидетелями страшного преступления – индеец Джо убил доктора. Небольшой городок был взбудоражен, и общественность подозревала в убийстве пьяницу Мэффи Поттера.

Затем Том и Гек, никому не сказав ни слова, отправились в плавание по реке. Все были уверены, что дети утонули, но они спустя время вернулись домой и всем рассказали, кто был истинным убийцей доктора. Однако индейца так и не нашли. Вскоре это удалось сделать Тому и Бекки, которые отправились в пещеры, и заблудились в них. Там они обнаружили индейца Джо, который вскоре умер в пещерах, не сумев выбраться. Кроме того, дети нашли клад, спрятанный им, и благополучно выбрались из пещерного лабиринта на волю.

План пересказа

  1. Том – неистощимый выдумщик и проказник.
  2. Гек Финн – лучший друг Тома.
  3. Убийство на кладбище.
  4. Плавание по реке.
  5. Дети рассказывают, кто убил доктора.
  6. Том и Бекки в пещерах.
  7. Встреча с индейцем.
  8. Клад.

Главная мысль

Счастливое детство не может обойтись без приключений. Главное – оставаться добрым к людям и хорошим товарищем.

Чему учит

Повесть учит дружбе, смелости, решительности, умению отвечать за свои поступки. Учит бороться с несправедливостью и всегда приходить на помощь тем, кто оказался в беде.

Отзыв

Приключения Тома Сойера вряд ли кого-то могут оставить равнодушным – настолько они увлекательны и необычны. Мальчик, хотя и был большим проказником, но обладал добрым сердцем и отзывчивой душой.

Рисунок-иллюстрация к повести Приключения Тома Сойера

Рисунок-иллюстрация к повести Приключения Тома Сойера.

Пословицы

  • Хорошо то, что хорошо кончается.
  • Сколь веревочке не виться, а конец будет.
  • От сумы и от тюрьмы не зарекайся.
  • Хорошо птичке в золотой клетке, а того лучше на зеленой ветке.

Что понравилось

Понравилось, что для Тома не имел никакого значения статус Гека Финна. Прежде всего это был его друг, верный и преданный, и не важно, как он выглядел и какой вёл образ жизни.

Тест по рассказу

Доска почёта

Доска почёта

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Приключения Тома Сойера

Произведение знаменитого американского публициста и писателя Марка Твена о приключениях двух мальчишек до сих пор остаётся самым любимым и читаемым во всём мире. И не только любимым произведением для мальчишек, но и для взрослых, которые вспоминают своё озорное детство. Это история молодой Америки, романтизм которой трогает мальчишек всего мира до сих пор.

Содержание:

  • История написания
  • Сюжет и главная идея
  • Главные герои:
  • Том
  • Гек
  • И другие…
  • Итоговый вывод
  • Продолжение приключений

История написания «Приключений Тома Сойера»

 Первое произведение из серии приключений американских мальчишек было опубликовано в 1876 году, автору в то время было чуть более 30 лет. Очевидно, это и сыграло свою роль в яркости образов книги. Америка конца XIX века ещё не избавилась от рабовладения, половина континента являлось «индейской территорией», а мальчишки оставались мальчишками. По многим свидетельствам, Марк Твен описал в Томе себя, себя не только реального, но и все свои мечты о приключениях. Чувства и эмоции описаны реальные, которые волновали мальчишку того времени, и которые продолжают волновать мальчишек и сегодня.

 Главные действующие лица — два друга, Том, которого воспитывает родная одинокая тётка, и Гек, городской беспризорник. Неразлучные в своих фантазиях и приключениях оба мальчишки являются типичными образами, но главные героем остаётся Том Сойер. У него есть младший брат, более рациональный и послушный, есть школьные товарищи, мальчишеская влюблённость – Бэкки. И как у всякого мальчишки, главные события в жизни связаны с жаждой приключений и первой любовью. Неистребимая жажда постоянно вовлекает Тома с Геком в опасные приключения, часть из которых, конечно, выдумана автором, часть – является реальными событиями. В такие, как побег из дома или поход ночью на кладбище, легко верится. И эти приключения, перемежающиеся описанием обычных мальчишеских будней, обычными шалостями, радостями и досадами, обретают реальность благодаря гению автора. Впечатляет описание жизни американцев в то время. То, что утрачено в современном мире, демократизм и дух свободы.

Сюжет и главная идея

Хроника молодой Америки

 Городок на берегу Миссисипи, в котором жители смешались в  единое общество, невзирая на имущественные, расовые и даже возрастные различия. Негр Джим, в рабстве тёти Полли, метис Индеец Джо, судья Тэчер и его дочь Бэкки, беспризорник Гек и шалопай Том, доктор Робенсон и гробовщик  Поттер. Жизнь Тома описывается с таким юмором и с такой естественностью, что читатель забывает, в какой стране это происходит, как будто вспоминает произошедшее с самим собой.

 Мальчишка Том Сойер вместе с младшим братом, который явно положительнее его, воспитывается старой тёткой после смерти матери. Он учиться в школе, играет на улице, дерётся, дружит и влюбляется в прекрасную сверстницу Бэкки. Однажды встретив своего старого приятеля Гекельберри Фина на улицы, с которым они провели глубокую полемику о способах сведения бородавок. Гек рассказал свежий метод сведения при помощи дохлой кошки, но необходимо посетить кладбище ночью. С этого и начались все значимые приключения этих двух сорванцов. Происходящие до этого конфликты с тётей, предпринимательские идеи с получением бонусной библии в воскресной школе, побелка забора в виде наказание за непослушание, которое Том с успехов трансформировал в личный успех, отходят на второй план. Всё, кроме любви к Бэкки.

Став свидетелем драки и убийства, двое мальчиков долго сомневаются в необходимости вынести всё увиденное на суд взрослых. Только искренняя жалость к старому пьянице Поттеру и чувство вселенской справедливости заставляют Тома выступить на суде. Тем самым он спас жизнь обвиняемому и поставил свою жизнь в смертельную опасность. Месть Индейца Джо вполне реальная угроза для мальчишки даже под защитой закона. Тем временем роман Тома и Бэкки дал трещину, и это надолго отвлекло его от всего остального. Он страдал. Окончательно было решено сбежать из дома от несчастной любви и стать пиратом. Хорошо, что есть такой приятель, как Гек, который согласен поддержать любую авантюру. К ним присоединился и школьный товарищ – Джо.

Приключение это закончилось так, как и должны были. Сердце Тома и рациональность Гека заставили вернуться в городок с острова на реке, после того, когда они поняли, что их ищут всем городом. Мальчишки вернулись как раз на собственные похороны. Радость взрослых была так велика, что мальчишкам даже не устроили взбучку. Несколько дней приключений скрасили жизнь мальчишек воспоминаниями самого автора. После этого Том болел, а Бэкки уезжала надолго и далеко.

Перед началом учебного года судья Тэчер устроил роскошную вечеринку для ребятишек в честь дня рождения вернувшейся дочери. Путешествие на теплоходе по реке, пикник и посещение пещер, об этом могли бы мечтать и современные дети. Здесь начинается новое приключение Тома. Помирившись с Бэкки, они вдвоём убегают от компании во время пикника и прячутся в пещере. Они заблудились в переходах и гротах, факел, освещавший им путь, сгорел, а провизии с собой не было. Том вёл себя мужественно, в этом сказалось вся его предприимчивость и ответственность подрастающего мужчины. Совершенно случайно они наткнулись на Индейца Джо, прячущего награбленные деньги. После скитаний по пещере Том находит выход. Дети вернулись домой к радости родителей.

Тайна, увиденная в пещере, не даёт покоя, Том рассказывает всё Геку, и они решают проверить клад Индейца. Мальчуганы отправляются в пещеру. После того, как Том и Бэкки благополучно выбрались из лабиринта, городским Советом было принято решение закрыть вход в пещеру. Это стало роковым для метиса, он умер в пещере от голода и жажды. Том и Гек вынесли целое богатство. Поскольку клад не принадлежал никому конкретно, владельцами его стали два мальчишки. Гек получил покровительство вдовы Дуглас, попав под её опеку. Том так же теперь богат. Но Гек смог вынести «светскую» жизнь не более трёх недель, а Том, встретивший его на берегу у хижины-бочки откровенно заявил, что никакое богатство не сможет удержать его от карьеры «благородного разбойника». Романтизм двух друзей ещё не был задавлен «золотым тельцом» и условностями общества.

Главные герои и их характеры

Все главные герои повести, это мысли и чувства автора, его воспоминания о детстве, его ощущение той самой американской мечты и общечеловеческих ценностей. Когда Гек посетовал, что не может жить в праздности, Том ему неуверенно ответил: «Да ведь все так живут, Гек». В этих мальчишках Марк Твен выписывает своё отношение к человеческим ценностям, к ценности свободы и понимания между людьми. Гек, который больше видел плохого, делится с Томом: «Просто делается стыдно за всех людей», когда говорит о неискренности отношений в высшем обществе. На романтическом фоне повести о детстве, написанной с добрым юмором, писателем чётко вырисовываются все лучшие качества маленького человека, и надежда, что эти качества сохранятся на всю жизнь.

Том

Том

 Мальчишка, воспитывающийся без матери и отца. Что случилось с его родителями, автор не открывает. По повести создаётся впечатление, что все свои лучшие качества Том получил на улице и в школе. Попытки тёти Поли привить ему элементарные стереотипы поведения не могут увенчаться успехом. Том – идеальный мальчишка и сорванец в глазах мальчишек всего мира. С одной стороны это гипербола, но с другой стороны, имея реальный прототипов, Том действительно несёт в себе всё лучшее, что может нести в себе подрастающий мужчина. Он смел, с обострённым чувством справедливости. Во многих эпизодах именно эти качества он проявляет при сложных жизненных ситуациях. Ещё одна черта, которая не может ни затронуть чувства американца. Это сметка и предприимчивость. Остаётся лишь вспомнить историю с побелкой забора, которая является ещё и далеко идущим проектом. Обременённый различными мальчишескими предрассудками, Том выглядит совершенно обычным мальчиком, что и подкупает читателя. Каждый видит в нём маленькое отражение себя.

Гек

Гек

Беспризорник при живом отце. Пьяница появляется в повести только в разговорах, но это уже как-то характеризует условия жизни этого мальчугана. Неизменный друг Тома и верный товарищ по всем приключениям. И если Том романтик и лидер в этой компании, то Гек – трезвый ум и жизненный опыт, который также необходим в этом тандеме.  У внимательного читателя складывается мнение, что Гек прописан автором, как вторая сторона медали подрастающего человека, гражданина Америки. Личность разделена на два типа – Том и Гек, которые неразрывны. В последующих повестях характер Гек раскроется более полно, и часто, в душе читателя эти два образа смешиваются и всегда получают симпатию.

Бэкки, тётя Полли, чернокожий Джим и метис Индеец Джо

тётя Полли

Это все люди, на общении с которыми проявляется всё самое лучшее в характере главного героя. Нежная любовь в девочке сверстнице и настоящая забота о ней в минуты опасности. Уважительное, хотя иногда ироничное, отношение к тётушке, которая тратит все свои силы, чтоб вырастить Тома настоящим добропорядочным гражданином. Чернокожий раб, который является показателем тогдашней Америки и отношения к рабовладению всей прогрессивной общественности, ведь Том дружит и с ним, оправданно считая его равным. Отношение к Индейцу Джо у автора, а значит и Тома, далеко не однозначное.

Итоговый вывод

Романтика индейского мира в то время ещё не была так идеализирована. Но внутренняя жалость к погибшему от голода в пещере метису характеризует не только мальчишку. Реалии Дикого Запада просматриваются в этом образе, хитрый и жестокий метис мстит своей жизнью всем белым. Он пытается выжить в этом мире, и общество разрешает ему это. Того глубокого осуждения, которое казалось бы должно было быть для вора и убийцы, мы не видим.

Продолжение эпопеи приключений

 В дальнейшем Марк Твен написал ещё несколько повестей о Томе и друге его Геке. Автор взрослел вместе со своими героями, менялась и Америка. И уже в последующих повестях не было той романтичной бесшабашности, но появлялось всё больше горькой правды жизни. Но даже в этих реалиях и Том, и Гек, и Бэкки сохраняли в себе свои лучшие качества, полученные ими в детстве на берегах Миссисипи в маленьком городке с далёким именем русской столицы – Санкт-Петербург. С этими героями не хочется расставаться, и они так и остаются идеалами в сердцах мальчишек той эпохи.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer 1876 frontispiece.jpg

Front piece of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876 1st edition.

Author Mark Twain
Country United States
Language English
Genre Bildungsroman, picaresque novel, satire, folk, children’s literature
Publisher American Publishing Company

Publication date

1876[1]
OCLC 47052486

Dewey Decimal

813.4
LC Class PZ7.T88 Ad 2001
Followed by Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 
Text The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Wikisource

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy.[2] In the novel, Tom Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn. Originally a commercial failure, the book ended up being the best selling of Twain’s works during his lifetime.[3][4]
Though overshadowed by its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the book is considered by many to be a masterpiece of American literature.[5] It was one of the first novels to be written on a typewriter.

Plot[edit]

Tom and Becky lost in the caves. Illustration from the 1876 edition by artist True Williams.

Tom Sawyer is an orphan who lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, sometime in the 1840s. A fun-loving boy, he frequently skips school to play or go swimming. When Aunt Polly catches him sneaking home late on a Friday evening and discovers that he has been in a fight, she makes him whitewash her fence the next day as punishment.

Tom cleverly persuades several neighborhood children to trade him small trinkets and treasures for the «privilege» of doing his tedious work, using reverse psychology to convince them of its enjoyable nature. Later, Tom trades the trinkets with students in his Sunday school class for tickets, given out for memorizing verses of Scripture. He collects enough tickets to earn a prized Bible from the teacher, despite being one of the worst students in the class and knowing almost nothing of Scripture, eliciting envy from the students and a mixture of pride and shock from the adults.

Tom falls in love with a girl named Becky Thatcher, who is new in town and the daughter of a prominent judge. Tom wins the admiration of Judge Thatcher in the church by obtaining the Bible as a prize, but reveals his ignorance when he is unable to answer basic questions about Scripture. Tom pursues Becky, eventually persuading her to get engaged by kissing her. Their romance soon collapses when she discovers that Tom was engaged to another schoolgirl, Amy Lawrence.

Shortly after Becky spurns Tom, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn, a vagrant boy whom all the other boys admire, to a graveyard at midnight to perform a superstitious ritual intended to heal warts. At the graveyard, they witness a trio of body snatchers, Dr. Robinson, Muff Potter and Injun Joe, robbing a grave. A fight breaks out, during which Robinson knocks Potter unconscious and is then murdered by Injun Joe. When Potter wakes up, Injun Joe puts the weapon in his hand and tells him that he killed Robinson while drunk. Tom and Huck swear a blood oath not to tell anyone about the murder, fearing that Injun Joe will find out and kill them for revenge. Potter is arrested and jailed to await trial, not disputing Injun Joe’s claim.

Tom grows bored with school, and he, his friend/classmate Joe Harper, and Huck run away to Jackson’s Island in the Mississippi River to begin life as «pirates». While enjoying their freedom, they become aware that the community is scouring the river for their bodies, as the boys are missing and presumed dead. Tom sneaks back home one night to observe the commotion and after a brief moment of remorse at his loved ones’ suffering, he is struck by the grand idea of appearing at his funeral. The trio later carries out this scheme, making a sensational and sudden appearance at church in the middle of their joint funeral service, winning the immense respect of their classmates for the stunt. Back in school, Becky rips a page in the school master’s anatomy book after Tom startles her, but Tom regains her admiration by nobly accepting the blame and punishment for her action.

During Potter’s murder trial, Tom breaks his oath with Huck and testifies for the defense, identifying Injun Joe as the actual culprit. Injun Joe flees the courtroom before he can be apprehended; Potter is acquitted, but Tom and Huck now live in constant fear for their lives.

Once school lets out for the summer, Tom and Huck decide to hunt for buried treasure in the area. While investigating an abandoned house, they are interrupted by the arrival of two men; one of them is a Spaniard, supposedly deaf-mute, whom the boys recognize as Injun Joe in disguise. He and his partner plan to bury some stolen treasure of their own in the house, but inadvertently discover a large hoard of gold coins while doing so. They decide to move it to a new hiding place, which Tom and Huck are determined to find. One night, Huck follows the men and overhears them planning to break into the home of the wealthy Widow Douglas so Injun Joe can mutilate her face in revenge for being publicly whipped for vagrancy − a punishment handed down by her late husband, a justice of the peace. Huck summons help and thus prevents the break-in, but asks that his name not be made public for fear of retaliation by Injun Joe.

Shortly before Huck stops the crime, Tom goes on a picnic to a local cave with Becky and their classmates. Tom and Becky become lost and wander in the cave for several days, facing starvation and dehydration. Becky becomes extremely dehydrated and weak, and Tom’s search for a way out grows more desperate. He encounters Injun Joe by chance, but is not seen. He eventually finds an exit, and he and Becky are joyfully welcomed back to town, learning that they have been missing for three days and traveled five miles from the entrance. Judge Thatcher has the cave’s entrance door reinforced and locked. When Tom hears of this action two weeks later, he is horror-stricken, knowing that Injun Joe is still inside. He directs a posse to the cave, where they find Injun Joe dead of starvation just inside the entrance.

A week later, having deduced from Injun Joe’s presence that the stolen gold must be hidden in the cave, Tom takes Huck there in search of it. They find the gold, which totals over $12,000 and is invested on their behalf. The Widow Douglas adopts Huck, but he finds the restrictions of a civilized home life painful, attempting to escape back to his vagrant life. He reluctantly returns to the widow, persuaded by Tom’s offer to form a high-class robber gang.

Significance[edit]

The novel has elements of humor, satire and social criticism – features that later made Mark Twain one of the most important authors of American literature. Mark Twain describes some autobiographical events in the book. The novel’s setting of St. Petersburg is based on Twain’s actual boyhood home of Hannibal, near St. Louis, and many of the places in it are real and today support a tourist industry as a result.[6]

The concept of boyhood is developed through Tom’s actions, including his runaway adventure with Joe and Huckleberry. To help show how mischievous and messy boyhood was, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs shows a picture of a young boy smoking a pipe, sawing furniture, climbing all over the place, and sleeping. In Twain’s novel, Tom and his friend are young when they decide they want to learn how to smoke a pipe. Tom and Joe do this to show just how cool they are to the other boys.
[7]

Inception[edit]

Tom Sawyer is Twain’s first attempt to write a novel on his own. He had previously written contemporary autobiographical narratives (The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims’ Progress, Roughing It) and two short texts called sketches which parody the youth literature of the time. These are The Story of the Good Boy and The Story of the Wicked Little Boy which are satirical texts of a few pages. In the first, a model child is never rewarded and ends up dying before he can declaim his last words which he has carefully prepared. In the second story, an evil little boy steals and lies, like Tom Sawyer, but finishes rich and successful. Tom appears as a mixture of these little boys since he is at the same time a scamp and a boy endowed with a certain generosity.

By the time he wrote Tom Sawyer, Twain was already a successful author based on the popularity of The Innocents Abroad. He owned a large house in Hartford, Connecticut but needed another success to support himself, with a wife and two daughters. He had collaborated on a novel with Charles Dudley Warner, The Gilded Age published in 1874.[8]

He had earlier written an unpublished memoir of his own life on the Mississippi and had corresponded with a boyhood friend, Will Bowen, both of which had evoked many memories and were used as source material.

Twain named his fictional character after a San Francisco fireman whom he met in June 1863. The real Tom Sawyer was a local hero, famous for rescuing 90 passengers after a shipwreck. The two remained friendly during Twain’s three-year stay in San Francisco, often drinking and gambling together.[9]

Publication[edit]

Frontispiece and title page of the first American edition

In November 1875 Twain gave the manuscript to Elisha Bliss of the American Publishing Company, who sent it to True Williams for the illustrations. A little later, Twain had the text also quickly published at Chatto and Windus of London, in June 1876, but without illustration. Pirate editions appeared very quickly in Canada and Germany. The American Publishing Company finally published its edition in December 1876, which was the first illustrated edition of Tom Sawyer.[10]

These two editions differ slightly. After completing his manuscript, Twain had a copy made of it. It is this copy which was read and annotated by his friend William Dean Howells. Howells and Twain corresponded through fairly informal, handwritten letters discussing many aspects of his works and manuscripts; language choices, character development, as well as racial development and depiction. Twain then made his own corrections based on Howells’ comments which he later incorporated in the original manuscript, but some corrections escaped him. The English edition was based on this corrected copy, while the illustrated American edition was based on the original manuscript. To further complicate matters, Twain was personally concerned with the revision of the proofs of the American edition, which he did not do for the English edition. The American edition is therefore considered the authoritative edition.

Criticism[edit]

A third person narrator describes the experiences of the boys, interspersed with occasional social commentary. In its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain changes to a first person narrative which takes moral conflicts more personally and thus makes greater social criticism possible.[11] The two other subsequent books, Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective, are similarly in the first person narrative from the perspective of Huckleberry Finn.

The book has raised controversy for its use of the racial epithet «nigger»; a bowdlerized version aroused indignation among some literary critics, although it’s absent in most adaptations.[12]

The book has been criticized for its caricature-like portrayal of Native Americans through the character Injun Joe. He is depicted as malevolent for the sake of malevolence, is not allowed to redeem himself in any way by Twain, dies a pitiful and despairing death in a cave and upon his death is treated as a tourist attraction. Revard suggests that the adults in the novel blame the character’s Indian blood as the cause of his evil.[13]

Sequels and other works featuring Tom Sawyer[edit]

  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
  • Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894)
  • Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896)

Tom Sawyer, the story’s title character, also appears in two other uncompleted sequels: Huck and Tom Among the Indians and Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy. He is also a character in Twain’s unfinished Schoolhouse Hill.

Adaptations and influences[edit]

Film and television[edit]

  • Tom Sawyer (1917), directed by William Desmond Taylor, starring Jack Pickford as Tom[14]
  • Tom Sawyer (1930), directed by John Cromwell, starring Jackie Coogan as Tom[15]
  • Tom Sawyer (1936), Soviet Union version directed by Lazar Frenkel and Gleb Zatvornitsky[16]
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Technicolor film by the Selznick Studio, starring Tommy Kelly as Tom and directed by Norman Taurog; notable is the cave sequence designed by William Cameron Menzies[17]
  • Tom Sawyer (1956), a musical episode of the U.S. Steel Hour, written by Frank Luther and starring John Sharpe as Tom and Jimmy Boyd as Huck.
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1960), BBC television series in 7 episodes starring Fred Smith as Tom and Janina Faye as Becky. The series’ theme song was «John Gilbert is the Boat», sung by Peggy Seeger[18]
  • Les aventures de Tom Sawyer (1968), Romanian/French/West German television miniseries directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner, starring Roland Demongeot as Tom and Marc Di Napoli as Huck[19]
  • Aventurile lui Tom Sawyer (1968), Romanian movie directed by Mircea Albulescu.
  • The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968), a half-hour live-action/animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions[20]
  • Las Aventuras de Juliancito (1969), Mexican film[21]
  • Tom Sawyer (1973), musical adaptation by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, with Johnny Whitaker in the title role, Jeff East as Huck Finn, Jodie Foster as Becky Thatcher, and Celeste Holm as Aunt Polly.[22]
  • Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer (1973), TV movie version sponsored by Dr Pepper, starring Buddy Ebsen as Muff Potter and filmed in Upper Canada Village[23]
  • Páni kluci (1976), Czech movie directed by Věra Plívová-Šimková
  • Huckleberry Finn and His Friends (1979), TV series[24]
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1980), Japanese anime television series by Nippon Animation, part of the World Masterpiece Theater, aired in the United States on HBO
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn [ru] (Приключения Тома Сойера и Гекльберри Финна), 1981 Soviet Union 3 episodes version directed by Stanislav Govorukhin[25]
  • Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1982), a made-for-TV movie, starring Patrick Creadon as Tom and Anthony Michael Hall as Huck.
  • Sawyer and Finn (1983), American television series pilot in which Tom Sawyer (Peter Horton) and Huck Finn (Michael Dudikoff) reunite by chance 10 years after the original story and seek new adventures in the Old West.
  • Tom Sawyer (1984), Canadian claymation version produced by Hal Roach studios[citation needed]
  • Wishbone (1995), the first episode «A Tail in Twain» had the title character imagining himself as the title character, with the character of Injun Joe being referred to as «Crazy Joe».
  • Tom and Huck (1995), starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tom and Brad Renfro as Huck Finn.[26]
  • The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1998), Canadian version, written by Bob Merrill and directed by William R. Kowalchuk Jr. Uses the voices of Ryan Slater, Christopher Lloyd and Kirsten Dunst.[27]
  • Tom Sawyer (2000), animated adaptation featuring the characters as anthropomorphic animals instead of humans with an all-star voice cast, including country singers Rhett Akins, Mark Wills, Lee Ann Womack, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Williams Jr. as well as Betty White.[28]
  • Thomas Sawyer, as a young adult, is a character in the movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, portrayed by Shane West. Here, Tom is a U.S. Secret Service agent who joins the team’s fight against Professor Moriarty.
  • Tom Sawyer [de] (2011), German version, directed by Hermine Huntgeburth.
  • Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014), starring Joel Courtney as Tom and Jake T. Austin as Huck.
  • Band of Robbers, a 2015 American crime comedy film written and directed by the Nee Brothers.[29]

Theatrical[edit]

  • From 1932 to 1933, German philosopher Theodor Adorno adapted The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a ballad opera titled Der Schatz des Indianer-Joe (Treasure of Joe, the Indian). He never finished the musical accompaniment. The libretto was published by his wife Gretel Adorno and student Rolf Tiedemann in 1979.[30]
  • In 1956, We’re From Missouri, a musical adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with book, music, and lyrics by Tom Boyd, was presented by the students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
  • In 1960, Tom Boyd’s musical version (re-titled Tom Sawyer) was presented professionally at Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, England, and in 1961 toured provincial theatres in England.[31][32]
  • In 1981, the play The Boys in Autumn by the American dramatist Bernhard Sabath premiered in San Francisco. In the play, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meet again as old men. Despite good reviews, the play has remained largely unknown.[33]
  • In the 1985 musical Big River by William Hauptman and Roger Miller, Tom is a secondary character, played by John Short from 1985 to 1987.
  • In 2001, the musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Ken Ludwig and Don Schlitz, debuted on Broadway.[34]
  • In 2015, the Mark Twain House and Museum selected 17-year-old Noah Altshuler (writer of Making the Move), as Mark Twain Playwright in Residence, to create a modern, meta-fictional adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for regional and commercial production.[35]

Ballet[edit]

Tom Sawyer: A Ballet in Three Acts premiered on October 14, 2011, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. The score was by composer Maury Yeston, with choreography by William Whitener, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet.[36][37] A review in The New York Times observed: «It’s quite likely that this is the first all-new, entirely American three-act ballet: it is based on an American literary classic, has an original score by an American composer and was given its premiere by an American choreographer and company. … Both the score and the choreography are energetic, robust, warm, deliberately naïve (both ornery and innocent), in ways right for Twain.»[38]

Comic books[edit]

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has been adapted into comic book form many times:

  • Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (Stoll & Edwards Co., 1925) – collection of the comic strip of the same name by Clare Victor Dwiggins, syndicated by the McClure Syndicate beginning in 1918
  • Classics Illustrated #50: «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» (Gilberton, August 1948) – adapted by Harry G. Miller and Aldo Rubano; reprinted extensively
  • Dell Junior Treasury #10: «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» (Dell Comics, October 1957) – adapted by Frank Thorne
  • Joyas Literarias Juveniles #60: «Tom Sawyer detective» (Editorial Bruguera, 1972) – adapted by Miguel Cussó and Edmond Fernández Ripoll
  • Tom Sawyer (Pendulum Illustrated Classics, Pendulum Press, 1973) – adapted by Irwin Shapiro and E. R. Cruz;[39] reprinted in Marvel Classics Comics #7 (1976) and a number of other places
  • Joyas Literarias Juveniles #182: «Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer» (Editorial Bruguera, 1977) – adapted by Juan Manuel González Cremona and Xirinius [as Jaime Juez]
  • Classics Illustrated #9: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (First Comics, May 1990) – adapted by Mike Ploog; reprinted in Classics Illustrated #19 (NBM, 2014)
  • Tom Sawyer (An All-Action Classic #2) (Sterling Publishing, 2008) – adapted by Rad Sechrist
  • Classics Illustrated Deluxe #4: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Papercutz, 2009) – adapted by Jean-David Morvan, Frederique Voulyze, and Severine Le Fevebvre
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Capstone Publishers, 2007) – adapted by Daniel Strickland
  • Manga Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (UDON Entertainment Manga Classics, April 2018)[40] – adapted by Crystal Silvermoon and Kuma Chan

Video games[edit]

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, an action-platformer for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released by SeTa in February 1989 in Japan and August that same year in North America.
  • Square’s Tom Sawyer, a role-playing video game produced by Square. It was released in March 1989 for Japan on the Famicom.

Internet[edit]

On November 30, 2011, to celebrate Twain’s 176th birthday, the Google Doodle was a scene from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.[41]

Theme park attractions[edit]

An opening day attraction at Six Flags Over Mid America (Now Six Flags St Louis) was Injun Joe’s Cave which told the story of Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher as they escaped from Injun Joe after his murdering of Dr. Robinson. They attraction was open until 1978 when it was replaced with «The Time Tunnel». To this day, the building that housed this former attraction is home to «Justice League Battle for Metropolis.

See also[edit]

  • List of Tom Sawyer characters
  • Mark Twain bibliography
  • The Story of a Bad Boy
  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

References[edit]

  1. ^ Facsimile of the original 1st edition.
  2. ^ «American Literature: Mark Twain». www.americanliterature.com. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  3. ^ Railton, Stephen. «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer». Mark Twain in His Times. University of Virginia. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ Messent, Peter (2007). The Cambridge Introduction to Mark Twain. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139462273. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ «United States History: Mark Twain». Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  6. ^ Norkunas, Martha K. (1993). The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California. SUNY Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0791414842.
  7. ^ «Leedle Yawcob Strauss». THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS. L. Prang & Co. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  8. ^ Gailey, Amanda (June 2013). «The Gilded Age : A Tale of Today». Encyclopedia of American Literature. ISBN 9781438140773.
  9. ^ Graysmith, Robert (October 2012). «The Adventures of the Real Tom Sawyer». Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Twain, Mark (1967). Hill, Hamlin Lewis (ed.). Mark Twain’s Letters to his Publishers 1867-1894. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520005600. tom sawyer chatto and windus 1876.
  11. ^ Groß-Langenhoff, Barbara (2006). Social Criticism in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. GRIN Verlag. ISBN 978-3638456821.
  12. ^ «Opinion | That’s Not Twain». The New York Times. 2011. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  13. ^ Revard, Carter (1999). «Why Mark Twain Murdered Injun Joe: And Will Never Be Indicted». The Massachusetts Review. 40 (4): 643–670. JSTOR 25091596.
  14. ^ «Tom Sawyer». Archived from the original on 2012-02-07.
  15. ^ «Tom Sawyer (1930)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  16. ^ «Tom Sawyer (1936)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  17. ^ «THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1938)». tcm.com. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  18. ^ «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1960– )». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  19. ^ «Les aventur Sawyer (1968– )». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  20. ^ «The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968–1969)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  21. ^ «Aventuras de Juliancito (1969)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  22. ^ «Tom Sawyer (1973)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  23. ^ «Tom Sawyer (TV 1973)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  24. ^ «Huckleberry Finn and His Friends (1979– )». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  25. ^ Mark Deming (2009). «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1981)». Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 29, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  26. ^ «Tom and Huck (1995)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  27. ^ «The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer». Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  28. ^ «Tom Sawyer (Video 2000)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  29. ^ «Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014)». IMDB. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  30. ^ Adorno, Theodor (1979). Tiedemann, Rolf (ed.). Schatz des Indianer-Joe (in German). Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag.
  31. ^ «TOM SAWYER — London production». www.tomboyd.net. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  32. ^ Frankos, Laura (2010-01-01). The Broadway Musical Quiz Book. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 267. ISBN 9781423492757.
  33. ^ Rich, Frank (1986-05-01). «THEATER: ‘THE BOYS IN AUTUMN’«. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  34. ^ Weber, Bruce (2001-04-27). «THEATER REVIEW; An Older (and Calmer) Tom Sawyer». The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  35. ^ Giola, Michael (March 24, 2015). «Could a 17-Year-Old Bring Mark Twain’s «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» Back to Broadway?». Playbill.
  36. ^ Horsley, Paul. «An American Ballet: KCB Presents World Premiere Of Ambitious New Piece» Archived 2013-01-27 at archive.today, KCIndependent.com, accessed June 23, 2012
  37. ^ Jones, Kenneth. «Maury Yeston’s Tom Sawyer Ballet Will Get World Premiere in 2011» Archived 2010-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, November 9, 2012
  38. ^ Macaulay, Alastair. «Yes, Those Are Tom, Becky and Huck Leaping», NYTimes.com, October 24, 2011,
  39. ^ Inge, M. Thomas. «Comics», The Mark Twain Encyclopedia. Ed. J. R. LeMaster and James D. Wilson. (New York: Garland, 1993), pp. 168-71.
  40. ^ Manga Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2018) UDON Entertainment ISBN 978-1947808027
  41. ^ «Mark Twain’s 176th Birthday», google.com, November 30, 2011

Further reading[edit]

  • Beaver, Harold, et al., eds. «The role of structure in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.» Huckleberry Finn. Vol. 1. No. 8. (New York: Johns Hopkins Textual Studies, 1987) pp. 1–57.
  • Beringer, Alex. «Humbug History: The Politics of Puffery in Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy.» Mark Twain Annual 14.1 (2016): 114–126. Online
  • Blair, Walter. «On the Structure of» Tom Sawyer».» Modern Philology 37.1 (1939): 75-88.
  • Buchen, Callista. «Writing the Imperial Question at Home: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians Revisited.» Mark Twain Annual 9 (2011): 111–129. online
  • Caron, James E. «The Arc of Mark Twain’s Satire, or Tom Sawyer the Moral Snag.» American Literary Realism 51.1 (2018): 36–58. Online[dead link]
  • Dillingham, William B. «Setting and Theme in Tom Sawyer.» Mark Twain Journal 12.2 (1964): 6-8 online.
  • Gribben, Alan. «Tom Sawyer, Tom Canty, and Huckleberry Finn: The Boy Book and Mark Twain.» Mark Twain Journal 55.1/2 (2017): 127-144 online
  • Hill, Hamlin L. «The Composition and the Structure of Tom Sawyer.» American Literature 32.4 (1961): 379-392 online.
  • Roberts, James L. CliffsNotes Twain’s The adventures of Tom Sawyer (2001) online free to borrow
  • Simpson, Claude Mitchell, ed. Twentieth century interpretations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: a collection of critical essays (Prentice Hall, 1968).
  • Tibbetts, John C., And James M, Welsh, eds. The Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film (2005) pp 3–5.
  • Towers, Tom H. «I Never Thought We Might Want to Come Back»: Strategies of Transcendence in» Tom Sawyer.» Modern Fiction Studies 21.4 (1975): 509-520 online.

External links[edit]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Standard Ebooks
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Project Gutenberg
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer public domain audiobook at LibriVox
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The digitized copy of the first American edition from Internet Archive (1876).
  • First edition illustrations by True Williams Archived 2017-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer 1876 frontispiece.jpg

Front piece of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876 1st edition.

Author Mark Twain
Country United States
Language English
Genre Bildungsroman, picaresque novel, satire, folk, children’s literature
Publisher American Publishing Company

Publication date

1876[1]
OCLC 47052486

Dewey Decimal

813.4
LC Class PZ7.T88 Ad 2001
Followed by Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 
Text The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Wikisource

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy.[2] In the novel, Tom Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn. Originally a commercial failure, the book ended up being the best selling of Twain’s works during his lifetime.[3][4]
Though overshadowed by its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the book is considered by many to be a masterpiece of American literature.[5] It was one of the first novels to be written on a typewriter.

Plot[edit]

Tom and Becky lost in the caves. Illustration from the 1876 edition by artist True Williams.

Tom Sawyer is an orphan who lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, sometime in the 1840s. A fun-loving boy, he frequently skips school to play or go swimming. When Aunt Polly catches him sneaking home late on a Friday evening and discovers that he has been in a fight, she makes him whitewash her fence the next day as punishment.

Tom cleverly persuades several neighborhood children to trade him small trinkets and treasures for the «privilege» of doing his tedious work, using reverse psychology to convince them of its enjoyable nature. Later, Tom trades the trinkets with students in his Sunday school class for tickets, given out for memorizing verses of Scripture. He collects enough tickets to earn a prized Bible from the teacher, despite being one of the worst students in the class and knowing almost nothing of Scripture, eliciting envy from the students and a mixture of pride and shock from the adults.

Tom falls in love with a girl named Becky Thatcher, who is new in town and the daughter of a prominent judge. Tom wins the admiration of Judge Thatcher in the church by obtaining the Bible as a prize, but reveals his ignorance when he is unable to answer basic questions about Scripture. Tom pursues Becky, eventually persuading her to get engaged by kissing her. Their romance soon collapses when she discovers that Tom was engaged to another schoolgirl, Amy Lawrence.

Shortly after Becky spurns Tom, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn, a vagrant boy whom all the other boys admire, to a graveyard at midnight to perform a superstitious ritual intended to heal warts. At the graveyard, they witness a trio of body snatchers, Dr. Robinson, Muff Potter and Injun Joe, robbing a grave. A fight breaks out, during which Robinson knocks Potter unconscious and is then murdered by Injun Joe. When Potter wakes up, Injun Joe puts the weapon in his hand and tells him that he killed Robinson while drunk. Tom and Huck swear a blood oath not to tell anyone about the murder, fearing that Injun Joe will find out and kill them for revenge. Potter is arrested and jailed to await trial, not disputing Injun Joe’s claim.

Tom grows bored with school, and he, his friend/classmate Joe Harper, and Huck run away to Jackson’s Island in the Mississippi River to begin life as «pirates». While enjoying their freedom, they become aware that the community is scouring the river for their bodies, as the boys are missing and presumed dead. Tom sneaks back home one night to observe the commotion and after a brief moment of remorse at his loved ones’ suffering, he is struck by the grand idea of appearing at his funeral. The trio later carries out this scheme, making a sensational and sudden appearance at church in the middle of their joint funeral service, winning the immense respect of their classmates for the stunt. Back in school, Becky rips a page in the school master’s anatomy book after Tom startles her, but Tom regains her admiration by nobly accepting the blame and punishment for her action.

During Potter’s murder trial, Tom breaks his oath with Huck and testifies for the defense, identifying Injun Joe as the actual culprit. Injun Joe flees the courtroom before he can be apprehended; Potter is acquitted, but Tom and Huck now live in constant fear for their lives.

Once school lets out for the summer, Tom and Huck decide to hunt for buried treasure in the area. While investigating an abandoned house, they are interrupted by the arrival of two men; one of them is a Spaniard, supposedly deaf-mute, whom the boys recognize as Injun Joe in disguise. He and his partner plan to bury some stolen treasure of their own in the house, but inadvertently discover a large hoard of gold coins while doing so. They decide to move it to a new hiding place, which Tom and Huck are determined to find. One night, Huck follows the men and overhears them planning to break into the home of the wealthy Widow Douglas so Injun Joe can mutilate her face in revenge for being publicly whipped for vagrancy − a punishment handed down by her late husband, a justice of the peace. Huck summons help and thus prevents the break-in, but asks that his name not be made public for fear of retaliation by Injun Joe.

Shortly before Huck stops the crime, Tom goes on a picnic to a local cave with Becky and their classmates. Tom and Becky become lost and wander in the cave for several days, facing starvation and dehydration. Becky becomes extremely dehydrated and weak, and Tom’s search for a way out grows more desperate. He encounters Injun Joe by chance, but is not seen. He eventually finds an exit, and he and Becky are joyfully welcomed back to town, learning that they have been missing for three days and traveled five miles from the entrance. Judge Thatcher has the cave’s entrance door reinforced and locked. When Tom hears of this action two weeks later, he is horror-stricken, knowing that Injun Joe is still inside. He directs a posse to the cave, where they find Injun Joe dead of starvation just inside the entrance.

A week later, having deduced from Injun Joe’s presence that the stolen gold must be hidden in the cave, Tom takes Huck there in search of it. They find the gold, which totals over $12,000 and is invested on their behalf. The Widow Douglas adopts Huck, but he finds the restrictions of a civilized home life painful, attempting to escape back to his vagrant life. He reluctantly returns to the widow, persuaded by Tom’s offer to form a high-class robber gang.

Significance[edit]

The novel has elements of humor, satire and social criticism – features that later made Mark Twain one of the most important authors of American literature. Mark Twain describes some autobiographical events in the book. The novel’s setting of St. Petersburg is based on Twain’s actual boyhood home of Hannibal, near St. Louis, and many of the places in it are real and today support a tourist industry as a result.[6]

The concept of boyhood is developed through Tom’s actions, including his runaway adventure with Joe and Huckleberry. To help show how mischievous and messy boyhood was, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs shows a picture of a young boy smoking a pipe, sawing furniture, climbing all over the place, and sleeping. In Twain’s novel, Tom and his friend are young when they decide they want to learn how to smoke a pipe. Tom and Joe do this to show just how cool they are to the other boys.
[7]

Inception[edit]

Tom Sawyer is Twain’s first attempt to write a novel on his own. He had previously written contemporary autobiographical narratives (The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims’ Progress, Roughing It) and two short texts called sketches which parody the youth literature of the time. These are The Story of the Good Boy and The Story of the Wicked Little Boy which are satirical texts of a few pages. In the first, a model child is never rewarded and ends up dying before he can declaim his last words which he has carefully prepared. In the second story, an evil little boy steals and lies, like Tom Sawyer, but finishes rich and successful. Tom appears as a mixture of these little boys since he is at the same time a scamp and a boy endowed with a certain generosity.

By the time he wrote Tom Sawyer, Twain was already a successful author based on the popularity of The Innocents Abroad. He owned a large house in Hartford, Connecticut but needed another success to support himself, with a wife and two daughters. He had collaborated on a novel with Charles Dudley Warner, The Gilded Age published in 1874.[8]

He had earlier written an unpublished memoir of his own life on the Mississippi and had corresponded with a boyhood friend, Will Bowen, both of which had evoked many memories and were used as source material.

Twain named his fictional character after a San Francisco fireman whom he met in June 1863. The real Tom Sawyer was a local hero, famous for rescuing 90 passengers after a shipwreck. The two remained friendly during Twain’s three-year stay in San Francisco, often drinking and gambling together.[9]

Publication[edit]

Frontispiece and title page of the first American edition

In November 1875 Twain gave the manuscript to Elisha Bliss of the American Publishing Company, who sent it to True Williams for the illustrations. A little later, Twain had the text also quickly published at Chatto and Windus of London, in June 1876, but without illustration. Pirate editions appeared very quickly in Canada and Germany. The American Publishing Company finally published its edition in December 1876, which was the first illustrated edition of Tom Sawyer.[10]

These two editions differ slightly. After completing his manuscript, Twain had a copy made of it. It is this copy which was read and annotated by his friend William Dean Howells. Howells and Twain corresponded through fairly informal, handwritten letters discussing many aspects of his works and manuscripts; language choices, character development, as well as racial development and depiction. Twain then made his own corrections based on Howells’ comments which he later incorporated in the original manuscript, but some corrections escaped him. The English edition was based on this corrected copy, while the illustrated American edition was based on the original manuscript. To further complicate matters, Twain was personally concerned with the revision of the proofs of the American edition, which he did not do for the English edition. The American edition is therefore considered the authoritative edition.

Criticism[edit]

A third person narrator describes the experiences of the boys, interspersed with occasional social commentary. In its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain changes to a first person narrative which takes moral conflicts more personally and thus makes greater social criticism possible.[11] The two other subsequent books, Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective, are similarly in the first person narrative from the perspective of Huckleberry Finn.

The book has raised controversy for its use of the racial epithet «nigger»; a bowdlerized version aroused indignation among some literary critics, although it’s absent in most adaptations.[12]

The book has been criticized for its caricature-like portrayal of Native Americans through the character Injun Joe. He is depicted as malevolent for the sake of malevolence, is not allowed to redeem himself in any way by Twain, dies a pitiful and despairing death in a cave and upon his death is treated as a tourist attraction. Revard suggests that the adults in the novel blame the character’s Indian blood as the cause of his evil.[13]

Sequels and other works featuring Tom Sawyer[edit]

  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
  • Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894)
  • Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896)

Tom Sawyer, the story’s title character, also appears in two other uncompleted sequels: Huck and Tom Among the Indians and Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy. He is also a character in Twain’s unfinished Schoolhouse Hill.

Adaptations and influences[edit]

Film and television[edit]

  • Tom Sawyer (1917), directed by William Desmond Taylor, starring Jack Pickford as Tom[14]
  • Tom Sawyer (1930), directed by John Cromwell, starring Jackie Coogan as Tom[15]
  • Tom Sawyer (1936), Soviet Union version directed by Lazar Frenkel and Gleb Zatvornitsky[16]
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Technicolor film by the Selznick Studio, starring Tommy Kelly as Tom and directed by Norman Taurog; notable is the cave sequence designed by William Cameron Menzies[17]
  • Tom Sawyer (1956), a musical episode of the U.S. Steel Hour, written by Frank Luther and starring John Sharpe as Tom and Jimmy Boyd as Huck.
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1960), BBC television series in 7 episodes starring Fred Smith as Tom and Janina Faye as Becky. The series’ theme song was «John Gilbert is the Boat», sung by Peggy Seeger[18]
  • Les aventures de Tom Sawyer (1968), Romanian/French/West German television miniseries directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner, starring Roland Demongeot as Tom and Marc Di Napoli as Huck[19]
  • Aventurile lui Tom Sawyer (1968), Romanian movie directed by Mircea Albulescu.
  • The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968), a half-hour live-action/animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions[20]
  • Las Aventuras de Juliancito (1969), Mexican film[21]
  • Tom Sawyer (1973), musical adaptation by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, with Johnny Whitaker in the title role, Jeff East as Huck Finn, Jodie Foster as Becky Thatcher, and Celeste Holm as Aunt Polly.[22]
  • Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer (1973), TV movie version sponsored by Dr Pepper, starring Buddy Ebsen as Muff Potter and filmed in Upper Canada Village[23]
  • Páni kluci (1976), Czech movie directed by Věra Plívová-Šimková
  • Huckleberry Finn and His Friends (1979), TV series[24]
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1980), Japanese anime television series by Nippon Animation, part of the World Masterpiece Theater, aired in the United States on HBO
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn [ru] (Приключения Тома Сойера и Гекльберри Финна), 1981 Soviet Union 3 episodes version directed by Stanislav Govorukhin[25]
  • Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1982), a made-for-TV movie, starring Patrick Creadon as Tom and Anthony Michael Hall as Huck.
  • Sawyer and Finn (1983), American television series pilot in which Tom Sawyer (Peter Horton) and Huck Finn (Michael Dudikoff) reunite by chance 10 years after the original story and seek new adventures in the Old West.
  • Tom Sawyer (1984), Canadian claymation version produced by Hal Roach studios[citation needed]
  • Wishbone (1995), the first episode «A Tail in Twain» had the title character imagining himself as the title character, with the character of Injun Joe being referred to as «Crazy Joe».
  • Tom and Huck (1995), starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tom and Brad Renfro as Huck Finn.[26]
  • The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1998), Canadian version, written by Bob Merrill and directed by William R. Kowalchuk Jr. Uses the voices of Ryan Slater, Christopher Lloyd and Kirsten Dunst.[27]
  • Tom Sawyer (2000), animated adaptation featuring the characters as anthropomorphic animals instead of humans with an all-star voice cast, including country singers Rhett Akins, Mark Wills, Lee Ann Womack, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Williams Jr. as well as Betty White.[28]
  • Thomas Sawyer, as a young adult, is a character in the movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, portrayed by Shane West. Here, Tom is a U.S. Secret Service agent who joins the team’s fight against Professor Moriarty.
  • Tom Sawyer [de] (2011), German version, directed by Hermine Huntgeburth.
  • Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014), starring Joel Courtney as Tom and Jake T. Austin as Huck.
  • Band of Robbers, a 2015 American crime comedy film written and directed by the Nee Brothers.[29]

Theatrical[edit]

  • From 1932 to 1933, German philosopher Theodor Adorno adapted The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a ballad opera titled Der Schatz des Indianer-Joe (Treasure of Joe, the Indian). He never finished the musical accompaniment. The libretto was published by his wife Gretel Adorno and student Rolf Tiedemann in 1979.[30]
  • In 1956, We’re From Missouri, a musical adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with book, music, and lyrics by Tom Boyd, was presented by the students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
  • In 1960, Tom Boyd’s musical version (re-titled Tom Sawyer) was presented professionally at Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, England, and in 1961 toured provincial theatres in England.[31][32]
  • In 1981, the play The Boys in Autumn by the American dramatist Bernhard Sabath premiered in San Francisco. In the play, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meet again as old men. Despite good reviews, the play has remained largely unknown.[33]
  • In the 1985 musical Big River by William Hauptman and Roger Miller, Tom is a secondary character, played by John Short from 1985 to 1987.
  • In 2001, the musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Ken Ludwig and Don Schlitz, debuted on Broadway.[34]
  • In 2015, the Mark Twain House and Museum selected 17-year-old Noah Altshuler (writer of Making the Move), as Mark Twain Playwright in Residence, to create a modern, meta-fictional adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for regional and commercial production.[35]

Ballet[edit]

Tom Sawyer: A Ballet in Three Acts premiered on October 14, 2011, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. The score was by composer Maury Yeston, with choreography by William Whitener, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet.[36][37] A review in The New York Times observed: «It’s quite likely that this is the first all-new, entirely American three-act ballet: it is based on an American literary classic, has an original score by an American composer and was given its premiere by an American choreographer and company. … Both the score and the choreography are energetic, robust, warm, deliberately naïve (both ornery and innocent), in ways right for Twain.»[38]

Comic books[edit]

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has been adapted into comic book form many times:

  • Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (Stoll & Edwards Co., 1925) – collection of the comic strip of the same name by Clare Victor Dwiggins, syndicated by the McClure Syndicate beginning in 1918
  • Classics Illustrated #50: «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» (Gilberton, August 1948) – adapted by Harry G. Miller and Aldo Rubano; reprinted extensively
  • Dell Junior Treasury #10: «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» (Dell Comics, October 1957) – adapted by Frank Thorne
  • Joyas Literarias Juveniles #60: «Tom Sawyer detective» (Editorial Bruguera, 1972) – adapted by Miguel Cussó and Edmond Fernández Ripoll
  • Tom Sawyer (Pendulum Illustrated Classics, Pendulum Press, 1973) – adapted by Irwin Shapiro and E. R. Cruz;[39] reprinted in Marvel Classics Comics #7 (1976) and a number of other places
  • Joyas Literarias Juveniles #182: «Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer» (Editorial Bruguera, 1977) – adapted by Juan Manuel González Cremona and Xirinius [as Jaime Juez]
  • Classics Illustrated #9: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (First Comics, May 1990) – adapted by Mike Ploog; reprinted in Classics Illustrated #19 (NBM, 2014)
  • Tom Sawyer (An All-Action Classic #2) (Sterling Publishing, 2008) – adapted by Rad Sechrist
  • Classics Illustrated Deluxe #4: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Papercutz, 2009) – adapted by Jean-David Morvan, Frederique Voulyze, and Severine Le Fevebvre
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Capstone Publishers, 2007) – adapted by Daniel Strickland
  • Manga Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (UDON Entertainment Manga Classics, April 2018)[40] – adapted by Crystal Silvermoon and Kuma Chan

Video games[edit]

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, an action-platformer for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released by SeTa in February 1989 in Japan and August that same year in North America.
  • Square’s Tom Sawyer, a role-playing video game produced by Square. It was released in March 1989 for Japan on the Famicom.

Internet[edit]

On November 30, 2011, to celebrate Twain’s 176th birthday, the Google Doodle was a scene from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.[41]

Theme park attractions[edit]

An opening day attraction at Six Flags Over Mid America (Now Six Flags St Louis) was Injun Joe’s Cave which told the story of Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher as they escaped from Injun Joe after his murdering of Dr. Robinson. They attraction was open until 1978 when it was replaced with «The Time Tunnel». To this day, the building that housed this former attraction is home to «Justice League Battle for Metropolis.

See also[edit]

  • List of Tom Sawyer characters
  • Mark Twain bibliography
  • The Story of a Bad Boy
  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

References[edit]

  1. ^ Facsimile of the original 1st edition.
  2. ^ «American Literature: Mark Twain». www.americanliterature.com. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  3. ^ Railton, Stephen. «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer». Mark Twain in His Times. University of Virginia. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ Messent, Peter (2007). The Cambridge Introduction to Mark Twain. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139462273. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ «United States History: Mark Twain». Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  6. ^ Norkunas, Martha K. (1993). The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California. SUNY Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0791414842.
  7. ^ «Leedle Yawcob Strauss». THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS. L. Prang & Co. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  8. ^ Gailey, Amanda (June 2013). «The Gilded Age : A Tale of Today». Encyclopedia of American Literature. ISBN 9781438140773.
  9. ^ Graysmith, Robert (October 2012). «The Adventures of the Real Tom Sawyer». Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Twain, Mark (1967). Hill, Hamlin Lewis (ed.). Mark Twain’s Letters to his Publishers 1867-1894. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520005600. tom sawyer chatto and windus 1876.
  11. ^ Groß-Langenhoff, Barbara (2006). Social Criticism in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. GRIN Verlag. ISBN 978-3638456821.
  12. ^ «Opinion | That’s Not Twain». The New York Times. 2011. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  13. ^ Revard, Carter (1999). «Why Mark Twain Murdered Injun Joe: And Will Never Be Indicted». The Massachusetts Review. 40 (4): 643–670. JSTOR 25091596.
  14. ^ «Tom Sawyer». Archived from the original on 2012-02-07.
  15. ^ «Tom Sawyer (1930)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  16. ^ «Tom Sawyer (1936)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  17. ^ «THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1938)». tcm.com. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  18. ^ «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1960– )». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  19. ^ «Les aventur Sawyer (1968– )». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  20. ^ «The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968–1969)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  21. ^ «Aventuras de Juliancito (1969)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  22. ^ «Tom Sawyer (1973)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  23. ^ «Tom Sawyer (TV 1973)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  24. ^ «Huckleberry Finn and His Friends (1979– )». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  25. ^ Mark Deming (2009). «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1981)». Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 29, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  26. ^ «Tom and Huck (1995)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  27. ^ «The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer». Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  28. ^ «Tom Sawyer (Video 2000)». IMDB. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  29. ^ «Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014)». IMDB. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  30. ^ Adorno, Theodor (1979). Tiedemann, Rolf (ed.). Schatz des Indianer-Joe (in German). Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag.
  31. ^ «TOM SAWYER — London production». www.tomboyd.net. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  32. ^ Frankos, Laura (2010-01-01). The Broadway Musical Quiz Book. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 267. ISBN 9781423492757.
  33. ^ Rich, Frank (1986-05-01). «THEATER: ‘THE BOYS IN AUTUMN’«. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  34. ^ Weber, Bruce (2001-04-27). «THEATER REVIEW; An Older (and Calmer) Tom Sawyer». The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  35. ^ Giola, Michael (March 24, 2015). «Could a 17-Year-Old Bring Mark Twain’s «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» Back to Broadway?». Playbill.
  36. ^ Horsley, Paul. «An American Ballet: KCB Presents World Premiere Of Ambitious New Piece» Archived 2013-01-27 at archive.today, KCIndependent.com, accessed June 23, 2012
  37. ^ Jones, Kenneth. «Maury Yeston’s Tom Sawyer Ballet Will Get World Premiere in 2011» Archived 2010-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, November 9, 2012
  38. ^ Macaulay, Alastair. «Yes, Those Are Tom, Becky and Huck Leaping», NYTimes.com, October 24, 2011,
  39. ^ Inge, M. Thomas. «Comics», The Mark Twain Encyclopedia. Ed. J. R. LeMaster and James D. Wilson. (New York: Garland, 1993), pp. 168-71.
  40. ^ Manga Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2018) UDON Entertainment ISBN 978-1947808027
  41. ^ «Mark Twain’s 176th Birthday», google.com, November 30, 2011

Further reading[edit]

  • Beaver, Harold, et al., eds. «The role of structure in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.» Huckleberry Finn. Vol. 1. No. 8. (New York: Johns Hopkins Textual Studies, 1987) pp. 1–57.
  • Beringer, Alex. «Humbug History: The Politics of Puffery in Tom Sawyer’s Conspiracy.» Mark Twain Annual 14.1 (2016): 114–126. Online
  • Blair, Walter. «On the Structure of» Tom Sawyer».» Modern Philology 37.1 (1939): 75-88.
  • Buchen, Callista. «Writing the Imperial Question at Home: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians Revisited.» Mark Twain Annual 9 (2011): 111–129. online
  • Caron, James E. «The Arc of Mark Twain’s Satire, or Tom Sawyer the Moral Snag.» American Literary Realism 51.1 (2018): 36–58. Online[dead link]
  • Dillingham, William B. «Setting and Theme in Tom Sawyer.» Mark Twain Journal 12.2 (1964): 6-8 online.
  • Gribben, Alan. «Tom Sawyer, Tom Canty, and Huckleberry Finn: The Boy Book and Mark Twain.» Mark Twain Journal 55.1/2 (2017): 127-144 online
  • Hill, Hamlin L. «The Composition and the Structure of Tom Sawyer.» American Literature 32.4 (1961): 379-392 online.
  • Roberts, James L. CliffsNotes Twain’s The adventures of Tom Sawyer (2001) online free to borrow
  • Simpson, Claude Mitchell, ed. Twentieth century interpretations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: a collection of critical essays (Prentice Hall, 1968).
  • Tibbetts, John C., And James M, Welsh, eds. The Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film (2005) pp 3–5.
  • Towers, Tom H. «I Never Thought We Might Want to Come Back»: Strategies of Transcendence in» Tom Sawyer.» Modern Fiction Studies 21.4 (1975): 509-520 online.

External links[edit]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Standard Ebooks
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Project Gutenberg
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer public domain audiobook at LibriVox
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The digitized copy of the first American edition from Internet Archive (1876).
  • First edition illustrations by True Williams Archived 2017-07-20 at the Wayback Machine

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