The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
…………………………………………………
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Book Review
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 children’s novel by Mark Twain. It’s an adventurous and fun, but deeply flawed piece of literary work.
………………………………………………….
“The less there is to justify a traditional custom,
the harder it is to get rid of it“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
It follows the growing up of a boy along the Mississippi River and his various adventures with his friends. Because the book is rather episodic in nature, let’s discuss its various plot points. The beginning is fine and the whole first half is solid, but to me the second half is where the book truly shines as it becomes highly spirited in adventure and a whole lot of fun.
I did like the school scenes, the pirating adventures and the romance with Becky, but the standout part is easily the cave. It was a terrific conclusion to the story that gave Tom an obstacle worthy of the best adventure novels, and it proved to be highly memorable and, needless to say, very entertaining.
Tom Sawyer is a typical rascal kid who wants to have adventures and get away from school and obligations. Though annoying at times, he’s ultimately quite relatable universally to all the children of the world, especially the boys. I did like him becoming more responsible and a better person near the end, though still he needed a bit more memorable personality, even if the development he got is very strong.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Huckleberry Finn will of course end up getting his own story, and here he is just Tom’s good friend. I did like how eventually the two switch sides in the maturity levels. Becky Thatcher is a stereotypical love interest. Though their relationship is sweet, she is ultimately too timid and hysterical.
Yes, now we come to the bad parts, truly awful ones. This book is incredibly sexist, even for its time. The descriptions of the girls were so rude and sexist, and the girls overall were way too weak as characters.
But even worse is the racism. And I am not just talking about the depictions of blacks which are bad on their own terms, but the Native American character Injun Joe is literally a savage villain, and that so bothered me that it took the enjoyment out of it at times. I do get that this is a book from the 19th century, but because these characters are so prominent, the book ended up being very problematic and dated.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is very well written by Mark Twain. His style is excellent as the novel is quite charming in its old-fashioned adventurous elements while in particular being well described in its beautiful, classical setting. He knows how to write scenarios and imagery for sure, though his dialogue ultimately left a lot to be desired.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
However, that is not to say that the book isn’t sophisticated because it is for family entertainment merits. In particular, it explores a boy maturing to an adult so realistically in a detailed and slowly progressive manner while also making some great points about adults and their problems. Superstition and hypocrisy are also well touched upon.
The book has a lot of memorable river, cave and forest imagery, but at home or school it was not as fun to follow. Some stretches are rather boring, and overall the book is overlong for what is at core a very simple story.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is overall a solid novel that really did not stand the test of time owing to its extreme racism and sexism. The book can be less interesting in certain parts, but the adventurous elements worked out splendidly, the imagery is quite memorable at times and the protagonist’s growing up journey is very well portrayed.
