Nate Hunter

November 1, 2020

 

Dear Ms. Gibson,

Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Pages: 1 – 192

 

 

Summary: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book about the titular Tom Sawyer, a boy living in 1840s America. Tom Sawyer is a lazy and mischievous young kid, who often gets up to no-good with his friends Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn, much to the chagrin of his Aunt Polly and step-brother Sid. Tom falls for a young girl named Becky Thatcher, witnesses a murder, and is even assumed dead while he was living on an island with his friends. Over the course of the book, Tom learns and grows more mature, making this story a classic coming of age tale.

 

 

Response: I’ve been really enjoying this book so far. I was a bit unsure about liking it, since I was uninterested with the concept and didn’t really like the main character. However, as I’ve gone further into the story I’ve enjoyed it more and more. My favorite part has to be the development of Tom. At the beginning of the book, Tom is very selfish and immature, doing whatever he wants on a whim and avoiding all work. Now, by chapter 21, Tom feels completely different and much more responsible. He held onto the piece of bark Aunt Polly gave him to take to the island, and even took a whipping for Becky by taking the blame for something he did not do. I cannot imagine the Tom Sawyer from the beginning of the book doing either of these things, and that just shows how much he has changed. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a classic that helped earn Mark Twain the title of ‘America’s Author.’