Tom Sawyer Summative Response

Mr. Twain likes to illustrate the frivolousness and carelessness of a young boy's life. The dreams of what he wants to be when he grows up, the adventures he experiences. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer paints this picture perfectly in the reader's mind. He just reminds the readers of their childhood by explaining similar experiences in this novel. However, the average American child does not become rich by hidden treasure, or witness a stabbing up-close and personal. Mark Twain exaggerates how children view events at that stage in life to a point where it's simply silly.

This book holds high esteem because of the reminders it sends to adults. It may seem offensive at first, but it’s really just showing how young children acted at that stage in life. Mark Twain had an interesting childhood if these are based on his own accounts. Many people at efficient reading levels would enjoy this novel because, if they’re advanced enough, they can relate to these excerpts from experiences with ease. If they are old and mature enough, they most likely have passed that stage in life and can think back to it.

However, I disagree with Mark Twain for most novels have a point, yet  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer doesn’t. It simply tells the tale of Tom at this certain interval in time. It relays no message whatsoever, but shows the reader the crazy things a child who’s young and frivolous at heart and on the outside will do. The part that can be confusing is Tom’s age. There is no statement in the book about how old he is. If he’s around 10 years old, that seems a little young to have a girlfriend and love each other, instead of just playing together like most young children do. The other matter is if he is older. The love part comes into play easily, but one would think he’d be more of a gentleman than a toddler. Teens don’t run away from home to play pirate, yet little kids do. Of course, maybe not run away from home so much as run to the basement or backyard.

Age is a huge question, as is maturity. This may not be Tom’s fault, but his manners have much room for improvement. He is squishing bugs in church, he is sneaking out at night, and he is being a fool rather than a gentleman when around Becky. He believes that most are below him, while some are at his level, and then he looks up to few. Tom’s episode at his funeral was extremely pompous and haughty. He marched in on his own funeral, looking up, being the boss of every one there. He had little respect for them most likely due to the appeared disrespect to him before he ran off and “died”.

This novel has whittled down to an adolescent’s view of life. The realism of it has left something to be desired. Tom’s brain acts like a filter so that most things seen through his eyes are processed to exclude the majority of sinful acts and suffering. Only the exhilarating and joyful events are granted access to the wilderness that is his mind. The world seems like paradise to Tom now, but as he ages, this glee shall flee him.