The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Adventures of Tom and Huck #1) (1876)

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by Mark Twain (AKA Samuel Clemens)



Mark Twain's story of a boy's life in a small town on the Mississippi River is worth reading for many reasons.

 

Mark Twain AKA Samuel Clemens


First of all, it is just plain fun.

 


Tom has many amusing adventures, such as the famous white-washing incident.

 


The imaginations of the children are fully engaged; in a world without even picture shows, radio, or recorded music, much less TV, video games, or cellphones, the boys and girls of St. Petersburg do not lack activities to keep themselves entertained.

 


There is also a dark side to this world, as exemplified by the murderer Injun Joe (here some of the unfortunate racism of the period sneaks into the narrative) and the many superstitions of the children.

 


Another reason to enjoy this novel is for its anthropological qualities.

 


Twain took care to replicate the speech of that place and time as much as he could, and he claims that the beliefs and activities of the children (though not the specific plot developments of the novel) are accurate, which provides a fascinating window into life in the early 1800s. 



Yet another strong aspect of the book is Twain's portrayal of the psychology of children. 



We can follow Tom's developing moral sense over the course of the story.

 


In the beginning, he is largely amoral, his sense of ethics confined to feeling guilty over something he has already done through selfishness or impulsiveness.

 


The murder in the cemetery and his awareness that an innocent man is going to be hanged presents him with a genuine moral dilemma, and the path he travels on his way to doing the right thing is believable and compelling.

 


This book is rightfully regarded as a classic of American literature.



"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Arabic)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Armenian)

"Tom Sawyer's Adventure" (Bengali)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Croatian)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Czech)

"Tom's Fairy Tale" (Danish)

"The Last Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Finnish)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Italian)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Lithuanian)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Persian)

"Tom Sawyer's Adventures" (Portuguese)

"The Adventure of Tom Sawyer" (Slovenian)

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Spanish)



"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Ukrainian)


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