Adventures of Tom Sawyer,\" by Mark Twain

¶ … Adventures of Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain

The novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain is a narrative of the adventures and events in the life of Tom Sawyer, a young, mischievous man who lives in St. Petersburg, Missouri. Apart from the adventurous events in the life of Tom, one of the most noticeable and interesting element that Twain uses in order to give character to Tom's portrayal in the novel is his liberal use of speech. Tom's speech is mainly made up of exclamatory statements and slang words, factors that reflect Tom's dynamic character in the novel. Similarly, Mark Twain also assumes an interesting, yet serious tone as the narrator of Tom's life story. Through Twain's character as Narrator, the author was able to give 'life' and consistently illuminate Tom's character and life parallel to his use of speech. These two styles that Twain uses in the novel will be discussed in this paper and analyzed according to the style and dialect's relation to the context in which these dialectic elements are used in the novel.

Chapter 2 of the novel is considered to be the most famous and useful unit of analysis in discussing the tone and dialect that Twain assumes as he becomes the novel's Narrator. In Chapter 2, the Narrator liberally infuses the author's thoughts in life, as expressed in Tom's wit and extraordinary talent in maneuvering his way out of a dilemma, whether it be serious or not. This particular chapter focuses on Tom's punishment by Aunt Polly, wherein he was tasked to whitewash the fence of his aunt's house. Twain's narrative is effectively interspersed with Tom's thoughts (by speaking in the third-person voice). Within this chapter, two important passages effectively reflect the sentiments of both the author and Tom's liberal mind and witty perspective in life: (1) "He surveyed the fence, and the gladness went out of nature, and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of broad fence nine feet high! It seemed to him that life was hollow, and existence but a burden" and (2) "Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world after all. He had discovered a great law of human action... In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain" (15, 19). These passages show how the author consistently shows dynamism and ingenuity in thinking while narrating in a serious tone. Tom's wisdom and realization about the truths of life is expressed in simple, concrete terms (in the context of 'whitewashing the fence' episode). Although it may seem that Twain's narrative is somewhat melodramatic since Tom is just a young boy, the ease in which the author expresses the protagonist's feeling, thoughts, and beliefs is an illustration how Mark Twain is able to 'merge' his identity with that of Tom Sawyer's.