About the Author
Mark Twain’s life is important to his writing, for his major works rely upon materials from his Hannibal, Missouri, boyhood and his careers as a […]
Tom Sawyer
Setting
The intent of the novel, Twain states, is to entertain “boys and girls” and to “pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves.” In […]
Themes and Characters
Tom Sawyer is a trickster figure who challenges the rules of conventional society. He and his younger half-brother Sid are wards of their highly conventional […]
Literary Qualities
The mid-19th century produced a number of books dealing with boys rebelling against conventional society, such as Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s Story of a Bad Boy […]
Social Sensitivity
As in Huckleberry Finn, the Characters in Tom Sawyer exhibit attitudes typical of the mid-19th century, referring to black Characters as “niggers,” though not as […]
Topics for Discussion
1. Twain prefaces the novel by stating that it is intended to “pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves,” but much of the […]
Ideas for Reports and Papers
1. Tom Sawyer also appears in Huckleberry Finn. How does his character differ in the two books? 2. Twain claims that his portrait of Huckleberry […]
Related Titles and Adaptations
Huckleberry Finn, written as a sequel to this book, is usually judged to be a more profound and powerful work. Both pieces hold central positions […]