Overview
Tom Sawyer introduces several significant figures in American mythology, including the hero of Huckleberry Finn, one of the central works of American literature. Nonetheless, Tom […]
Month: January 2009
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 […]
About the Author
Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. The youngest child of Amasa C. and Frances Finch Lee, she attended public […]