Tom Sawyer Character Analysis

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The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain and published in 1883, is one of the most famous and fascinating books of all time. There are many themes you can pull from this book, as well as in-depth characters, but Tom Sawyer, who is also the main protagonist in the prequel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is one of the most fun and interesting characters to read about. Tom is the best friend of the main character, Huck Finn. He loved adventure and did most everything with little to no thought of consequence. He kept this attitude throughout the entire book, including when he formed bands of robbers with the other local boys. Tom is absent for a large part of the book while Huck is gone on an adventure, but came back and…show more content…
Huck is an evolving character who is also an anti-hero because while he sometimes does the right thing, he can be caught a victim of childish actions and racism much like Tom, who is actually a static minor character. Huck’s upbringing left him in poverty and on the margins of society, with no real parents except for a drunk father. In the start of the book, the boys are best friends that run around town together causing trouble. “Now, we’ll start this band of robbers and call it Tom Sawyers gang. Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood,”(Twain, 10). Toms childish views on life and his many adventures are just like the books they read about pirates and robbers. They would steal, cheat, lie and even talked about killing people. Tom has been raised in relative comfort, not having to worry about money. As a result, his beliefs come from a combination of what he has learned from the adults around him and the things he has adopted from reading romance and adventure novels. Tom believes in sticking to rules most of which have more to do with style than with morality or anyone’s welfare. Tom is the perfect foil example for Huck, his rule following and principles contrast with Huck’s tendency to question authority and think for himself, such as when he tried to help the criminals escape from the fire because Huck saw them as ordinary people in need of assistance. Although Tom’s shenanigans are often funny, they also show just how cruel society can be. “They hain’t no Right to shut him up! SHOVE! And don’t you lose a minute. He ain’t no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!”(Twain, 334). Tom knows all along that Miss Watson has died and that Jim is now a free man, yet he is willing to allow Jim to remain a captive while he entertains himself with exciting escape plans, all without Huck knowing. Tom hurts not only Jim, but
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