Book review
English book review Adventures Of Tom Sawyer
- Course
- Level
- Book
Book report on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, rated with a G. Covers all literary aspects plus reading experience and literary period.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Seller
Follow
asophievdw
Content preview
Book report Name: Anne-Sophie van der Waal (6A)Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain
A. Reading experience:
Answer the following questions:
1. Why did you choose this book? I chose this book because I thought I am a big
fan children’s adventure stories. Like the Dutch series ‘De Schippers van de
kameleon’ or the Swedish series “Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist’ by Astrid Lindgren.
I was expecting to read a similar kind of book when choosing ‘The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer’.
2. Did you like the subject of the book? Why (not)? I liked reading this novel
because it definitely had a lot of the elements I was expecting (which is why I
chose the book) like the childish pranks and adventures. I enjoy a coming-of-age
storyline a lot of times so it fitted in with my taste in books. I also liked the
literature part of this book: The author tells us that people in charge can make
mistakes, like regular people. Families, including Aunt Polly, balance rules with
love. Later in the novel, even the community forgives Tom's mistakes because they
care about his safety.
3. a. What have you learnt about the subject? I think that Twain is trying to tell us that
it is normal to grow up and that everyone makes mistakes. Even your parents or other
authorities. I think that is a good lesson. Especially during your final year of secondary
school.
b. Did this story influence you / your opinion? Explain your answer. Honestly, I
have always thought this way. I try to not pressure myself to be perfect at everything and
convincing yourself (and others) that making mistakes is normal (which it is!!) makes not
pressuring yourself and others a lot easier. Also, I used to be a bit afraid of growing up.
Especially now that I am seventeen and I have to think of a lot of things before my eighteenth
birthday. And suddenly having to make some big decisions about my future.
4. a. Did the book contain elements (for example: behaviour, opinions, …) you
disapprove of? The book contains elements of racism, which I disapprove of. Some
of the people in Toms town have (black) slaves and Tom refers to them multiple times with
the n-word. Also, pretty much the only other person of colour in the town, Injun Joe, is the
novel’s main antagonist.
b. Should/Could the author have left them out? I think the racial details didn’t do
much for the story. Injun Joe could have easily been the villain without mentioning he was
half Native-American and that the people of the town thought he was also only half part of the
town. The slaves did not even really have a roll in the story at all. So they could have been left
out without any consequence for the story. However, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was
written in 1876 and is set in the 1840s. So the racism and slavery fit the timeline and were
probably really normal in that time and age.
5. What is your overall opinion on the book? I enjoyed reading the book and I would
recommend it, especially if you are just starting to read literature. Because it is quite an easy
and fun read: you’re just following a boy on his adventures in his small town and joining him
on the biggest adventure of growing up. The only thing that I found a bit difficult is the
, language. The novel is written in a heavy southern accent. This makes that some parts of
words are just left out or are replaced with an apostrophe. Sometimes I didn’t exactly know
what the characters were talking about, but it wasn’t too distracting.
6. Summarise the story in your own words ór copy (and check!) a summary and
write
down the source. An imaginative and mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer lives with
his Aunt Polly and his half-brother, Sid, in the Mississippi River town of St. Petersburg,
Missouri. After playing hooky from school on Friday and dirtying his clothes in a fight, Tom
is made to whitewash the fence as punishment on Saturday. At first, Tom is disappointed by
having to forfeit his day off. However, he soon cleverly persuades his friends to trade him
small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. He trades these treasures for tickets given
out in Sunday school for memorizing Bible verses and uses the tickets to claim a Bible as a
prize. He loses much of his glory, however, when, in response to a question to show off his
knowledge, he incorrectly answers that the first two disciples were David and Goliath.
Tom falls in love with Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get
“engaged” to him. Their romance collapses when she learns that Tom has been “engaged”
before—to a girl named Amy Lawrence. Shortly after being shunned by Becky, Tom
accompanies Huckleberry Finn, the son of the town drunk, to the graveyard at night to try out
a “cure” for warts. At the graveyard, they witness the murder of young Dr. Robinson by the
Native-American “half-breed” Injun Joe. Scared, Tom and Huck run away and swear a blood
oath not to tell anyone what they have seen. Injun Joe blames his companion, Muff Potter, a
hapless drunk, for the crime. Potter is wrongfully arrested, and Tom’s anxiety and guilt begin
to grow.
Tom, Huck, and Tom’s friend Joe Harper run away to an island to become pirates. While
frolicking around and enjoying their newfound freedom, the boys become aware that the
community is sounding the river for their bodies. Tom sneaks back home one night to observe
the commotion. After a brief moment of remorse at the suffering of his loved ones, Tom is
struck by the idea of appearing at his funeral and surprising everyone. He persuades Joe and
Huck to do the same. Their return is met with great rejoicing, and they become the envy and
admiration of all their friends.
Back in school, Tom gets himself back in Becky’s favor after he nobly accepts the blame for a
book that she has ripped. Soon Muff Potter’s trial begins, and Tom, overcome by guilt,
testifies against Injun Joe. Potter is acquitted, but Injun Joe flees the courtroom through a
window.
Summer arrives, and Tom and Huck go hunting for buried treasure in a haunted house. After
venturing upstairs they hear a noise below. Peering through holes in the floor, they see Injun
Joe enter the house disguised as a deaf and mute Spaniard. He and his companion, an
unkempt man, plan to bury some stolen treasure of their own. From their hiding spot, Tom
and Huck wriggle with delight at the prospect of digging it up. By an amazing coincidence,
Injun Joe and his partner find a buried box of gold themselves. When they see Tom and
Huck’s tools, they become suspicious that someone is sharing their hiding place and carry the
gold off instead of reburying it.
Huck begins to shadow Injun Joe every night, watching for an opportunity to nab the gold.
Meanwhile, Tom goes on a picnic to McDougal’s Cave with Becky and their classmates. That
same night, Huck sees Injun Joe and his partner making off with a box. He follows and
overhears their plans to attack the Widow Douglas, a kind resident of St. Petersburg. By
running to fetch help, Huck forestalls the violence and becomes an anonymous hero.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller asophievdw. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.74. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now