Evolution of Tom Sawyer

August 27, 2022 by Essay Writer

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly”(Henri Bergson). In the beginning of the novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, the main character Tom was very immature. He was manipulative, puerile, and egocentric. He would manipulate others for his own benefit, not caring about any damage he caused. As the novel continues, Tom begins to develop and start becoming a man. He journeys through adolescence, and starts to mature. Because of his growth into manhood, he starts to do things for others, and commit courageous and brave acts. As Tom Sawyer grows throughout the novel, he starts to show signs of maturity and commits courageous acts.

As the novel progresses, Tom shows signs of maturity. In the beginning of the novel, Tom Sawyer was very selfish and didn’t really care about responsibility. Later in the novel, Tom witnesses things and goes through many experiences that helped him sofisticate and taught him many important lessons. He begins to put others before himself, and tries to help others, which show that he is becoming more wise and responsible. When Huckleberry Finn is gifted with a chance to live normal life, he wants to abandon it to run away. Since Tom cared about Huck, he convinces him to stay and try to deal with the certain rules that living like a kid have. Tom uses his manipulative ways but not for his own good, this time. When trying to convince Huck to return home Tom says, “Huck, I wouldn’t want to, and I don’t want to-but what would people say? Why they’d say, ‘Mph! Tom Sawyer’s Gang! Pretty low characters in it’ They’d mean you, Huck. You wouldn’t like that, and I wouldn’t” (Twain 211). Huck then agrees to go back to Widow Douglas so he could be a part of their “gang”. Tom manipulates Huck to go back to the Widow Douglas. This situation shows Tom’s growth and adulthood because in the beginning of the novel, Tom would manipulate people for his own benefit. But, this situation shows how Tom manipulated people for good. Tom wanted Huck to live a better life with the Widow, so he said that he could be in their gang if he goes back. But in actuality, Tom just wanted Huck to live a good life. Tom shows his adulthood when he begins to use his manipulative nature for other’s benefits.

Tom shows boldness throughout the novel, by doing things that others would fear to do. Since the beginning of the novel, Tom has done things that normally people wouldn’t do. But, when Tom and Huck witness a murder, Tom does something incredibly brave. Even though both Huck and Tom make an agreement to never speak of what happened the night of the murder, Tom defies that because he did not want an innocent man to be punished. When viewing the trial of Muff Potter Tom decides to speak up and say who the true murderer is even though his safety may be in danger because of this. “Tom began-hesitatingly at first, but as he warmed up to his subject, his words flowed more and more easily: in a little while every sound ceased but his own voice; every eye fixed itself upon him; with parted lips and bated breath the audience hung upon his words, taking no note of time, rapt in the ghastly fascinations of the tale”(Twain 143). Tom spoke about the night of the murder even though he knew that Injun Joe would come after him. He decided that he needed to speak up about the murder, even though he was slightly scared. Everyone watched as he spoke about the incident, bravely. To be courageous is to face difficulties without having fear. When Tom sees that Muff Potter is being accused of murdering someone, when he really didn’t do it, he speaks up. This is remarkably brave because he says who the true murderer is. And he knows that once he testifies and says that Injun Joe is the actual murderer, Injun Joe would want revenge and Tom would then be in danger. Even though Tom knew this information prior to saying what he saw, Tom decided to testify anyways because he knew it was the right thing to do. Tom shows bravery and courage when he speaks up about the true murderer of the doctor.

Tom Sawyer starts showing bravery and signs of adulthood, as he ages throughout the novel. Tom shows fearlessness and adult qualities when he tries to help others and speaks the truth. He helps Huck try to live a normal kid’s life by convincing him to go back to the people that love him. Tom also helps a man that was wrongly accused in trial by speaking up about what really happened. As people grow older, they become more cultured and some begin to help others and do things with audacity.

Read more