The work of the famous American publicist and writer Mark Twain about the adventures of two boys still remains the most beloved and read all over the world. And not only a favorite work for boys, but also for adults who remember their mischievous childhood. This is the story of young America, whose romanticism still touches boys all over the world.
The history of writing "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
The first work in the series of adventures of American boys was published in 1876, the author at that time was just over 30 years old. Obviously, this played a role in the brightness of the book’s images. America late XIX centuries had not yet gotten rid of slavery, half of the continent was “Indian territory,” and boys remained boys. According to many testimonies, Mark Twain described himself in Tom, not only his real self, but also all his dreams of adventure. The real feelings and emotions are described that worried the boy of that time, and which continue to worry the boys today.
Main characters- two friends, Tom, who is being raised by his lonely aunt, and Huck, a city street child. Inseparable in their fantasies and adventures, both boys are typical images, but the main character remains Tom Sawyer. He has a younger brother, more rational and obedient, he has school friends, and a boyish crush - Becky. And like any boy, the main events in life are connected with a thirst for adventure and first love. An ineradicable thirst constantly draws Tom and Huck into dangerous adventures, some of which, of course, are invented by the author, some are real events. Things like running away from home or going to a cemetery at night are easy to believe. And these adventures, interspersed with descriptions of ordinary boyish everyday life, ordinary pranks, joys and annoyances, become reality thanks to the genius of the author. The description of American life at that time is impressive. What is lost in modern world, democracy and the spirit of freedom.
Chronicle of Young America (plot and main idea)
A town on the banks of the Mississippi, in which residents mixed into a single society, despite differences in property, race and even age. Negro Jim, in slavery to Aunt Polly, mestizo Injun Joe, Judge Thacher and his daughter Becky, street child Huck and rascal Tom, Doctor Robenson and undertaker Potter. Tom's life is described with such humor and with such naturalness that the reader forgets in which country it happens, as if he is remembering what happened to himself.
The boy Tom Sawyer, together with his younger brother, who is clearly more positive than him, is raised by his old aunt after the death of his mother. He goes to school, plays on the street, fights, makes friends and falls in love with a beautiful peer, Becky. One day he met his old friend Huckleberry Fin on the streets, with whom they had a deep debate about ways to remove warts. Huck told a new method of mixing using a dead cat, but it is necessary to visit the cemetery at night. This is where all the significant adventures of these two tomboys began. Previous conflicts with his aunt, entrepreneurial ideas with receiving a bonus Bible at Sunday school, whitewashing the fence as a punishment for disobedience, which Tom successfully transformed into personal success, fade into the background. Everything except love for Becky.
Having witnessed a fight and a murder, two boys for a long time doubt the need to bring everything they saw to the attention of adults. Only sincere pity for the old drunkard Potter and a sense of universal justice force Tom to speak at the trial. By doing so, he saved the life of the accused and put his own life in mortal danger. Injun Joe's revenge is a very real threat for the boy, even under the protection of the law. Meanwhile, Tom and Becky's romance began to crack, and this distracted him from everything else for a long time. He suffered. It was finally decided to run away from home from unhappy love and become a pirate. It’s good that there is a friend like Huck who agrees to support any adventure. A school friend, Joe, also joined them.
This adventure ended as it should have. Tom's heart and Huck's rationality forced them to return to the town from the island on the river after they realized that the whole town was looking for them. The boys returned just in time for their own funeral. The joy of the adults was so great that the boys were not even given a beating. Several days of adventure brightened up the boys' lives with the memories of the author himself. After that, Tom was sick, and Becky went away for a long time and far away.
Before you start academic year Judge Thacher threw a lavish party for the kids to celebrate his returning daughter's birthday. A trip on a river boat, a picnic and a visit to caves, this is something even modern children could dream about. Here Tom's new adventure begins. Having made peace with Becky, the two of them run away from the company during a picnic and hide in a cave. They got lost in passages and grottoes, the torch that lit their way burned out, and they had no provisions with them. Tom behaved courageously, this reflected all his enterprise and responsibility as a growing man. Quite by accident, they came across Injun Joe hiding the stolen money. After wandering around the cave, Tom finds a way out. The children returned home to the joy of their parents.
The secret seen in the cave haunts him, Tom tells Huck everything, and they decide to check the Indian's treasure. The boys go to the cave. After Tom and Becky safely got out of the maze, the city council decided to close the entrance to the cave. This became fatal for the mestizo; he died in the cave from hunger and thirst. Tom and Huck carried away a whole fortune. Since the treasure did not belong to anyone in particular, two boys became its owners. Huck received the protection of the widow Douglas, coming under her tutelage. Tom is also rich now. But Huck was able to endure the “high life” for no more than three weeks, and Tom, who met him on the shore near the barrel hut, openly declared that no wealth could keep him from becoming a “noble robber.” The romanticism of the two friends had not yet been suppressed by the “golden calf” and the conventions of society.
The main characters and their characters
All the main characters of the story are the thoughts and feelings of the author, his memories of childhood, his sense of that very American dream and universal human values. When Huck complained that he could not live in idleness, Tom answered him uncertainly: “But everyone lives like that, Huck.” In these boys, Mark Twain writes out his attitude towards human values, to the value of freedom and understanding between people. Huck, who has seen more bad things, shares with Tom: “It’s just embarrassing for all people,” when he talks about the insincerity of relationships in high society. Against the romantic background of a story about childhood, written with good humor, the writer clearly best qualities little man, and the hope that these qualities will remain throughout life.
A boy raised without a mother or father. The author does not reveal what happened to his parents. According to the story, one gets the impression that Tom gained all his best qualities on the street and at school. Aunt Poly's attempts to instill in him basic behavioral stereotypes cannot be crowned with success. Tom is the ideal boy and tomboy in the eyes of boys all over the world. On the one hand, this is hyperbole, but on the other hand, having real prototypes Tom truly represents the best that a growing man can have. He was brave with heightened senses justice. In many episodes, it is precisely these qualities that he displays in difficult situations. life situations. Another feature that cannot affect the feelings of an American. This is savvy and enterprise. All that remains is to remember the story of whitewashing the fence, which is also a far-reaching project. Burdened with various boyish prejudices, Tom looks like a completely ordinary boy, which captivates the reader. Everyone sees a small reflection of themselves in it.
A homeless child with a living father. The drunkard appears in the story only in conversations, but this already somehow characterizes the living conditions of this boy. Tom's constant friend and faithful companion in all adventures. And if Tom is a romantic and a leader in this company, then Huck is a sober mind and life experience, which is also necessary in this tandem. An attentive reader has the impression that Huck is described by the author as the other side of the coin of a growing person, a citizen of America. Personality is divided into two types - Tom and Huck, which are inseparable. In subsequent stories, the character of Huck will be revealed more fully, and often, in the reader’s soul, these two images are mixed and always receive sympathy.
Becky, Aunt Polly, Negro Jim and half-breed Injun Joe
These are all people with whom the best in the protagonist’s character is revealed. Tender love in a girl of the same age and real care for her in moments of danger. A respectful, although sometimes ironic, attitude towards the aunt, who spends all her strength to raise Tom as a real respectable citizen. A Negro slave, who is an indicator of America at that time and the attitude towards slavery of the entire progressive public, because Tom is friends with him, justifiably considering him an equal. The author’s, and therefore Tom’s, attitude towards Injun Joe is far from clear. The romance of the Indian world was not yet so idealized at that time. But internal pity for the mestizo who died of hunger in the cave characterizes not only the boy. The realities of the Wild West are visible in this image; a cunning and cruel mestizo takes revenge with his life on all whites. He is trying to survive in this world, and society allows him to do so. We do not see the deep condemnation that it would seem should have been for a thief and murderer.
Continuation of the epic adventure
Later, Mark Twain wrote several more stories about Tom and his friend Huck. The author grew up along with his heroes, and America changed too. And in subsequent stories there was no longer that romantic recklessness, but more and more of the bitter truth of life appeared. But even in these realities, Tom, Huck, and Becky retained their best qualities, which they received in childhood on the banks of the Mississippi in a small town with by a distant name Russian capital - St. Petersburg. I don’t want to part with these heroes, and they remain ideals in the hearts of the boys of that era.
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TOM SAWYER AND HUCKLEBERRY FINN (eng. Tom Sawyer, Hucklberry Finn) are the heroes of Mark Twain's novels “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1876) and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1884). Twelve-year-old boys, residents of the small provincial American town of St. Petersburg, playmates and amusements that their indefatigable imagination gives birth to every now and then. T.S. - orphan. He is raised by his late mother's sister, the pious Aunt Polly. The boy is completely uninterested in the life that flows around him, but he is forced to follow generally accepted rules: go to school, attend church service on Sundays, dress neatly, behave well at the table, go to bed early - although every now and then he breaks them, causing the indignation of his aunt. Tom is no stranger to enterprise and resourcefulness. Well, who else, having received the task of whitewashing a long fence as punishment, could turn things around so that other boys would paint the fence, and besides, paying for the right to take part in such an exciting event with “treasures”: some with a dead rat, and some with a piece of a dental buzzer. And not everyone will be able to receive the Bible as a reward for the excellent title of its content, without actually knowing a single line. But Tom did it! Playing a prank on someone, fooling someone, coming up with something unusual is Tom’s element. Reading a lot, he strives to make his own life as bright as the one in which the heroes of the novels act. He launches into " love adventures", arranges games of Indians, pirates, robbers. Tom finds himself in all sorts of situations thanks to his surging energy: either at night in a cemetery he witnesses a murder, or he is present at his own funeral. Sometimes Tom is capable of almost heroic actions in life. For example, when he takes the blame for Becky Thacher - the girl he awkwardly tries to look after - and endures the teacher's spanking. He is a charming guy, this Tom Sawyer, but he is a child of his time, of his city, accustomed to leading a double life. When necessary, he is quite capable of taking on the image of a boy from a decent family, realizing that everyone does this. The situation is completely different with Tom's closest friend, Huck Finn. He is the son of a local drunkard who doesn't care about the child. Nobody forces Huck to go to school. He is completely left to his own devices. Pretense is alien to the boy, and all the conventions of civilized life are simply unbearable. For Huck, the main thing is to be free, always and in everything. “He didn’t need to wash or put on a clean dress, and he could swear amazingly. In a word, he had everything that makes life wonderful,” the writer concludes. Huck is undeniably attracted entertaining games, invented by Tom, but what is dearest to Huck is personal freedom and independence. Having lost them, he feels out of place, and precisely in order to find them again, Huck in the second novel already undertakes a dangerous journey alone, leaving forever hometown. In gratitude for saving him from Injun Joe's revenge, the Widow Douglas took Huck into her care. The widow's servants washed him, combed and brushed his hair, and laid him down on disgustingly clean sheets every night. He had to eat with a knife and fork and attend church. Poor Huck lasted only three weeks and disappeared. They were looking for him, but without Tom’s help they would hardly have been able to find him. Tom manages to outwit the simple-minded Huck and return him to the widow for some time. Then Huck mystifies his own death. He himself gets into the shuttle and floats with the flow. During the trip, Huck also experiences many adventures, shows resourcefulness and ingenuity, but not out of boredom and the desire to have fun, as before, but because vital necessity, primarily for the sake of saving the fugitive black man Jim. It is Huck's ability to think about others that makes his character especially attractive. This is probably why Mark Twain himself saw him as a hero of the 20th century, when, from the writer’s point of view, there would no longer be racial prejudice, poverty and injustice.
In 1876, one of the most famous and popular works Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Tom Sawyer combines realism with romanticism. Realistically describing a small town, its sleepy, philistine life, Mark Twain contrasts it with romantic world Tom and his friends, their extraordinary adventures. The Mississippi River is depicted in colorful colors and surrounding nature, creating romantic background in the book. There is a lot of action in the story. The plot develops dynamically, the adventure basis of which contributes to its entertaining nature. The second period of Mark Twain's work, which falls on the 80s and early 90s, is characterized by an increase in criticism. During these years, the class struggle intensified in the United States, the number of strikes and labor strikes increased, in which tens and hundreds of thousands of workers took part. If earlier there were still free lands in the country, which gave workers the opportunity to engage in agriculture, now these lands have disappeared, seized by monopolistic cliques and speculators, and in agriculture There was an intensive process of ruin and impoverishment of farmers. In the face of these facts, the petty-bourgeois illusions of the writer gradually disappear. He begins to perceive him in a completely different way. American reality. If in the first period Twain had an optimistic, cheerful perception of life, then in the second period it gives way to a more critical and skeptical one. The most significant work these years "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1885). Here Mark Twain again turns to the image of America's past, to the days of his childhood, which were so colorfully described in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. but compared to Tom Sawyer, the theme of the past now takes on a different meaning. In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" centrally is the image of Huck Finn, on whose behalf the story is told. The image of Tom Sawyer plays here minor role. Compared to the first book, we see a different, matured Huck Finn. His life is different from that of Tom Sawyer, and he takes it more seriously. Big difference between Huck and Tom is that Tom Sawyer continues to remain a boy who does not know the difficulties of life, and while Huck Finn grows up before our eyes, gains life experience, experiences a lot and sees a lot. The image of Huck Finn is near and dear to the author. Mark Twain especially highly appreciates Huck's humanity, his humane attitude towards people. This humanity is manifested in Huck's attitude towards the Negro Jim. One of the most important features“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” lies in the fact that this book truthfully recreates the picture of life in America in the 50s of the 19th century. Compared to Tom Sawyer, the scope of the narrative is expanded. Huck Finn no longer depicts a small town, but a large part of America. Huck and Jim sail down the Mississippi, the busiest waterway in the United States, past cities and towns, numerous towns, lonely farms - a big picture is painted here. American life. Traveling with his heroes, the writer very critically evaluates everything that comes their way. Noteworthy is the fact that Huck and Jim rarely meet honest, decent people. Bandits, murderers, robbers, just swindlers - this is the numerous gallery of people they encounter. Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is rightly considered to be one of the first works of critical realism, which was just beginning to take hold in the United States of America. In the 90-900s, Mark Twain's last illusions disappeared. A cheerful humorist turns into a bitter satirist, and sometimes a pessimist. He writes journalistic works and pamphlets. The pamphlet “The United Lynching States” (1901) was written about racial discrimination and the brutal persecution of blacks. A whole series The pamphlets are devoted to denouncing the imperialist policy of the United States, which has embarked on extensive colonial conquests. Twain's journalism does not contain good-natured humor early years. Its basis is reproof. Evil irony alternates with bitter sarcasm. The predominant type of journalistic works are satirical pamphlets directed against the imperialist policy pursued by the ruling circles of the United States. Filled with anger, Twain's journalism castigates, stigmatizes the harmful essence of imperialism, objectively leads to the conclusion about its inconsistency, about the need to replace it with a more reasonable system.
In 1876, one of Twain's most famous and popular works was published - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a combination of realism and romanticism. Realistically describing a small town, its sleepy, philistine life, Mark Twain contrasts it with the romantic world of Tom and his friends, their extraordinary adventures. The Mississippi River and surrounding nature are depicted in colorful colors, creating a romantic backdrop for the book. There is a lot of action in the story. The plot develops dynamically, the adventure basis of which contributes to its entertaining nature.
The second period of Mark Twain's work, which falls on the 80s and early 90s, is characterized by an increase in criticism. During these years, the class struggle intensified in the United States, the number of strikes and labor strikes increased, in which tens and hundreds of thousands of workers took part. If previously there were still free lands in the country, which gave workers the opportunity to engage in agriculture, now these lands have disappeared, seized by monopolistic cliques and speculators, and in agriculture there was an intensive process of ruin and impoverishment of farmers.
In the face of these facts, the petty-bourgeois illusions of the writer gradually disappear. He begins to perceive American reality in a completely different way. If in the first period Twain had an optimistic, cheerful perception of life, then in the second period it gives way to a more critical and skeptical one.
The most significant work of these years is “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1885). Here Mark Twain again turns to the image of America's past, to the days of his childhood, which were so colorfully described in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. but compared to Tom Sawyer, the theme of the past now takes on a different meaning.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the central image is the image of Huck Finn, on whose behalf the story is told. The image of Tom Sawyer plays a secondary role here. Compared to the first book, we see a different, matured Huck Finn. His life is different from that of Tom Sawyer, and he takes it more seriously. The big difference between Huck and Tom is that Tom Sawyer continues to remain a boy who does not know the difficulties of life, and while Huck Finn grows up before our eyes, gains life experience, experiences a lot and sees a lot. The image of Huck Finn is near and dear to the author. Mark Twain especially highly appreciates Huck's humanity, his humane attitude towards people. This humanity is manifested in Huck's attitude towards the Negro Jim.
One of the most important features of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that this book truthfully recreates the picture of life in America in the 50s of the 19th century. Compared to Tom Sawyer, the scope of the narrative is expanded. Huck Finn no longer depicts a small town, but a large part of America. Huck and Jim sail along the Mississippi, the busiest waterway in the United States, past cities and towns, numerous towns, lonely farms - a broad picture of American life is painted here.
Traveling with his heroes, the writer very critically evaluates everything that comes their way. Noteworthy is the fact that Huck and Jim rarely meet honest, decent people. Bandits, murderers, robbers, just swindlers - this is the numerous gallery of people they encounter.
Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is rightly considered to be one of the first works of critical realism, which was just beginning to take hold in the United States of America. In the 90-900s, Mark Twain's last illusions disappeared. A cheerful humorist turns into a bitter satirist, and sometimes a pessimist. He writes journalistic works and pamphlets. The pamphlet “The United Lynching States” (1901) was written about racial discrimination and the brutal persecution of blacks. A number of pamphlets are devoted to denouncing the imperialist policy of the United States, which has embarked on extensive colonial conquests.
Twain's journalism does not contain the good-natured humor of his early years. Its basis is reproof. Evil irony alternates with bitter sarcasm. The predominant type of journalistic works are satirical pamphlets directed against the imperialist policy pursued by the ruling circles of the United States. Filled with anger, Twain's journalism castigates, stigmatizes the harmful essence of imperialism, objectively leads to the conclusion about its inconsistency, about the need to replace it with a more reasonable system.
Huckleberry Finn is a homeless boy, the son of the first Petersburg drunkard, a tramp, living wherever he can. All the mothers of the town hated him, and all the boys were jealous of his freedom and longed for his company.
Huck had more life experience than Tom and was more serious than him (especially, this can be seen in the story of saving the black Jim), however, it was Tom who was always the leader in their joint affairs.
As a result, everyone known history, Huck and Tom Sawyer, found a treasure hidden in a cave by Injun Joe. Huck became a rich man by local standards. The widow Douglas, whom he saved from Joe's revenge, was made his guardian, and Judge Thatcher was entrusted with the care of his money. Once in a decent house, Huck began to suffer unbearably. He is unaccustomed to eating with a knife and fork and sleeping in bed. He eventually escaped, but then returned because Tom Sawyer promised to make him a bandit.
Having learned that Huck got the money, his father found him and kidnapped him. He drank constantly and was insane. Huck ran away from him. He met a runaway black man, Jim, and they set off on a journey along the Mississippi River. As a result, after many adventures, he ended up with Tom Sawyer's relatives and it so happened that they mistook Huck for Tom, who was supposed to arrive any day.
Tom arrived and successfully gave himself away to his brother Sid. Together with Huck, he began to play freeing the Negro Jim. As a result, it turned out that Jim was given freedom under Miss Watson's will. Huck also learned that his father had died and would no longer haunt him.
After that, he returned to his native land and lived happily ever after. The further adventures of Tom and Huck are described in Mark Twain's stories "Tom Sawyer - Detective", where the boys find themselves in detective story and Tom Sawyer Abroad, where they travel around the world in a hot air balloon.
Mark Twain personality of Huck Finn:
“All the mothers in the city hated Huckleberry with all their hearts and at the same time were afraid of him, because he was a lazy, ill-mannered, bad boy who did not recognize any mandatory rules. And also because their children - every single one of them - were souls in him they didn’t care, they loved to hang out with him, although this was forbidden, and they wanted to imitate him in everything. Tom, like all the other boys from respectable families, envied the outcast Huckleberry, and he was also strictly forbidden to deal with this ragamuffin. , it was for this reason that Tom did not miss the opportunity to play with him. Huckleberry dressed in cast-offs from the shoulders of adults; his clothes were speckled with multi-colored spots and were so tattered that his rags were fluttering in the wind; down a long piece in the shape of a crescent; on those rare days when Huck put it on himself, it reached almost to his heels, so that the back buttons fit well below the tire; empty bag, and at the bottom they were decorated with fringe and dragged in the mud if Huck didn’t roll them up.”
"Huckleberry was a free bird, he wandered wherever he pleased. In good weather he spent the night on the steps of someone else's porch, and in rainy weather - in empty barrels. He did not have to go to school or to church, he did not have to listen to anyone, above him there was no master. He could fish or swim whenever and wherever he wanted, and sit in the water as much as he wanted. No one forbade him to fight. He could stay up until the morning. He was the first of all the boys to walk barefoot. , and in the fall he was the last to put on his shoes. He didn’t need to wash or put on a clean dress, and he could swear amazingly, in a word, he had everything that makes life wonderful. "well-mannered" boys from respectable families."
Film adaptations
The story of Huckleberry Finn has been filmed several times. Two films were shot in our country:
“Completely Lost” - a 1972 film by Georgy Danelia, where Gek is played by Roman Madyanov
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn” is a 1981 film directed by Stanislav Govorukhin, where the role of Huck was played by Vladislav Galkin.
By the way, the word huckleberry refers to a small berry similar to blueberries, common in North America, and in Old English slang they said this when mentioning some insignificant thing, sometimes in a warm, affectionate context.