Then and Now

a response to The Adventure's of Tom Sawyer

The kids sat in a simple vegetable garden as they contemplated the activity of the day. On the previous day, the group had played Sleeping Beauty on the front lawn, but today they were jaded and restless. A docile little girl finally came up with an idea; they should go on a treasure hunt. Off on they went on their quest; not returning for weeks. No one in the minute town had a clue as to where or even how the seven children had disappeared. Throughout time children have always been adventurous, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer aspects and personalities from all of the characters can be found in kids we know today. Each and every character can be recognized in today’s children that we know and love.

Even now in seventh grade students occasionally sit around a corner deliberately being ignored. After so many years of repetitive teaching starting at an early age, they should incorporate everyone into the fun and games of recess. Although on very few occasions exclusions altered so that the outcasts are included. “Tom decided that he could be independent of Becky Thatcher now. Glory was sufficient. He would live for glory.” As a result Tom excludes Becky from everything and as Becky doesn’t want to go anywhere near Tom, she ends up left out of all of the dramatic conversations and games.

Along with excluding others, Tom also has several adventures within his eccentric posse. “They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than the President of the United States forever.” Tom and Joe are still young and innocent and know very little of exactly what they want to do with their future. As children everyone makes a dream of what they want to do when they are older but many times this fantasy is unrealistic and so unlikely to happen that the adults around them actually end up discouraging these children’s’ imaginations to run wild. Imagination is the sole thing that keeps sanity in life after childhood.

Besides playing Robin Hood with Joe, Tom also lets his imagination run wild as Huck joins Tom and Joe in running away. Many young boys have imaginings of what life would be like as a pirate. This group of boys actually puts that dream into action, as they disappear from all civilization and away from their parental guidance. “They said their prayers inwardly, and lying down, since there was nobody there with authority to make them kneel and recite aloud, in truth they had a mind not to say them at all, but they were afraid to proceed to such lengths as that, lest they might call down a sudden and special thunderbolt from Heaven.” The group actually does have some self-preservation even though it’s partially out of fear. Although sometimes the trio seems to act immaturely, at times Tom, Huck and even Joe seem to act as if they are not just ten year old little boys but as though they are nearly adults. Even though the go to such attempted lengths to let their relatives know they are well, the trio of boys stays away for so much time, that they find themselves in a predicament. Their families’ plan and have a funeral for the deceased boys. Now days this can happen but if a child has vanished for that much time the hounds are set loose.

After stunning the town with their presence at their very own funerals the boys attend the murder trial of Dr. Robinson. Murders happen very rarely and witnessing a murders is an even more seldom feat. Both Huck and Tom did witness the murder of Dr. Robinson at the graveyard where Injun Joe sets it up to look as though Muff Potter had committed the crime when he himself did. Kids are scared to tell the complete truth even to those they trust with their whole heart because they are afraid of what will happen if they tell “the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Huck, intimidated by being in the company of Injun Joe leaves it to Tom to testify. When a child or children are scared they hide, because that is what they have always done but they never do understand that sometimes they actually need to blossom put fears behind them. Telling the truth is a major key in life.

After almost five weeks the rambunctious group of kids returned home to their concerned families’. Never once did they convey to anyone where they had been for so long, undiscovered. The kids agreed to keep all of this to themselves, in their opinions none of the other people in the town would care. Adults many times do not pay a great deal of attention to children as they have “better things to do” with their time than chase around after a bunch of kids. Even though the character of Tom is based on an eighteenth century boy, he and the other characters are exceedingly similar to children and even teenagers in the present day.

Consequences

A Response to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The painting is finally finished after many treacherous hours of hard work and the results are incredible. Though the long process of making this masterpiece you have created quite a mess. There is paint covering the room, wrapper and bags from snacks blanket the floor. After the long process of creating the picture, comes the even longer process of cleaning up. The consequences of having made an enormous mess are, having to clean it all up. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom often has to suffer from the consequences for his actions. Consequences are created with everything that is done, and consequences must be faced whether they are good or bad.

Throughout the book, the consequences for Tom’s actions vary greatly. Small consequences could be as simple as having to clean up a mess, but sometimes consequences can get to the point of possibly going to jail. Being the trouble maker that he is, Tom cons his piers out of tickets. He ends up getting enough tickets to earn his bible. Then when the judge asks Tom a simple question having to do with the bible he suffers the consequences of lying. “‘Now I know you’ll tell me,’ said the lady. ‘The names of the first two disciples were—‘ ‘DAVID AND GOLIATH!’” Tom proves to everyone that he was lying and traded for the tickets. The consequences for his actions, are losing the privilege of earning his first bible and making a fool out of himself in front of everyone.

Following making a fool out of himself, Tom is tries to avoid going to school by being in pain from his tooth. Because Tom is in such pain, Aunt Polly decides that the tooth must be pulled out therefore the pain the tooth has been causing Tom, instantly disappears. This is a very minor consequence compared to what Tom causes later on in the book. Most young children over exaggerate and then have to suffer the consequences for their actions. A child once faked being sick in order to leave school before an important test. When he was sent to the nurse, she concluded that he be sent home. Once the child was home they immediately began jumping off walls. This child’s consequences happened to be suffering the wrath of their infuriated parents, which had to return home from work in order to care for their “sick” child.

Later on in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huck and Tom go treasure hunting. Although to them just like kids in present day it is just a game. The boys dig in various places in their search for the buried treasure. During their escapade Tom and Huck forget their tools and overlook the fact that they do not fill the holes back up. Though they attempted not to the boys exhaust their energy and renounce their escapade. Consequences happen to show up to much of a disadvantage in this case because after the two boys gave up, Injun Joe finds thousands of dollars right where they had been digging.

Many times people do not understand consequences and tend to underestimate the power of them. Though no one may be putting the consequences into action immediately, they may show up in the near future. With everything that is done there is a consequence to go along with it. An outcome is a similar thing to a consequence. They always appear, but are never thought about before the action takes place.