Synthesis (archetypes) Page: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

                 Synthesis (archetypes) Page: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" Mark Twain 

                 Warrior: Tom Sawyer
         
            Tom and Becky were stuck in a cave near their village at a point in the book, they thought it was all over and that they were gone for good. They had been stuck in the cave for a good amount of time and had searched for a way out, but it only seemed to make them get even deeper into the cave. They settled down one last time, Becky could no longer go any further. However, Tom recollected himself and gave one last attempt in hopes of finding an escape for both of them. He followed two avenues as far as the string he was using to track his progress could go. Eventually, he sees light and a small opening that he can fit through, he can't believe it! He runs back to Becky full of joy and they run to the opening, "...was about to turn back when he glimpsed a far-off speck that looked like daylight... .". They had made it and were able to breathe fresh air again because of the courageous Tom. I believe that this act justifies Tom as the Warrior of the book.

                 Reluctant Hero: Huckleberry Finn

            Huck was the reluctant hero, because of the one time he saved the old widow of the village. Tom and Huck had been tracking down Injun Joe (a murderer) for his treasure. Tom wants Huck to watch for Joe during the night. At first, Huck doesn't want to, but he does watch for him that very night anyway. So, as Huck watches, out of all his luck, he spots Injun Joe. He also overhears Injun Joe laying out a plan with his comrade," '...you go for her looks. you slit her nostrils-you notch her ears like a sow!' ". Injun wants to hurt the Widow and Huck makes sure it doesn't happen. He rushes to the town Welshman and his two sons. The Welshman gets his gun and brings his sons along, they go out for Injun Joe secretly, accompanied by Huckleberry. The Welshman steps on a twig and Injun and his comrade run off. He fires his gun a few times but doesn't manage to get the criminal, he only scared him off. However, it prevented the criminal from carrying out his plan. Huck was a hero, but didn't want anyone to know, surprisingly, he was reluctant.

                 The Mother Figure: Aunt Polly

           Aunt Polly may not have seemed to be much of a mother figure to Tom, but deep down inside she really was. She took care of Tom, she kept him in a warm house and cleaned, fed and provided him with clothes. She watched out for him and really did love him. For example, in the book, Tom and two friends run off to an island and pretend that they are dead, Aunt Polly feels horrible and regrets all the bad thing she had done to Tom over the years," '...poor boy, poor dead boy. But he's out of all his troubles now. And the last words I ever heard him say was to reproach-' ". She really stands out to me as the mother figure because of all the the things she's done for Tom.

                 The Shadow: Injun Joe]

           Injun Joe is the shadow, he is a murderer and a liar. At court, Tom reveals the truth as to who Joe actually killed and before Tom finished, Joe had already jumped out of a window and left the scene on quick feet, "Crash! Quick as lightning the halfbreed sprang for a window, tore his way through all opposers, and was gone!". After the scene at court, Tom thinks that Injun Joe is going to get revenge on him and Huck. The boys proceed to watch out for him all the time and are extremely frightened when they think they notice him. Injun Joe lurks in the shadows most of the time and I feel that he is literally the shadow in the book.

               

Reading Response 2 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Xavier Marzulli                                                                                                                             9/30/14
811                                                                                                                                                     ELA          

                                  Reading Response 2 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer


      "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain was a very pleasant book. However, what stood out to me, were the variety of moods that were displayed. Tom changed all the time, from his mood or even his character. The people around Tom were often found in deep sorrow. There were also many fearful moments that Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn shared. Tom even had his own little love life. Love, sadness and fear all showed up multiple times through the books plot.

      Love, this was something that really surprised me in the book. I thought that Tom was just a mischievous boy who only cared about adventures, but he did show his feel towards one girl. His eyes fell on Becky Thatcher and they very rarely came off of her. Take this from the text, " ' No, I'll never love anybody but you, Tom, and I'll never marry anybody but you-and you ain't to ever marry anybody but me, either.' ". Tom even goes so far as to make sure Becky swears loyalty to him, he says that they were getting engaged. Further on into the book, Becky and Tom get into arguments, but they really do love each other deep inside. By the end of the book they get back together until the last pages. Tom's love life effects the book plenty and it also effects Tom's character.

      Moving on, it isn't just love that occurs, but sadness is a big part of the emotion factor. The whole village in which Tom lives in feels deep sorrow, more than once. For example Tom and his friends create the sadness, " 'And god forgive me, I cracked Tom's head with my thimble, poor boy, poor dead boy. But he's out of all his troubles now. And the last words I ever heard him say was to reproach-' ". Tom, Joe and Huck all go out to a secret island for a few days and the whole village realizes they're gone and after days of searching they weren't found. Soon the village deemed the three boys dead and here, Aunt Polly explains how she feels about it. Another example is when Tom and Becky get lost in a cave near the village, the village searches for them and again they fail to find them. The same feelings are shared of deep sorrow, but Tom manages to get Becky and himself out of the cave through a small hole and a sigh of relief is exchanged between the town's people.

      The last emotion that was clearly displayed in the book was fear. Tom and Huck experienced many moments of shock and fright that lurked them for a long time. The one I thought was the strongest explanation, was the time Tom and Huck went to the old cemetery during midnight, out of all their luck they managed to witness a murder, "Presently Tom seized his comrade's arm and said: 'Sh!' 'what is it, Tom?'... 'it's the devils, sure enough. Three of 'em! Lordy, Tom, we're goners! Can you pray?' ". In this excerpt the boys obviously get carried away, their fears get into their heads and they freak out. On future adventures, Tom and Huck experience many more moments like these, but they survive. Similar moments make the book exciting and this emotion is essential to the plot.

      In the end, the book wasn't only exceptional due to the emotions the author created, but it was certainly more fun to read because of them. I really find the writer's choice of scenes strong, because they present each emotion clearly and sometimes in a humorous way. Now I would also like to read the adventures of Huckleberry Finn and see if the writing style is similar or if it has a change.