The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Novel by Mark Twain
Novel Summary:
Aunt Polly looks and yells for Tom Sawyer because she needs to confront him over any lost jam. Tom, on the other hand, is able to outwit his aunt and flees. Aunt Polly, on the other hand, likes him so much that she can't be too strict on him. She is concerned that he will nap that day, which he almost certainly will.
Tom encounters a boy from St. Louis with whom he clashes in the afternoon. Tom's clothes are soiled from the battle that Aunt Polly punishes him by stripping him of his Saturday freedom and giving him the uncomfortable task of whitewashing the fence.
On Saturday morning, the depressed Tom starts the laborious task of whitewashing the fence, well aware that his friends are all playing in the town square. Aunt Polly's slave, Jim, comes by as Tom begins his quest, and Tom tries to trap him into aiding, but Aunt Polly sends Jim on his way. Tom is suddenly frightened that one of his friends is about to pass by and see him playing on a Saturday morning. Since he's having so much fun, Tom pretends that what he's doing isn't work. Ben immediately manages to take Tom's hand in his and hands him his apple. When Ben is drawing, other friends come by and want to try their hand at this fun game as well. Each boy gives Tom a reward for letting him try his hand at whitewashing, and Tom ends up with his fence whitewashed and a little treasury of presents.
After painting the fence, Tom heads for the square, stopping along the way to watch a very pretty lass who is getting into a house down the lane. He brags about her though she or he pretends to forget him. He's taken by her and learns her name is Becky Thatcher. He participates in fun and games with his colleagues, leading a military that beats the opposing army. He is expected to attend Sunday school the next day, Sunday, and is bored of the tedium, but he finds ways to distract himself.
He's eventually compelled to fly to school on Monday, after making several reasons for not getting there. On the road, he encounters Huckleberry Finn, the town drunk's uncle. Huck never attends high school and is the envy of all the boys because he has total independence. Huck arranges for Tom to feed him that night so they can bury a dead cat in the cemetery. Tom is disciplined at school for being late and is made to stay in the "girls' row." This makes him happy because the only open seat is next to Becky Thatcher. He joins her at lunch, and they vow their troth to each other.
At midnight, Huck appears, and they go to the graveyard to see Dr. Robinson, Injun Joe, and Muff Potter, who are exhuming a newly buried body. An altercation ensues, Muff is knocked unconscious, and Injun Joe kills the doctor and puts the murder knife next to Muff. The frightened boys run and swear a blood oath not to show what they need to see. The next day, the town is in chaos (school is cancelled), and Injun Joe names Muff Potter as the killer. Tom is worried that Injun Joe would find out he was a witness.
Tom, his pal Joe Harper, and Huckleberry Finn plan to become pirates. The three boys find a canoe and set up camp on Jackson's Island, where they spend their days fishing, hiking, smoking, exploring, and playing. When a steamboat loaded with the majority of the town's important citizens sails by, shooting cannons over the sea, the boys know they're presumed drowned. Tom sneaks home in the dark to avoid detection. Aunt Polly gives him a hopeful message that they're safe, but he changes his mind when he discovers that church services are scheduled for the "deceased boys" if they aren't identified by Sunday. The boys quietly attend the funeral ceremonies, and everyone rejoices as the dead boys casually walk down the aisle.
Back at college, Tom eventually captures Becky's heart when he admits responsibility for one of her transgressions and heroically faces the repercussions of her actions.
At Muff Potter's appeal, it was commonly accepted that Muff Potter murdered Dr. Robinson and should be hanged. Given his promise to Huck not to disclose what he has seen, Tom cannot bear the idea of an innocent citizen being hanged for a crime he did not commit. He bravely recounts what really occurred. Injun Joe flees by walking out the second-story window.
When Tom and Huck are looking for hidden treasure, they come across an old abandoned home. The boys are stuck upstairs until two men enter. One of the men is Injun Joe masked. The two criminals recover a shipment of silver coins that they had hidden and, by accident, find a trove of gold coins that had been buried by some outlaws a long time before. They plan to transport the gold coins to Injun Joe's second hideout. The frightened boys overhear Injun Joe plotting a heinous retribution before fleeing the country. The boys are afraid that they will be the object of his intended revenge, but they are lucky enough to avoid capture. The boys try to locate a location in town that might be the reverse hideout, but all they find is a Temperance Tavern filled with an abundance of whisky.
Several of the boys and girls visit McDougal's Cave at the birthday picnic for Becky Thatcher. In pursuit of anonymity, Tom and Becky stray from the others and become hopelessly lost.
Meanwhile, Huck Finn, who is on the lookout for Injun Joe's hiding spot, follows the two men to Cardiff Hill, the residence of the Widow Douglas and a Welshman named Jones. Hiding behind a hedge, he overhears Injun Joe discussing his plans to mutilate the Widow Douglas because her ex, the lawyer, had openly horsewhipped him once. Huck rushes to inform Mr. Jones of the story, and as a result, the Welshman and his sons pursue the vicious Injun Joe and his cohort away. Huck has become severely ill as a result of his terror, and the Widow Douglas involves the Welshman's home and nurses the homeless boy back to health.
Simultaneously, it is revealed that Tom and Becky are missing; they have not been seen since the cave. All of the available men in the village gather and do a thorough search of the cave. Tom and Becky can hear the group from afar but are too frail to yell out loudly enough to be heard. At one point during their ordeal, Tom sees Injun Joe in a nearby passage. Tom finds a way out of the cave after they have been underground for only three days. He and Becky then proceed to return to town.
Both are ill for a brief while, but Tom recovers faster than Becky. Tom also learns that Judge Thatcher has finally blocked the second exit to the tunnel. Injun Joe was present in the cave, according to Tom. Despite Injun Joe's cruelty, Tom cannot let others go through the nightmare of starvation that he and Becky have just been through. When the lads return to the cave, they discover Injun Joe's body just inside the cave, where he had futilely attempted to dig his clarification with a knife.
Tom and Huck then return to the cave in search of Injun Joe's treasure. They retrieve about $12,000 worth of gold coins after several false starts by using different hints. This capital is invested by them, and they are wealthy as a result. The Widow Douglas brings Huck into her home to educate and educate him in civilized ways. Huck considers education, not cussing, and everything else associated with society unbearable, and he flees. He finally offers to give civilized life another shot if he can join Tom's robbery crew.
