Tom Sawyer: An American Classic

There's something about a book that has mischievous, adventurous, neighborhood kids, that gets you hooked. I'm not sure what it is, but I know that I really enjoyed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Throughout the story, the readers follow the life of twelve-year-old Tom, as he becomes pals with Huckleberry Finn, falls in love with Becky Thatcher, and deals with his family: his aunt Polly, brother Sid, and cousin Mary. Tom is great at persuading people to do things. Whether it's his attitude, personality, or ability to make something so dull, look so pleasing, Tom always seems to get what he wants.

When this book was first published, it was considered to be only a children's book; an adult wouldn't dare read it. However, this book is more than just a tale about kids getting into trouble and cracking jokes. This book has much more meaning. Here's an excerpt from Tom Sawyer's famous fence painting scene:

Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it-namely, that in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. ...
Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.

-Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

What can we get from this excerpt? The answer: that Mark Twain was an intelligent man, and that Tom Sawyer is no ordinary children's book. How many times have you opened a children's book, and found a quote like that? A quote that challenges how we look at the world, and alters our thoughts.

Thank you Mark Twain for writing such a great book for people of all ages.

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars