The adventures of Tom Sawyer : meet the youthful pranks of a young -yet cheerful rascal

From : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.virenter.books.AOUDDEISSMVJFCCU

Well, I hadn't had so much time for reading lately and thanks to the summer holiday I could resume my reading habits with one of the classics : The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by the American writer Mark Twain. 

From : http://www.palmhealth.com/events/book-club-adventures-tom-sawyer/

The novel tells the story of young Tom Sawyer, who lives with his auntie Polly and his half-brother Sid. Aunt Polly finds it difficult to educate Tom, given that he constantly runs away from home, he skips lessons at schools and he is constantly pulling prank on others to the extent that Tom is frequently grounded because of his behaviour. One day he is expected to whitewash the fence of his house and he somehow manages to persuade other kids that painting the fence is pleasurable and the other children even give him some of their stuff just to be allowed to do that pleasurable work. At the end of the day not only has Tom achieved his purpose, but he has also gathered a wide range of toys, food and other objects. What most people could think is the questionable behaviour of a spoilt child is, in the author's view, a boy who is actively using his imagination and a boy who is fully enjoying his childhood. 

This masterpiece explores the world of childhood, the problems and worries of children at a young age, including the interest in girls and the flirting mechanisms when you're a child, school and why school often poses a problem for some children, and, especially, the lovely dreams that these children want to come true, like becoming pirates or finding a hidden treasure. The author seems to know the world of childhood perfectly well, as if he were a boy himself. 

Another important topic dealt with is education from different perspectives. On the one hand, upbringing : the problems to bring a child up effectively and how to deal with it when the child is rebellious. This is what Aunt Polly experiments in her own flesh when he is incapable of exerting her authority as a maternal figure, probably because she knows and that she is not Tom's real mother. On the other hand, formal education. The book satirizes a school that fosters competition and memorization without letting children unleash their imagination or do practical things. A critique against the educational system is hinted. We're educating children not to rebel, to be quiet like mice. The only way that Tom has to unleash his imagination is to play hooky and skip lessons. Twain's visions of education are still current to this day, as many parents still have problems when raising their children and some academic institutions continue to foster memorization of contents rather than active participation. This critique also extends to religion. Families are happy that children go to Sunday school, but everything children do in Sunday school is basically learning prayers by heart. 

From : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/534450680759884373/

The novel also explores the rebellion against the established order. Tom and his pranks respond to the idea of doing something different, something the society is not used to; and at the same time, to show his individual personality. He escapes to be a pirate and lets everyone think he is dead, but deep down he has a heart of gold. Tom puts himself at risk on several occasions, dealing with criminals and fleeing from home; and this is just a way to draw the people's attention. Another rebellious figure is that of Huckleberry Finn, a beggar child, who sleeps on the street and wears nothing but ragged clothes and does not matter what other people think about him. He is somehow scorned and rejected by everyone except Tom and the children who play with him with open arms. It could even be argued that children turn out to be more open-minded than adults. In fact, the children show some adult-like behaviour : they do heroic deeds, saving a widow from dying or an inhabitant from being condemned to death and even facing thieves. 

In a nutshell, Mark Twain masterfully uses irony and parody to criticize the society of the time and conventions such as school or love, and, at the same time, pictures a perfect description of childhood playfully. When I was reading the book I couldn't help but remember my own childhood, and I felt identified with good-hearted Thomas Sawyer. As the author points out in the preface : "although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in." So, what are you waiting for ? Read the book if you're fond of your own childhood. 
P.S. If you want to see some other book reviews of mine, click on the links : my review on William Golding's The Lord of the Flies, my analysis of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, my post on Dickens's Oliver Twist, and my entry about Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea; Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo.