Written by: AEmmons
Samuel Clemens begins his great American novel by stating “You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of ‘Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly”. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are two friends growing up in the Mississippi Valley around 1835 to 1845- well before the Civil War. The two friends have very different personalities, each bringing their own unique characteristics into this exciting and ironical story.
Tom and Huck are both adventurous and energetic young boys but in very different ways. Huck’s idea of adventure is to escape from society, its beliefs and all of its restraining and contradicting conformities, but he does it in a way that is both level-headed and sensible. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are both compulsive liars. This is continuously seen throughout the book as Huck makes up all kinds of wild tales pertaining to who he is and where he has come from, when questioned by the people he meets. With Mrs. Judith Loftus (who was going to try and catch Jim for the reward money), he had dressed up as girl by the name of Sarah Mary Williams, a young lass who had walked seven miles from her town. After being caught in his lie, he covered it up with another and became George Peters, an apprentice from the country. When caught sneaking on a boat full of raftsmen, he became Alec James Hopkins, a boy from a trading scow. His lies however, did occasionally catch up with him. In one instance while staying with the Grangerford family, Huck recalls “ When I waked up in the morning, drat it all, I had forgot what my name was”, being resourceful, he bet his new roommate Buck that he couldn’t spell his name. After Buck spelled out G-o-r-g-e-J-a-c-k-s-o-n for him, Huck tells his readers “I set it down, private, because somebody might want me to spell it, next, and so I wanted to be handy with it and rattle it off like I was used to it.” Huck Finn lies for survival of himself and others. He shows he has compassion for his nigger companion several times by using his skills and deceit to keep them both safe.
Tom Sawyer, on the other hand, is more likely to make up an adventure based on something he had read in a book. Due to his slightly higher class and upbringing he rarely needs to make up lies to escape any dangerous situation. All of his ideas and schemes come from books, unlike Huck, who has actually lived the fantasies Tom has imagined. Tom Sawyer starts a gang and tells them he wants to “Stop stages and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money”. He has a fantasy set up inside his mind about looting and pillaging, robbing and ransoming. Tom promises his gang genies, magicians, Spaniards, A-rabs and elephants; adventures beyond anything they can fathom. These things interest Huck greatly until he finds out that “ Tom Sawyer called the hogs ‘ingots’, and he called the turnips and stuff ‘ julery”. Huck later quits the gang after their first major raid. He says “There warn’t no Spaniards and A-rabs, and there warn’t no camels nor no elephants. It warn’t anything but a Sunday school picnic, and only a primer class at that.”
The two personalities are clashing and yet understanding at the same time. They both have a very strong sense of adventure. This trait, along with their similar ages and situations of being raised in homes away from their families is what makes them get together. Tom likes Huck because of his willingness to make other people happy. Tom lives out his risky ventures with no consideration for the pain and suffering it causes others. He spoiled in many ways. Huck, on the other hand, just wants things done and done right. He disagrees with many of the rules and regulation of society. He questions the inhumanity of slavery and the hypocracy of so-called “having religion” when one does not pay any attention or regard to what it says. Tom and Huck are two interesting yet different characters. They both balance each other out and show us the fantasy and reality of the time period making this novel a great American classic.