Kameron Grant

1 OConnor
Honors English 9
27 August 2015

The Trickster of St. Petersburg

He was not the Model Boy of the village. He knew the Model Boy very well though- and
loathed him. (Twain 14) This quote is very true in the case of Tom Sawyer, the main character
of the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. He is a young boy living in the town
of St. Petersburg, who is definitely no role model. Tom Sawyer is mischievous and witty, and
always causes trouble.
Mark Twain does not give much information about Tom Sawyer at the beginning of the
book, but gives more and more as the book progresses. He is a young boy who is very
irresponsible. He skips school, plays tricks, and is all around mischievous. He speaks in such a
way that he sounds tough to other kids, as well as cursing. He is known throughout his town for
his tricks and tomfoolery. You can tell that people are familiar with his tricks when his aunt says
Ain't he played tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? (Twain 12)
Although Tom seems to be carefree, he encounters many conflicts of his own. Some
conflicts are simple problems that many young boys encounter. An example of that is Tom trying
to win the heart of Becky Thatcher, a young girl in his school. Some are a bit more personal, like
trying to win glory, respect, and riches. Tom shows this when he is thinking He would become a
pirate! That was it!... How his name would fill the world, and make people shudder! (Twain 61)
The main conflict of the story, however, is of Injun Joe, the man who murdered Dr. Robinson
and hid treasure in a cave- who wouldn't have been brought to justice if it weren't for Tom and
his friend Huck Finn.

qqqBy the end of the story, Tom has changed from the Tom we read about at the
beginning, albeit slightly. He has had many experiences that have matured him and given him

Kameron Grant
1 OConnor
Honors English 9
27 August 2015
more experience for the world. However, there is one trait of his that remains, if not even
stronger than before. This trait is his thirst for adventure. Adventure like what Tom says here:
Lookyhere, Huck, being rich ain't gonna keep me back from turning robber.
To conclude, Tom Sawyer is a very troublesome character, but one that most people can
connect to. Almost everyone went on adventures as a child. Although some caused more
trouble than others, everyone has memories of their childhood. Troublemakers and adventurers
like Tom are hard to come by in this age of technology and toys, adventure is out there. Tom
Sawyer is a symbol of childhood, but also shows that a little bit of mischief is alright from time to
time.