Tom Sawyer Symbolism

Improved Essays
Show More
Imagine being faced with two seemingly unrelated pieces of literature. Initially, you can notice every contrast present, but fail to realize the comparison. Some pieces of literature contain styles of prose and fiction, as well as elements that add to the stories’ plot. The two pieces of writing presented to me was an excerpt from “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain, and a poem written by Robert Frost- “The Road Not Taken”. The excerpt “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is about a lively and mischievous young boy known as Tom Sawyer, who with the help of his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, decides to travel to the graveyard in the dead of night. Filled with fear of ghosts and goblins the story leaves off unexpectedly and doesn’t reveal …show more content…
Symbolism is applied in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, whereas, in the beginning of the excerpt, an old wooden clock is introduced. It is described as grand yet intimidating, because Tom believes each chime reminds him of wasted time, causing him to fidget and turn in his sleep. The clock does, in fact, represent wasted time and reality at the same time. This is because it states in the text “When it seemed to him that it must be nearly daylight, he heard the clock strike ten! This was despair.” In this brief citation we find that the clock struck ten times in order to bring Tom to the idea that he was wasting time, or that reality was sinking in. The use of symbolism is included in the poem- “The Road Not Taken”, whereas the two roads represent decisions or choices in life. The man, has to choose between the two roads, and by doing this, the roads symbolized choices and paths to take during your life. Depending on which road you will take, it will decide your successful in …show more content…
Eventually, these themes both lead up to one main idea: making choices. Some themes expressed in both the poem and the excerpt are courage, overcoming, and of course, fate. As shown in the story, overcoming plays an important role as a theme. In the excerpt, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have to overcome their fears and obstacles in order to make it to the terrifying graveyard. On the other hand, in the poem, the traveler has to overcome his skepticism to finish traveling the path he chose. Another theme expressed is courage. Courage was portrayed in both texts, showing how Tom needed the courage to travel to the graveyard, and the lone traveler brought his courage forward to travel the least known road. Lastly, fate is an imperative theme in the texts, bringing the comparison full circle. At the end of " The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and "The Road Not Taken", the pieces leave off with an ending with the fates of both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, as well as the traveler 's, unknown. Meaning, their future was never revealed to us, as to what happened

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Tom Sawyer Compare And Contrast
    • 87 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Tom Sawyer Compare And Contrast

    The story of Tom Sawyer can be also compared to the other work of Mark Twain which is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Because we all know that in the story Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry are very good friends and they also are the same in terms of what they do in their life like to wonder around and find things that they thought could be interesting even though it is bad for other people but in the end they discover something that they can also…

    • 87 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Huckleberry Finn Dialectical Journal
    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Huckleberry Finn Dialectical Journal

    27. P27 Huckleberry Finn relates the island to a steamboat without lights imply that each would be abandoned. 28. P28 Instead of getting scared of the hunting party, Huckleberry Finn sees it as an opportunity to have some fun, which demonstrates his outlook on life. 29.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Huckleberry Finn
    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Huckleberry Finn

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an American classic. A journey of a young boy and a runaway slave as his companion. Although, their journey towards freedom takes a turn. Twain had stopped midway through his novel and when he picked it up to finish he lost sight of its original purpose. Huck Finn is a lame excuse to discuss slavery, it does not consider the importance of the journey nor does it convey the right message.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How Does Mark Twain Use Fate In Huckleberry Finn
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Mark Twain Use Fate In Huckleberry Finn

    Freedom to Fate In November of 1835, Samuel L. Clemens, pen name Mark Twain was born in Missouri. There he spent his adolescent years until him and his family moved to Hannibal, a town off the Mississippi River. In Hannibal, Clemens would not only grow up but would develop his love for writing. Although Hannibal was not a big city, it was situated off the Mississippi River which made it a water town. This small detail became Clemens’ greatest inspiration used in his works from the steamboat, the water town, and the people who were around at the time Clemens merged these factors into his most classic works The adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Tom Sawyer And Huckleberry Finn: Character Analysis
    • 1518 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Tom Sawyer And Huckleberry Finn: Character Analysis

    Emotions tend to make things tricky in every situation; when added to a dangerous situation, it can play on one’s conscience and make the choice even more difficult. In the instance of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, readers can witness this internal struggle between fear and their conscience. In addition, readers follow the boy’s decisions on the innocent’s worth to their own selves. Tom remembers the times that Muff Potter has helped him, and Huckleberry Finn recalls when the widow Douglas was kind to him when others were not. Without these crucial realizations from the boys, they may not have put their lives in danger, risking the wrath of Injun Joe, in order to help these two innocent victims.…

    • 1518 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Grapes Of Wrath Journey Analysis
    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Grapes Of Wrath Journey Analysis

    At the beginning of the book we learn of Tom's release from prison, but also of his missing family, Tom of course if the quester. Already this gives ideas that Tom has had a hard life, with more hardship to come. Along with Jim Casy, a former preacher, Tom finds his family at his Uncle John's home. The family had left and background information tells it is because they lived in Oklahoma during both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. This story is already forming to fit the theme.…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Common Theme In Angelas Ashes And The Street
    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Common Theme In Angelas Ashes And The Street

    As we all know, the theme of a story is the lesson that is being taught throughout the novel. But a theme can also be the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, or a person's thoughts. All stories have a theme, but they may not always be directly stated. This requires readers to dig deep down into the text and analyze the lessons that they have acquired through the book. Between the two excerpts, "Angelas Ashes" and "The Street", there is common theme that perseverance is important when times get tough in life.…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Tom Robinson Symbolism
    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Tom Robinson Symbolism

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper lee, the mad dog, Tim Johnson, symbolizes Tom Robinson. The mad dog symbolizes Tom Robinson because the names of the dog and Tom Robinson sound alike. For example, the names Tom Robinson and Tim Johnson have six of the same letters. Additionally, the mad dog symbolizes Tom Robinson because they both die similar deaths. For example, the mad dog is shot with a gun, and Tom Robinson is shot with a gun later in the book as well.…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Universal Truths In Huckleberry Finn
    • 2072 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Universal Truths In Huckleberry Finn

    When people think of theme they see universal truths, but do they envision a child portraying it? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a work of fiction about a young boy who journeys across the American South with a runaway slave. As Huck travels, he encounters many obstacles along the way that each portray a theme Mark Twain is trying to convey to his audience. Huckleberry Finn’s encounter with the civilized world shows the true nature of the townspeople.…

    • 2072 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Cormac Mccarthy The Road
    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Cormac Mccarthy The Road

    Usually, when one thinks of the future, they think of flying cars and robots, but what most people don’t think of is a damaged earth with the constant threat of losing all it’s life. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is a thrilling tale that takes readers on a journey of adventure, suspense and survival. The novel, taking place in a post-apocalyptic setting of a deathly winter, includes a father and his son journeying across the United States with the incentive of finding food and shelter to escape their imminent death. Despite the fact that death is inevitable in this time and human beings are conforming to either cannibalism or suicide, McCarthy creates two strong, independent characters with the fortitude to persevere through the most dangerous…

    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    How Does Tom Sawyer Mature
    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Does Tom Sawyer Mature

    In Mark Twain’s classic novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom’s life and various escapades are described in great length and depth. Tom Sawyer, is a very shrewd, manipulative boy with a penchant for finding a way to get out of work. He demonstrates this in the pranks he plays on others. The novel jumps back and forth among several narrative strands showing Tom’s growth as a character. Because of the episodic nature of the plot, Tom’s character can seem inconsistent, as it varies depending upon his situation.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Theme Of Superstition In Huckleberry Finn
    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Theme Of Superstition In Huckleberry Finn

    In the American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a young boy named Huck and a slave named Jim are faced with danger while they travel down the Mississippi River. The pair, Huck and Jim, must overcome obstacles and challenges after Huck faked death and left town and Jim became a runaway slave. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the theme, even though many often try, with good intentions, the results tend to work against them, is developed with the motifs of superstition, childhood, and lies and deciet. The motif of superstition is so evident and important that Mark Twain even dedicated a chapter to it - Chapter 4: Huck and the Judge - Superstition.…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism In Castaway
    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Symbolism In Castaway

    The Oscar winning movie Castaway directed by Robert Zemecks, starring Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland a worker from Fedex travels to different countries to guide them to get their packages out faster. On Christmas he is summoned to help with packages, eventually his plane crashes in the ocean, he is the only survivor he finds an island and lives on the island for about 5 years before an item washes on shore to help him home. Eventually he builds a raft and a ship finds him on his little nature made raft. He finally gets to go home, to find that his soon to be fiance has married his dentist. Throughout this movie many different things are shown that some people don’t process that is going on until they look back at the movie.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Mississippi River Symbolism
    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mississippi River Symbolism

    The Mississippi River as a Symbol An important factor throughout the book of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is the Mississippi River. In the book, the Mississippi River represents a sense of freedom and independence for Huckleberry Finn and Jim. Huckleberry Finn and Jim were very different before and after they took the trip on the raft down the river. The differences may be how they were treated before and after by other people, or the difference in what The Mississippi River meant to them.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Huckleberry Finn As An Archetypal Hero
    • 1270 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Huckleberry Finn As An Archetypal Hero

    Every hero in literature has a journey. These heroes start as ordinary people in an ordinary world then, they receive a call to action and must transform to solve a conflict or reach one of their goals. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is portrayed as an archetypal hero to reveal the theme of friendship conquering all. Huck is introduced to the story as an archetypal hero; he has an ordinary life, he receives a call to action, and at first refuses this call.…

    • 1270 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings