Tom Finder Themes

Improved Essays
An empty mind is ready for anything, without the afflictions of the past for a guide. In Martine Leavitt’s novel, Tom Finder, something happens to Tom. Tom just does not know what; that is the first thing he forgets. Tom refers to it as “the Forgetting” (p 35). He is determined nevertheless. He will find himself, his family; he will find where he belongs. There are three people who help Tom in this book. First, there is Samuel Wolflegs, a desperate father, yet a warrior driven by hope, faith, prayer, and his love for his lost son, who believes Tom is a finder. Next, there is Peter Slovak, also known as Pepsi, a misguided boy whose choices lead him in the wrong directions yet leads others to the right path. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is an intellectual, a true master of the arts, whose music holds words that cannot be spoken, and a truth that is yet to be discovered. Without these characters, Tom will never learn, remember, or be guided to where he belongs. If Tom had not listened to Mozart's, The Magic Flute, before the forgetting, Tom would not have been able to reconnect with his past. He would not be able to find himself. Samuel Wolflegs has impacted Toms life substantially since he had deemed Tom a “ Finder” (p.14). Samuel’s beliefs are that the river has sent Tom to …show more content…
Upon hearing the opera written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, something powerful happens within Tom. As the memories start flooding through Tom’s veins, he remembers Mozart and how he loved the operas. Tom is beginning to remember how he studied Mozart to become smarter. Tom remembers everything now, his alcoholic mother, his abusive step-father. Because Tom studied Mozart he was able to identify and compare within the opera and this helps him regain his memory. Therefore this helps to lead him back to his home and ultimately the realization that he does not belong there

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Tom is encountered once again with death when Isabel dies of Cancer twenty years later, however Tom feels a sense of healing when Lucy-Grace comes to visit him: “Tom felt a pang as he remembered the day she had presented it to him, and his terror at the breach of the rules. And he was suddenly awash again with the loving and the losing of Isabel” (341). As Tom gives Lucy-Grace all the…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    “In the Time of the Butterflies” is a historical novel by Julia Alvarez, relating an account of the Mirabal sisters during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Maria Teresa is the youngest of the four Mirabal sisters. She is very superficial and materialistic in the beginning of the story, but she becomes a resilient, strong-willed revolutionary hero. Further, Maria Teresa is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family’s right for a liberal nation. Maria Teresa is very artificial and bourgeois in the beginning of the story, but she becomes a robust, determined revolutionary hero.…

    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rebecca Solnit Open Door

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The excerpt “Open Door,” from A Field Guide To Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit talks about the true meaning of getting lost and how the experience is different for each person. The meaning of getting lost for Solnit is actually a chance for someone to find themselves. Solnit argues that becoming lost is an essential and wondrous tool of one’s self identity and their ability to grow, change and to become informed. Solnit uses sources of philosopher’s, poet’s, scientist’s and more to back up her ideas of getting lost and becoming enlightened at the same time. As I continued to read the story I began to see how the different experiences of getting lost somehow all tied to one central idea.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Drown” During different stages in their lives humans tend to go through a multitude of struggles that they sometimes are able to find a resolution at the end of them. In “Drown” by Junot Diaz, the narrator is dealing with his struggle of finding his identity .The narrator shows his inner struggle of finding his identity through expressing his experience about his detachment from this mother, his issues with his father and jealousy between him and his friend. This struggle is one that is common with much of the youth in poverty stricken America today who are forced to have no kind of parental engagement within their lives.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When the past is often discussed, few truly recognize the importance of how previous trails aid with the development of the future. Knowledge gained from prior actions, and their consequences after, are vital in survival and preparation for upcoming tribulations. In August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, this artful theater production expresses how the past provides the necessary understanding to prepare for the following difficulties. Bernice in The Piano Lesson conveys how the past, and former problems— such as her husband’s death— are astoundingly significant towards overcoming obstacles that will come. Past tribulations can be learned from to overcome new ones, which reveals that the past’s defeats are essential for future triumph.…

    • 1548 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Exile is often associated with punishment, the result of a wrongdoing. It can consume the human spirit, creating a longing for home and comfort. However, through the hardships of isolation, a person can find themselves discovering their gumption and stride in life. This can be readily seen in Tobias Wolff’s Old School, where an unnamed narrator attends a high-class preparatory school which has an extremely competitive focus on literature. In the story, three authors, Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway, come to visit campus, and are available for a one-on-one meeting to the winner of a writing contest.…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout Breakfast with Buddha, Merullo writes about the lessons Rinpoche teaches to Otto. More of the straight forward lessons and guidance occur in chapters 23-34. These lessons are more like ideas for Otto to think about and if it would be acceptable to apply to his daily life. But, not only are the lessons for Otto to consider, they are meant for the audience to consider for themselves personally. When Otto and Rinpoche settle back in at the St. Mary’s Inn, Otto begins reading Rinpoche’s book.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    T. Caraghessan Boyle’s story, “Greasy Lake”, is a rite of passage story. This can be seen in the themes throughout the story. The story itself has coinciding themes in it. Right from the beginning the boys are looking for trouble.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As World War I came to an end, there would be a rise in a fascist totalitarian regime that emphasized the need for a strong central government led by a single ruler. “Leaders who embraced fascism, such as Mussolini and Hitler, claimed that they were striving to build a new community on a national – not an international – level. Extreme nationalists, and often racists, Fascists glorified war and the military.” The development of such political philosophy influenced the ideas and beliefs of Adolf Hitler – a German Nazi dictator and National Socialist Party (NAZI) leader and founder. Ultimately, there would be an emphasis on war, nationalism, and even racism, that entailed the purification of the body of the nation.…

    • 1565 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Burnt Stick Analysis

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Based on the real story, Anthony Hill wrote “The Burnt Stick” to represent the bad aspect of history - “The Stolen Generation” in 1960s. Being represented to one of the stolen kids, John Jagamarra never lost his identity and belonging. Opposite with the changing background, conditions outside, he still tries to figure out the differences of Pear Bay and his home to never forget. Also, his mom is the big supporter to make him remember about his own language and traditions of his own place. Therefore, by trying through the whole long time, he still keeps his own identity and belongings.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller we see many themes and lessons in the story. The main theme is focussed on deceit and lying and how lies can lead down a dark road which results in the ruin of many. The Crucible is a fictional play based on the Salem Witch Trials which occurred between February 1692 and May 1693 and resulted in over 150 people being accused of witchcraft and 20 executed. The story focusses on the story of John Proctor and Abigail Williams, his niece, and how lies, jealousy, revenge, and deep seated feuds caused a community to turn on each other in a vicious circle of accusations and misunderstandings. The characters in the play who lie significantly are Abigail, John Proctor, and Mary Warren…

    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Both Helga and the narrator of the second passage share a similar interest; escaping their current lives and finding suffrage in new, untainted worlds. One theme that is easily identifiable in both passages is escape. Both main characters want to be free of the burdens implemented on them in their current lives. Helga is escaping the conflicts that’ve been surrounding her for quite a while, while the narrator of the second passage is trying to run away from a situation in which he is linked to the death of an innocent woman. It is evident in both passages that towards the endings, both characters seem to feel more at peace with themselves upon their arrivals to their destinations.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Annotated Bibliography Bloom, Harold. " Othello." New Haven, US: Yale University Press (2005): 259. ProQuest ebrary. Web.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It Might be Schizophrenia By Andres Malagon The short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, is an amazing, suspenseful story about Emily Grierson; she is the main character in the story. She is a lonely, troubled and eccentric lady who lives in the same old house where she was born and raised. Emily has been living in this house and taking care of her father all her life. However, when her father died, she decided not to leave her old house and began to develop a series of behaviors that can lead the reader to think about a mental condition.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amadeus Movie Analysis

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nicole Orgeron’s Movie Critique- “Amadeus” 10/21/2015 Watch the award winning movie from 1984, “Amadeus” based on Mozart’s life, directed by Milos Forman then answer the questions below to receive credit for this assignment. 1. Name one of the Academy Awards this film has won.…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays