Tom sawyer and huckleberry finn comparison. The image of Huck Finn and the image of Tom Sawyer (comparative characteristics) August - sickle

In 1876, one of Twain's most famous and popular works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a combination of realism and romanticism. Realistically describing a small town, its sleepy, philistine life, Mark Twain contrasts him with the romantic world of Tom and his friends, their extraordinary adventures. The Mississippi River and surrounding nature are depicted in colorful tones, creating a romantic backdrop for the book. There is a lot of action in the story. The plot develops dynamically, the entertainment of which is facilitated by the adventure basis.

The second period of Mark Twain's work, which falls: in the 80s and early 90s, is characterized by an increase in criticism. During these years, the class struggle intensified in the United States, the number of strikes and strikes increased, in which tens and hundreds of thousands of workers took part. If earlier there were still free lands in the country, which made it possible for the workers to engage in agriculture, now these lands have disappeared, seized by monopoly cliques and speculators, and an intensive process of ruin and impoverishment of farmers was going on in agriculture.

Faced with these facts, the writer's petty-bourgeois illusions are gradually disappearing. American reality begins to be perceived in a completely different way. If in the first period Twain was dominated by an optimistic, cheerful perception of life, then in the second period it is replaced by a more critical and skeptical one.

The most significant work of these years is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Here Mark Twain again refers to the image of the past of America, to the days of his childhood, which were so colorfully described in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. but compared to "Tom Sawyer" the theme of the past now takes on a different sound.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the central image is the image of Huck Finn, on whose behalf the story is being told. The image of Tom Sawyer plays a secondary role here. Compared to the first book, we see a different, matured Huck Finn. His life is different than Tom Sawyer's, and he takes it more seriously. The big difference between Huck and Tom is that Tom Sawyer continues to be a boy who does not know the difficulties of life, and while Huck Finn grows up before our eyes, gains life experience, experiences a lot and sees a lot. The image of Huck Finn is close and dear to the author. Mark Twain especially appreciates the humanity of Huck, his humane attitude towards people. This humanity is manifested in Huck's attitude towards the Negro Jim.

One of the most important features of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that this book faithfully recreates the picture of life in America in the 50s of the XIX century. Compared to "Tom Sawyer" the scope of the narrative is being moved apart. Huck Finn no longer depicts a small town, but a significant part of America. Huck and Jim sail down the Mississippi, the busiest underflow artery in the United States, past towns and cities, numerous towns, lonely farms, and paint a broad picture of American life.

Traveling with his heroes, the writer very critically evaluates everything that comes in their way. It is noteworthy that Huck and Jim rarely meet honest, decent people. Bandits, murderers, robbers, just crooks - such is the numerous gallery of faces they encounter.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is rightly regarded as one of the first works of critical realism that was just beginning to take hold in the United States of America. In the 90-900s, Mark Twain's last illusions disappear. A cheerful humorist turns into a bitter satirist, and sometimes a pessimist. He writes publicistic works, pamphlets. The pamphlet The United Lynching States (1901) was written about racial discrimination and the cruel persecution of Negroes. A number of pamphlets are devoted to denouncing the imperialist policy of the United States, which has embarked on extensive colonial conquests.

Twain's journalism does not contain the good-natured humor of the early years. Its basis is reproof. Evil irony alternates in it with bitter sarcasm. Satirical pamphlets directed against the imperialist policy pursued by the ruling circles of the United States become the predominant type of journalistic works.

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn characters in a Mark Twain novel.

Living conditions of Tom and Huckleberry. (Both are orphans, but Aunt Polly takes care of Tom’s life, who loves her nephew in her own way, although among the two boys, Tom and Sid, she singles out the obedient but vile Sid. She tries to educate Tom with harsh methods, makes him work, go to church and Huck lives on his own and has to take care of food and a roof over his head every day, he is more independent and serious than the mischievous Tom.)

Training Tom and Huck.(Tom studies at Sunday school, has to cram texts from the Bible. In addition, at home, Aunt Polly controls his behavior and requires him to do it right, in a Christian way. Huck does not study anywhere, any training is painful for him. Therefore, life becomes a real school for Huck, in in which Huck is taught by the people he met and circumstances.This training is sometimes quite dangerous, and you can learn anything on the street.For example, life taught Huck to smoke, so the first joys of freedom for Tom turned out to be the freedom of smoking, through which Tom became very ill. )

Adventure as learning.(Both boys value free life very much, but it brings dangerous adventures for both, and only Mark Twain saves his heroes every time. In real life, the guys would be crippled at the first adventure, or even have lives left).

Characteristics of Tom and Huck.(Both are funny pranksters, but Huck is more experienced in everyday matters, he can survive in any situation, and Tom never knows where his new fantasies will lead. Huck is more independent than Tom, does not like to obey, do what he does not want. Tom is a home child, he is trying to find a compromise with the adult world, to arrange everything so that everyone is happy (A vivid confirmation of this is the case with painting the fence.)

Why are Tom and Huck friends? Both boys are from different social classes, so Aunt Polly does not allow Tom to be friends with Huck. However, they have common things that are very important for friendship: the same love for freedom and adventure, no perception of violence and coercion, a sense of justice, devotion.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a wonderful book, magical, mysterious. It is beautiful above all in its depth. Everyone at any age can find something of their own in it: a child - a fascinating story, an adult - the sparkling humor of Mark Twain and memories of childhood. The protagonist of the novel during each reading of the work appears in a new light, i.e. Tom Sawyer's characterization is always different, always fresh.

Tom Sawyer is an ordinary child

It is unlikely that Thomas Sawyer can be called a bully, rather he is a mischievous one. And, more importantly, he has the time and opportunity to do everything. He lives with an aunt who, although she tries to keep him strict, is not good at it. Yes, Tom is punished, but despite this, he lives quite well.

He is quick-witted, resourceful, like almost every child of his age (about 11-12 years old), one has only to remember the story of the fence, when Tom convinced all the children in the district that work is a sacred right and privilege, and not a heavy burden.

This characterization of Tom Sawyer gives him a person who is not very bad. Further, the personality of the most famous inventor and mischief-maker will be revealed with more and more new facets.

Friendship, love and nobility are not alien to Tom Sawyer

Another virtue of Sawyer - the ability to love and sacrifice - appears before the reader in all its glory when the boy discovers that he loves. For her sake, he even makes a sacrifice: he exposes his body to the blows of the teacher's rods for her misconduct. After all, this is a wonderful characteristic of Tom Sawyer, which highlights the sublime attitude towards the lady of the heart.

Tom Sawyer has a conscience. He and Huck witnessed the murder, and even despite the far from illusory danger to their lives, the boys decided to help the police and rescue the poor fellow Meff Potter from prison. The act on their part is not only noble, but also courageous.

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as a confrontation between the world of childhood and the world of adulthood

Why is Tom like this? Because he is relatively good. Tom, though difficult, is a beloved child, and he knows it. Therefore, almost all the time he lives in the world of childhood, in the world of dreams and fantasies, only occasionally looking out into reality. The characterization of Tom Sawyer in this sense is no different from that of any other prosperous teenager. Such a conclusion can only be drawn if we compare the two images - For Sawyer, fantasy is like the air he breathes. Tom is full of hope. There are almost no disappointments in him, so he believes in imaginary worlds and in imaginary people.

Gek is completely different. He has a lot of problems, no parents. Rather, there is an alcoholic father, but it would be better if he did not exist. Father for Huck is a source of constant anxiety. His parent, of course, disappeared several years ago, but it is known for certain that he did not die, which means that he can appear in the city at any moment and begin to bully his unfortunate son again.

For Huck, fantasy is an opium, thanks to which life can still be somehow endured, but an adult cannot live in a world of illusions all the time (and Finn is just like that).

Sawyer is even a little sorry, because he does not know how things really are. His world is without tragedy, while Huck's existence is a constant struggle. Just like an ordinary adult: he comes out of the world of childhood and realizes that he was deceived. Thus, another characteristic of Tom Sawyer is ready.

How could Tom be an adult?

A tempting question for all those who have read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But it seems that the story about the boys does not say anything about their adult lives for nothing. There can be at least two reasons for this: either there will be nothing remarkable in these lives, or for someone, life will not bring pleasant surprises further. And all this can be.

What will Tom Sawyer be like? The characteristic may be as follows: in the future he is an ordinary, ordinary person without special life achievements. His childhood is full of various adventures, but by and large they always happened in some comfort zone, and this allowed Tom to constantly fabricate fantasies.

Gek is a different story. At the end of the adventure, Finn leaves the bourgeois world, where satiety and morality reign, into the world of the streets, where freedom reigns, in his opinion. The tramp boy does not tolerate limits. But it is impossible to live forever outside the framework and breathe only the air of freedom, because any life needs one form or another. If a single vessel (man) is not limited, then it will break out, destroying the vessel itself. Simply put, if Huck does not choose a certain value system for himself, he may well become drunk and die under the fence, like his father, or disappear in a drunken brawl. Adult life is not as bright as the life of a child, which is a pity.

On this not too joyful note, Tom Sawyer says goodbye to us. The characterization of the hero ends here.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" characterization of the characters Huck and Tom will help to understand the inner world of the characters.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" characterization of Huck

He grows up as a homeless child and a ragamuffin. He sleeps in an empty sugar barrel, smokes a pipe, doesn't go to school, does nothing. He is completely on his own. The boy is alien to pretense, and all the conventions of civilized life are simply unbearable. For Huck, the main thing is to be free, always and in everything. “He didn’t have to wash or put on a clean dress, and he knew how to swear amazingly. In a word, he had everything that makes life beautiful, ”concludes the writer. Huck is attracted to entertaining games, but personal freedom and independence are most dear to him. Having lost them, he feels bad, and it is in order to regain them that Huck undertakes a dangerous journey, leaving his hometown forever. During the trip, Huck experiences many adventures, shows resourcefulness and ingenuity, but not out of boredom and a desire to have fun, as before, but out of vital necessity, in order to save the fugitive Negro Jim. It is the ability of Huck to think about others that makes him especially attractive.

Huck grows up faster, learns life earlier with its cruelty and injustice. For him, adventure very soon ceases to be a game. These games helped him gain life experience, adapted him to life. Huck gradually learns responsibility, a serious attitude towards people. Mark Twain saw him as a hero of the 20th century, when, from the point of view of the writer, there would no longer be racial prejudice, poverty and injustice.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" characterization of Tom

An orphan, he is raised by his late mother's sister, the pious Aunt Polly. The boy is completely uninterested in the life that flows around, but he is forced to follow the generally accepted rules: go to school, attend church services on Sundays, dress neatly, behave well at the table, go to bed early, although he continually violates these rules, causing aunt's indignation. Enterprise and resourcefulness Tom does not hold. To play someone, to fool, to come up with something unusual - this is Tom's element. Reading a lot, he strives to make his own life bright, interesting, rich. It has energy in it. He is a charming guy, but he is a child of his time, of his city, accustomed to leading a double life. When necessary, he is quite capable of taking on the image of a boy from a decent family, realizing that everyone does this.

The work of the famous American publicist and writer Mark Twain about the adventures of two boys is still the most loved and read all over the world. And not only a favorite work for boys, but also for adults who remember their mischievous childhood. This is the story of young America, the romanticism of which touches the boys of the whole world to this day.

History of writing "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

The first work in the series of adventures of American boys was published in 1876, the author at that time was just over 30 years old. Obviously, this played a role in the brightness of the images of the book. America at the end of the 19th century had not yet got rid of slavery, half of the continent was "Indian territory", and the boys remained boys. According to many testimonies, Mark Twain described himself in the volume, not only his real self, but also all his dreams of adventure. Feelings and emotions are described real, which worried the boy of that time, and which continue to excite the boys today.

The main characters are two friends, Tom, who is brought up by his own lonely aunt, and Huck, a city homeless child. Inseparable in their fantasies and adventures, both boys are typical images, but Tom Sawyer remains the main character. He has a younger brother, more rational and obedient, has school friends, boyish love - Becky. And like any boy, the main events in life are associated with a thirst for adventure and first love. An ineradicable thirst constantly involves Tom and Huck in dangerous adventures, some of which, of course, are invented by the author, some are real events. In such as running away from home or going to the cemetery at night, it is easy to believe. And these adventures, interspersed with descriptions of ordinary boyish everyday life, ordinary pranks, joys and annoyances, become reality thanks to the genius of the author. The description of the life of Americans at that time is impressive. What is lost in the modern world is democracy and the spirit of freedom.

Chronicle of Young America (plot and main idea)

A town on the banks of the Mississippi, in which the inhabitants mixed into a single society, regardless of property, racial and even age differences. Negro Jim, enslaved by Aunt Polly, half-breed Injun Joe, Judge Thatcher and his daughter Becky, homeless child Huck and mischievous Tom, Dr. Robenson and undertaker Potter. Tom's life is described with such humor and such naturalness that the reader forgets in which country it takes place, as if he remembers what happened to himself.

The boy Tom Sawyer, along with his younger brother, who is clearly more positive than him, is brought up by an old aunt after the death of his mother. He goes to school, plays in the street, fights, makes friends and falls in love with a beautiful peer, Becky. One day, they met their old friend Huckleberry Fin on the streets, with whom they had a deep debate about ways to reduce warts. Huck told a fresh method of mixing with a dead cat, but it is necessary to visit the cemetery at night. From this began all the significant adventures of these two tomboys. Previous conflicts with my aunt, entrepreneurial ideas about getting a bonus bible in Sunday school, whitewashing the fence as a punishment for disobedience, which Tom successfully transformed into personal success, fade into the background. Everything but the love for Becky.

Having witnessed a fight and a murder, the two boys have long doubted the need to bring everything they saw to the judgment of adults. Only sincere pity for the old drunkard Potter and a sense of universal justice make Tom speak at the trial. Thus, he saved the life of the accused and put his own life in mortal danger. Revenge of Injun Joe is a very real threat to the boy, even under the protection of the law. Meanwhile, Tom and Becky's romance has taken a turn for the worse, and this has taken him away from everything else for a long time. He suffered. It was finally decided to run away from home from unhappy love and become a pirate. It is good that there is such a friend as Huck, who agrees to support any adventure. They were joined by a school friend - Joe.

The adventure ended as it should have. Tom's heart and Huck's rationality forced them to return to the town from the island on the river, after they realized that the whole city was looking for them. The boys returned just in time for their own funeral. The joy of the adults was so great that the boys were not even given a beating. Several days of adventure brightened the life of the boys with the memories of the author himself. After that, Tom was sick, and Becky left for a long time and far away.

Before the start of the school year, Judge Thatcher hosted a lavish party for the kids to celebrate the birthday of her returning daughter. A boat trip on the river, a picnic and a visit to the caves, even modern children could dream of. This is where Tom's new adventure begins. After reconciling with Becky, the two of them run away from the company during a picnic and hide in a cave. They got lost in the passages and grottoes, the torch that illuminated their path burned out, and there were no provisions with them. Tom behaved courageously, this showed all his enterprise and responsibility of a growing man. Quite by chance, they stumbled upon Injun Joe, hiding the stolen money. After wandering around the cave, Tom finds a way out. The children returned home to the joy of their parents.

The secret seen in the cave does not give rest, Tom tells Huck everything, and they decide to check the treasure of the Indian. The boys go to the cave. After Tom and Becky got out of the maze safely, the city council decided to close the entrance to the cave. This became fatal for the mestizo, he died in a cave from hunger and thirst. Tom and Huck endured a fortune. Since the treasure did not belong to anyone in particular, two boys became its owners. Huck received the patronage of the widow Douglas, falling under her care. Tom is also rich now. But Huck could endure the “social” life for no more than three weeks, and Tom, who met him on the shore at the barrel hut, frankly declared that no wealth could keep him from the career of a “noble robber”. The romanticism of the two friends was not yet crushed by the "golden calf" and the conventions of society.

Main characters and their characters

All the main characters of the story are the thoughts and feelings of the author, his memories of childhood, his sense of the very American dream and universal values. When Huck complained that he could not live in idleness, Tom answered him uncertainly: “But everyone lives like that, Huck.” In these boys, Mark Twain writes out his attitude to human values, to the value of freedom and understanding between people. Huck, who has seen more bad things, shares with Tom: “It just makes you feel ashamed of all people,” when he talks about the insincerity of relations in high society. Against the romantic background of the story about childhood, written with good humor, the writer clearly outlines all the best qualities of a little man, and the hope that these qualities will be preserved for life.

A boy who is brought up without a mother and father. What happened to his parents, the author does not reveal. According to the story, it seems that Tom received all his best qualities on the street and at school. Attempts by Aunt Poly to instill in him elementary stereotypes of behavior cannot be crowned with success. Tom is the perfect boy and a tomboy in the eyes of boys all over the world. On the one hand, this is hyperbole, but on the other hand, having real prototypes, Tom really carries all the best that a growing man can carry in himself. He is bold, with a heightened sense of justice. In many episodes, it is these qualities that he shows in difficult life situations. Another feature that cannot affect the feelings of an American. It's resourcefulness and enterprise. It remains only to remember the story of whitewashing the fence, which is also a far-reaching project. Burdened with various boyish prejudices, Tom looks like a completely ordinary boy, which captivates the reader. Everyone sees in him a small reflection of himself.

A homeless child with a living father. The drunkard appears in the story only in conversations, but this already somehow characterizes the living conditions of this little boy. Tom's constant friend and faithful companion in all adventures. And if Tom is a romantic and a leader in this company, then Huck is a sober mind and life experience, which is also necessary in this tandem. An attentive reader has the opinion that Huck is registered by the author as the other side of the medal of a growing person, a citizen of America. The personality is divided into two types - Tom and Huck, which are inseparable. In subsequent stories, the character of Huck will be revealed more fully, and often, in the soul of the reader, these two images are mixed and always receive sympathy.

Becky, Aunt Polly, Negro Jim and half-breed Injun Joe

These are all people, in communication with which all the best in the character of the protagonist is manifested. Tender love in a girl of the same age and real care for her in moments of danger. A respectful, if sometimes ironic, attitude towards an aunt who spends all her strength to raise Tom as a real respectable citizen. The Negro slave, which is an indicator of the then America and the attitude towards slavery of the entire progressive public, because Tom is friends with him, justifiably considering him equal. The author's attitude to Injun Joe, and hence Tom, is far from unambiguous. The romance of the Indian world at that time was not yet so idealized. But the inner pity for the half-breed who died of starvation in the cave characterizes not only the boy. The realities of the Wild West are seen in this image, a cunning and cruel half-breed takes revenge on all whites with his life. He is trying to survive in this world, and society allows him to do so. We do not see that deep condemnation, which it would seem should have been for a thief and a murderer.

Continuation of the epic adventure

In the future, Mark Twain wrote several more stories about Tom and his friend Huck. The author grew up along with his characters, and America changed. And already in subsequent stories there was no that romantic recklessness, but more and more bitter truth of life appeared. But even in these realities, both Tom, and Huck, and Becky retained their best qualities, received by them in childhood on the banks of the Mississippi in a small town with a distant name of the Russian capital - St. Petersburg. You don’t want to part with these heroes, and they remain ideals in the hearts of the boys of that era.