Childhood is a key part of identity building and maturity. In The Adventures of Tom. Sawyer, by Mark Twain, Toms experiences  with others throughout the book change how he views his town and the world. The book starts out with Tom as a boy, a troublemaking, adventure having boy. But throughout the book, and throughout his experiences with friends, family, and foes, he begins his journey to manhood. When Tom and Huck Finn witness the murder in the graveyard they are still kids. They are still drunk on blissful adolescence, but seeing the killer, and knowing he’s free sobers them. It gets even worse when an innocent man is wrongfully convicted. When he decided to break his promise and stand up for Muff Potter in court he was definitely already leagues more mature than he was at the start of the book, because of his knowledge of the real killer and his willingness to possibly sacrifice his life to save another. 

“Tom glanced at Injun Joe's iron face and his tongue failed him. The audience listened breathless, but the words refused to come. After a few moments, however, the boy got a little of his strength back, and managed to put enough of it into his voice to make part of the house hear:

"In the graveyard!”

As the book goes on Tom is also becomes more honest, especially when he tells his Aunt the truth about how he went into the house and almost slipped the bark containing the truth about his time on the island into her coat, but kept it instead. He went from a generally unlivable character, who was an immature child, to a mature teenager. Through the rest of the novel Tom grows and learns from his mistakes and the mistakes of others. He comes to realize that he can’t be a better person without doing what he is told, and what is expected of him. He does his best to protect his friends and family, from saving Becky from the cave to revealing Injun Joe’s guilt, and he matures to become the best person he can.

       Without bravery we would still be in the Stone Age. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, the main character Tom shows lots of bravery. Tom exerts many true actions of bravery. In the way he matures his courage throughout the book to be a more powerful person. Through his adventures with his friends he learns and faces conflict with them. He finds out his true self in a way that made him see who he really wanted to be as a boy. After getting lost in the cold, dark cave in the aftermath of the party, Tom and Becky’s courage is tested. They huddle by their candle as the flame burns lower their fear growing as the dark threatens to swallow them. When their last candle burns out, and they can’t see Tom knows that he can’t continue huddling in the dark so he sets out to save Becky and himself. When he first gathers the courage to start exploring for a way out he is surprised to find the thing that has plagued his nightmares throughout the book; Injun joe, the towns wanted murderer. Even with this knowledge, Tom gathers the courage to search for an exit, and eventually finds one.

“He stepped forward to go to his punishment the surprise, the gratitude, the adoration that shone upon him out of poor Becky’s eyes seemed pay enough for a hundred floggings. Inspired by the splendor of his own act, he took without an outcry the most merciless flaying that even Mr. Dobbins had ever administered; and also received with indifference the added cruelty of a command to remain two hours after school should be dismissed—for he knew who would wait for him outside till his captivity was done, and not count the tedious time as loss, either.”

Excerpt From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

It is this bravery in the face of many tough choices throughout the book, including the page Becky rips, and the cave that he’s trapped in for days on end. It is this bravery, that becomes Tom’s greatest tool, without it, he would give up like Becky in the cave, or he would sit there as she was flogged. Instead, he finds his way out and that’s something very few people could do.     As family and companionship are important, bravery by standing up to your emotions is  what this book is about. You need to be brave to stand up to your authorities. You need to be brave to go home when you are having such a great time were you are. You need to be brave when you take a whipping for something you didn’t do for love. As my point is made, bravery is very important and a key part of the book, Tom Sawyer.

       Nearly everything gets better at some point. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer starts out pretty slow, it’s sort of funny when he tricks all of the boys and gets away with all of their “valuable” junk. But he just seemed like someone I would really dislike when he gets in a fight with the new kid in town. Then however, it gets better. The book’s first ten chapters, a hefty third of the book, are very slow. The vocabulary seems daunting to the modern reader, and overall it’s not enjoyable, but then the graveyard murder happens, and the pace quickens. In fact, everything gets better, including the pace, the vocabulary gets easy after the reader gets used to it, the next church chapter is funny, and it escalates even quicker after that. I started off stranded in a sea of old English, slow plot, and a character I couldn’t bond with. Had I been reading this in my spare time, I would have quit, but as soon as it seemed all hope was lost and the hull of my boat of tolerance would collapse, chapter ten, by far my favorite happened. As soon as this was over my time reading the book got much easier, I learned most of the words, I got to know the character better through reflections and writing on my blog. But most of all, I enjoyed the book and enjoyed following Tom as he and his partners in crime went on their adventures. When the climax in the cave rolled along, I wanted Tom and Becky to get out of there, I wanted them to live. In the end, I honestly enjoyed the book, but I wouldn’t read it again, neither do I feel like it’s necessary to reflect on the themes, as I’m already familiar with them. I also wouldn’t read I book like this in my spare time, I like fiction, but not this kind. I do think that I learned many things, the most common thing is old English words. But as a writer, I learned many things. Reading Tom Sawyer was indeed worth it, not only did it broaden my understanding of the English language, it taught me how to write, for example:who,what,when,where and why. As well as broad theme , narrow theme, 1/2 punch, setup, smoking gun, head and heart and conclusion. I did enjoy reading Tom Sawyer and I think that I learned quite a bit.

      I learned Tom Sawyer couldn’t follow the rules of society—he broke the rules again and again until he seemed to get bored—but then he found out how fun it was to go on an adventure, and from then on he was a pirate during one adventure, and a robber in the next—from then on he seemed to get more mature, by escaping reality on his adventures it took him off of his boredom during school, and set him on a better path,— but not only did the adventures allow him to mature, they made him braver, in fact, after he stood up for Muff Potter in court, he actually ended up being brave enough not to give up in the days that he was stranded in the cave, allowing for him and Becky to escape from the jaws of death,— The adventures Tom Sawyer went on ended up benefiting him, and saving three innocent lives, so in the end, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer were a benefit to all.