The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly near the Mississippi river where he has many adventures. He falls in love with Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town. She is angry with Tom because he had another girlfriend before her. One day Tom and Becky argue.
1 Read the text. Is Tom an imaginative boy?
Tom gets out his most precious possession, a metal knob from the fireplace. He shows it to Becky.
‘Please Becky, would you take it?’ he asks.
But she hits it out of his hand.
Tom marches out of the house, he walks and walks far away from the school. He doesn’t go back to school that day.
Becky goes outside. She calls, ‘Tom! Come back, Tom!’
But there is no answer.
Tom goes into the forest. It is early afternoon, hot and quiet.
He decides to run away. He is so sad. He wonders: Is Becky worried about him? He wants to be someone special. Years ago, it was his dream to be a clown. But that seems so stupid now! Now he wants to be a soldier, brave and strong. Or an Indian – living in the mountains, hunting and fighting. Or a pirate? Yes, that’s it! Now Tom can see his future clearly. Sitting in the forest, he imagines returning home a famous pirate, with his great black boots, his belt with pistols, and black flag with the skull and crossbones. Everyone knows his name, and everyone is afraid of him. He can hear the people whispering, ‘It’s Tom Sawyer – The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main!’
2 Read the text again and answer the questions.
1 Why does Tom offer Becky his most ‘precious possesson’?
2 Why do you think Tom goes to the forest?
3 Do you think Becky is worried about him?
4 Why do you think tom doesn’t want to be a clown anymore?
3 This extract is from the start of the story and in it the writer reveals things about the main character, Tom. Find words that describe:
Tom’s feelings
sad, stupid are mentioned, but perhaps also lonely/angry/
confused
places Tom wants to go
mountains are mentioned but perhaps also the sea, foreign countries
people Tom wants to be
a soldier, an Indian, a pirate
things Tom wants to do or be
hunt, fight, be a pirate, be
famous, be brave and strong
4 SPEAKING What do young children usually want to be when they get older? Do you feel sympathy for Tom? Why/Why not?
Character analysis
5 Write a short character analysis of Tom (50–70 words). Answer these questions. You can use words from the original text to illustrate your ideas.
- Is he a main character or secondary character?
- What is his personality like? Look for clues in how he moves, speaks and thinks.