Review #2
In perhaps the most famous scene in Twain's novels, this book opens with Tom skipping school, dirtying his clothes, and being forced to white-wash a fence in punishment. Tom, however, cleverly escapes the punishment by convincing his friends to give him trinkets for the "privilege" of doing his work for him.
He then trades all these trinkets for Bible verse tickets at Sunday School, which he then trades in for a Bible, but then incorrectly shows off his Bible knowledge by saying that the first two disciples were David and Goliath.
Tom falls in love with Becky, but Becky's affections are short-lived. Tom and Huck Finn head out to a graveyard near the town drunk to play. They witness a murder by Injun Joe. Later, Injun Joe blames the town drunk, who is arrested.
Tom, Huck and a friend named Joe run off to an island to be pirates. Their families assume them dead, so the boys surprise them by showing up to their own funerals. Tom testifies to Injun Joe's guilt at the town drunk's murder trial.
Tom and Becky go play in a cave, and get lost. As they wander about, they find Injun Joe burrying some treasure. Searchers find Tom and Becky, and the cave is sealed with Injun Joe inside (he starves to death). Later, Tom and Huck go back and get Injun Joe's treasure, which is invested for them. Huck is adopted by Widow Douglass.
This book is cute and funny in Mark Twain's style, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Huck Finn. The book does a lot less to dispell racial stereotypes (the villian is a Indian in this book), and other than the whitewash scene, I don't think this book is as memorable.
However, it is certainly worth reading for it's fame and presence in contemporary writing...
