Friendship

            One reoccurring theme in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is friendship. The author, Mark Twain, develops the characters friendships by engaging them in a wide variety of situations, such as getting lost in a cave, being pirates on a deserted island, or running away from a bunch of graverobbers.  Whether having fun with Becky, or playing Robin-hood with Huck or Joe, Tom sure loves enjoying time with his friends.  He never misses out on an opportunity to sneak out and go on an adventure!  Tom's friends play a very important role in the story and these developing friendships are a main part of what makes you want to keep on reading.   

            The adventures that Tom Sawyer had with his girlfriend, Becky Thatcher, were some of the most exciting moments of the book. The relationship between the two was almost like a rollercoaster. Mad at each other one day, and having a nice cruise on a steamboat together the next, their friendship was anything but normal. Ever since that day in the classroom when they got engaged, they have had a lot of conflict and adventure, but they always seem to work it out in the end. One example was the time when they got lost in the cave together. It was after the steamboat had stopped by the entrance to a cave, and the passengers had gotten out to explore. Most people didn’t go far into the cave, but Becky and Tom decided to explore to the extents of the darkness. Eventually they lost track of time, and not realizing that it was already the next morning, they started to head back towards the entrance of the cave, where they thought that all of the other passengers would still be. This doesn’t sound so tragic, but they soon discovered that they were lost, and no matter how hard they shouted, they couldn’t hear any of the other people. They almost didn’t make it out. Of course, being some of the main characters, they survived. It goes to show that no matter what goes on between them, they always will value each other’s friendship.

            Although One of Tom’s main friends was Becky, he also had other friends too. One was Joe Harper, a normal boy about Tom’s age, who was always up for some fun. Although Joe didn’t have a gigantic impact on the story, he played a very important role on several occasions. One example was during the Pirate Adventure. He was the one who decided that he wanted to go home, and almost took Huck with him. This made Tom tell them about how he had made a visit back to his house, eavesdropping on Aunt Polly and Joe’s Mother. This made the boys stay, and also develop a plan to crash their own funeral. If it weren’t for Joe, they might have stayed on the island for the next few weeks or months for all we know. This proves that no matter how small the impact that a person makes, they can greatly change how things end up.

            Although Joe made a difference in Tom’s adventures, he doesn’t even slightly match up to the significance that Huckleberry Finn had on the story. Besides being on the pirate adventure with Tom and Joe, he also goes on a whole separate adventure with Tom that lasts for the last few chapters of the book. They decide to go treasure hunting. This may sound fun, but it ends up being a whole lot creepier than just a bunch of random digging. They end up being caught in a giant situation with a fugitive by the name of Injun Joe, his sidekick, and a secret fortune worth thousands of dollars. They end up trying to track down the treasure, without encountering the Indian. This ends up being pretty tricky, as Tom goes into an abandoned cavern only to find Injun Joe asleep on the floor, and runs out of the cavern as fast as he can. Huck then agrees to watch and see when and if Injun Joe comes out. This whole fiasco ends up being a very important part of the book, especially towards the end, when Tom and Huck end up getting the treasure, making all of the other boys envious. This, and many other significant events make Huck one of Tom’s most important friends, if not the most important.

            The title of this book could easily be changed to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and his Friends due to the importance Tom’s friends play throughout the book. It just wouldn’t have been the same if Tom would have been on his own.  The experiences Tom had with Becky, Huck, and Joe added many levels of excitement and helped the author develop the different aspects of Tom’s personality.  As I was reading, I kept thinking about different friends of mine that have similarities to Tom’s friends, and what I would have done with those friends if I were in the same situation as Tom.  Tom was a mischievous boy and luckily had some good friends that were happy enough to join him in his adventures.  I conclude that the friendship and experiences Tom and his friends shared together were one of the most valuable themes in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.