The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is one of my favorite books. I have read it many times. Twain tells about the most ordinary things in the story ingeniously and witty. He is very accurate and great feeling humor describes the mores of the American provincial town of St. Petersburg. Adults lead a decent life there, but it is gray, boring and monotonous.
The protagonist of the book - Tom Sawyer - a twelve-year-old boy, an orphan, is brought up by the sister of his deceased mother. At the insistence of the pious Aunt Polly, Tom is forced to adhere to generally accepted rules: to behave well at the table, dress neatly, go to school, and attend church services on Sundays.
Tom reads a lot of literature full of adventures, searches for treasures and treasures. His favorite hero is Robin Hood, free and fair. Tom plunges into a different world, completely different from the real one, an interesting world with adventures, dangers and secrets. Tom is attracted by freedom, so he chooses Huckleberry Finn as his bosom friends - a street boy, the son of a drunkard, a "free bird", left to himself, who does not need to engage in meaningless cramming, listen to an ignorant drunk teacher, take a pious appearance on Sunday sermons.
Tom is so bored with the life around him that he strongly resists its monotony. He opposes life "according to the rules", constantly breaking them, causing his aunt's indignation. Tom does not want to be a model boy from a model family, like his half-brother Sid, a quiet and obedient sneak. Inner rebellion manifests itself in fiction and pranks, in a constant search for entertainment. Tom likes to fool others and come up with something unusual that other children would not have thought of. For example, this can be seen in the episode when Aunt Polly, as a punishment, makes her nephew whitewash the fence, and he, having convinced the boys passing by that this activity is fascinating, not only arranges an undeserved rest for himself, but also takes all the boyish “treasures”. Well, who, except Tom, can so ingeniously take revenge on the opposite, heartless Mr. Dobbins for his cruel attitude towards students!
Of course, in his pranks, Tom sometimes does not know the measure, but in serious and dangerous alterations, the boy remains a faithful and courageous friend. Overcoming fear and speaking at the trial as a witness, Tom takes the old man accused of murder under protection and tells everyone the truth about the true killer - the terrible and vengeful Indian Joe. In terms of nobility, Tom is not inferior to his favorite hero. Not every boy is ready to endure a cruel spanking in order to save the girl he likes. And in the scenes of searching for a way out of the cave, Tom behaves like a completely adult person. He tries not to lose heart, does not give out his fear and despair to Becky, supports her as much as he can, shows himself as a true man: brave, courageous, decisive and quick-witted.
Mark Twain's story has a gripping plot. She just can't help but like it. Maybe, the protagonist far from being always truthful and excessively mischievous, but one believes in the sincerity of his feelings much more than in the ostentatious "exemplification" of the insidious, selfish and prudent Sid. There are many beautiful things in Tom human qualities worthy of emulation in our time. I would highly recommend everyone to read this fascinating book.
The beginning of this amazing book everyone remembers from childhood: “Tom! No answer. - Volume! No answer. “It’s amazing where this boy could have gone!” Having already read the first lines, I want to know who this tomboy is, what he has done and how he will be able to get out of this situation.
However, the 21st century has given eight-year-olds a lot of interesting things, and it is not an easy task to seduce them into reading a book.
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", reviews
Everything that will be said about this work can be combined with such words as "funny", "humor", "adventure". The book can rightly be called one of the best offspring of Mark Twain.
The plot of the novel describes the provincial life of the southern American town of St. Petersburg in the 19th century, before the Civil War.
The protagonist of this book is a charming boy Tom Sawyer, an inventor and a daredevil. He often goes on adventures with his friend, the orphan boy Huckleberry Finn. Tom is in love with the lovely girl Becky and hates his half-brother Sid, whom Aunt Polly constantly sets as an example to him.
This work received more than one rave review. Books "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in Soviet times stood on the shelves in almost every family.
By the way, Tom Sawyer was not a very positive example for future pioneers, because he did not like school, and he used his talent for writing in a very peculiar way: he told his aunt and comrades so fascinatingly about what had happened to him that he always convinced the ingenuous old lady in the truthfulness of his words and became the idol of his friends.
How was Tom Sawyer born?
How did the charismatic boy created by Mark Twain come about? "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", the reviews of many readers point to this - a work where the character of the main character was based on the features of three guys with whom the author had to communicate. For this reason, it is easy to explain the contradictions in the character's character: for all his restlessness, for example, he loved to read.
There is also an assumption that the author himself and his childhood friends became the prototype of Tom Sawyer.
Mark Twain allegedly borrowed the name of his character from a real person - Thomas Sawyer, whom he met in California.
Why the book is popular with many generations
The book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a classic of children's literature, that is, its model. Why is a novel written over a hundred years ago still popular today?
The work "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", reviews of which are permeated with the delight of many people, will not lose its relevance for the following reasons.
Firstly, the book is distinguished by humor, which makes even adults laugh at the tricks of the boy.
Secondly, the book is distinguished by genuine sincerity, and, as you know, you cannot deceive a child, unless he himself wants it. The author achieves this effect due to the veracity of the events that became the basis of the plot.
Thirdly, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, readers' reviews indicate this, is distinguished by an unusually vivid plot. The book is written in an unusually lively and exciting way. The novel, in addition to the main climax, is amazing in that it is riddled with some small climaxes, which makes us read it, even when the hands of the clock show long past midnight.
Fourth, despite the fact that Mark Twain did not belong to people who diligently attended church, his work can undoubtedly be called moral. The dislike for the religion of the author of the novel is explained by his negative attitude to bigotry in American society at the time. Tom Sawyer also disliked Sunday school, but was also a conscientious boy, as indicated, for example, by his condition before the trial of Meff Potter, whom he eventually saves from the gallows.
"Adventures of Tom Sawyer". Musical. Reviews
This book is so well remembered by children that, even as adults, they cannot forget about the little tomboy and help the current younger generation to get to know their favorite hero. Composer Viktor Semyonov must have brought back unforgettable impressions about this novel from his childhood, because only vivid emotions could become the foundation for creating such lively and memorable melodies for the musical.
Adult viewers who were lucky enough to hear the musical performance of this book note that it helped them remember the adventures of a restless boy, relive them and, of course, look at the work of Mark Twain in a new way.
Children are certainly delighted with the musical version of the novel. Right on the stage in front of them, the protagonist of the book, who lived in America in the thirties of the nineteenth century, comes to life - Tom Sawyer. It immediately becomes clear to young viewers that he is inventive, curious, lazy, but at the same time he has a sympathetic heart, a rich imagination and an honest soul.
Not a single child will remain indifferent to the amazing adventures of the main character and his best friend Huckleberry Finn, who went together to Jackson Island. Tom and Huck will wander around Douglas' Cave and tell you how to get rid of warts with dead cats.
All young beauties, of course, will fall under the spell of the protagonist and will be slightly jealous of Becky Thatcher, whom Tom fell in love with.
This musical will be of interest to all young viewers from 6 years old, as well as adults, because they will once again be able to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a distant and cheerful childhood.
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in the theater
The history of the American boy did not bypass the childhood of those who are now engaged in staging performances in (RAMT). "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", the reviews can be proof of this, delights both children and adults.
This American boy is an absolutely unique character that is interesting for the audience to watch. The performer of the role of Tom unusually accurately conveys the features inherent in a teenager of 12-14 years old: energy, ingenuity, love of adventure. Artists of the RAMT Theater help young viewers to immerse themselves in an unforgettable journey through the time when there was no Internet in the lives of children, social networks, computer games, and they could find happiness in the most ordinary things, as well as see adventure where, at first glance, it would not even occur to look for it.
The role of Tom Sawyer in the RAMT theater is brilliantly played by Prokhor Chekhovsky in the second cast, who conveys the character of this amazing character no less accurately and talentedly.
It should be noted that the play “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” always receives the best reviews, and this production is a huge success among young viewers.
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in Russian cinema
The film, which was released in 1981, was watched by all Soviet children. When it was shown on TV, not a single child aged seven or thirteen could be seen on the street.
This is a real classic of Russian children's cinema, which, oddly enough, is based on the plot of the novel by an American writer.
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in foreign cinema
The 2011 film adaptation of the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by German director Hermini Huntgeburch, reviews note this, is also very successful. The movie is very good for family viewing. Many who have seen the film adaptation want to watch it again.
What a book can teach adults
The modern age, with its fast rhythm, dictates to us the need to be optimistic and find a way out of any life situation. If we imagine that Tom Sawyer grew up, then he could well have turned out to be a successful entrepreneur: what is the cost of painting the fence, which he managed to turn into a profitable enterprise for himself.
But the most important thing is that after reading this book, you can get the opportunity to once again plunge into a sunny, mischievous, cheerful childhood, where everyone dreams of returning at least for a moment.
The protagonist of the story "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is an enterprising and smart boy named Tom. He lives in the house of his aunt Polly, who took him in after her sister's death. Aunt tries to bring up Tom in severity, not to spoil the boy. Once Tom was more mischievous than usual, and Aunt Polly, for educational purposes, made him paint the fence on the day off.
Tom did not want to spend the whole Saturday near the long and high fence. And he came up with a wonderful solution to the problem - he began to paint the fence as if there was nothing more interesting in the world than this business. The neighborhood boys passing by caught Tom's enthusiasm and begged him to let them paint the fence. And Tom, stubborn for the sake of appearance, gave such permission, but at the same time he also charged the boys for painting, in the form of glass balls, old keys, crackers and other things. Soon the fence was covered with three layers of lime, and Tom Sawyer became the owner of many boyish "treasures". At the same time, he understood one important thing - in order for a person to want something, it is necessary to make it hard to reach.
The restless character of the protagonist simply attracted various adventures to him. One day, Tom and his friend, the homeless child Huckleberry Finn, went to the cemetery at night and witnessed the murder there. And later the accused was not involved in the murder of a man. Tom and his friend supported him in every possible way and fed him in prison, but they were afraid to reveal the secret because of fear of reprisals from the real killer, Indian Joe.
Another time Tom, Huck and another boy decided to become pirates. They ran away from home and settled on a large river island where they swam, fished and played pirates and Indians. Everything was great, but then the guys found out that they were considered drowned. Tom Sawyer had the mischievous idea of showing up to his own funeral service. What the guys did, causing shock and surprise among relatives and all local residents.
And although Tom was very fond of playing pranks and being mischievous, he also had such feelings as generosity and the ability to empathize. Once at school, a nice girl, Becky Thatcher, was threatened with punishment for accidentally tearing up a teacher's book. Tom, without hesitation, took all the blame on himself and silently endured a harsh punishment.
came summer vacation, which were very monotonous, except for those days when Tom had measles. A revival arose in the city when the trial of Meth Potter began, which the whole city considered the culprit of the murder in the cemetery. Tom and Huck knew the truth, but they were afraid of Injun Joe. However, on the day of the trial, Tom told everyone the truth and the charges were dropped from Mef Potter, but Injun Joe managed to escape from the courtroom.
Over time, the events associated with the murder and Injun Joe began to be forgotten. But one day Tom and his inseparable friend decided to look for a treasure. They dug in different places until they reached one abandoned house. And here they almost ran into the Indian Joe, who, it turns out, did not run away anywhere, but lived in the city, portraying a dumb Spaniard. Tom and Huckleberry accidentally witnessed how an Indian and his accomplice actually discovered a real treasure of gold in an abandoned house. But they took him away from this house to hide in a hiding place. Now the guys have an indestructible desire to find out where the treasure is hidden. They managed to find out in which hotel Indian Joe lived under the guise of a Spaniard and agreed to follow him to find out where he hides the treasure.
But only Huckleberry Finn had to watch, because Tom was invited to a picnic by Becky Thatcher. They decided to arrange this picnic three miles from the city at the entrance to the local attraction - the caves. While Tom was having fun at a picnic, his friend, while spying on an Indian, Joe managed to save from death the widow of Judge Douglas, whom the Indian wanted to take revenge on. The Indian again managed to escape, and the trace of the chest with gold was again lost.
Meanwhile, Tom and Becky, walking through the cave, managed to get lost in its winding passages. The whole city went in search of them, which lasted three days. Tom and Becky themselves were also trying to find a way out. While searching, Tom came across Injun Joe, who was now hiding in a cave. But the Indian, frightened, ran away from him. The guys managed to find a way out by themselves five miles from the main entrance to the cave. They were greeted with joy by the whole city. Becky's father ordered that a secure door be placed at the entrance to the cave so that no one else could get lost. As a result, Injun Joe was trapped and starved to death.
Tom and Huckleberry did not give up trying to find the treasure. Tom managed to remember that when he met Indian Joe in the caves, he saw one of the signs that the Indian called when choosing a place for a hiding place. The two of the boys went into the caves using an entrance no one knew about. After a long and difficult search, they found the place where the gold was hidden.
As a result, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn became richer than any of the inhabitants of the city. The widow Douglas took Huck into her upbringing. And Becky Thatcher's father was very grateful to Tom for bringing his daughter out of the caves.
Takovo summary story.
The main meaning of the story "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is that success is achieved by people with an active lifestyle, able to take initiative and ingenuity. It does not matter that in childhood such people often play pranks and play pranks. It is important that at the same time they are generous and decent people in their hearts. The story teaches to be persistent and never give up in difficult life situations.
I liked Aunt Polly in the story. Although she strictly raised Tom Sawyer, she did it solely for his own good, so as not to spoil the boy. And in her heart Aunt Polly was very fond of her restless nephew, whose energy brought unexpected wealth and recognition to all the inhabitants of the city.
What proverbs are suitable for the story "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Whatever one undertakes, everything succeeds.
Good friendship is dearer than wealth.
Are you familiar with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
Remember in the book there was an episode with whitewashing the fence?
When Tom painted the fence, it was a punishment for him. He did not want to do this, and was looking for every reason to hang out.
Tom tried to recruit a non-gret child to work, but then he only mocked him, saying that they punished you, so now do your unloved work.
In my opinion, this is the basic rule of entrepreneurship.
The word "unloved job" is the key.
If an employee believes that work is a punishment, then what kind of productivity can we talk about?
We see such examples every day, they go to work they do not like, do what they cannot stand, and all for the sake of money.
How is this different from slavery? If globally, then nothing.
Tom was a brilliant child, so he took it and changed everything.
He asked the boy what exactly he considers an unloved job if he is doing an important and difficult task.
And finishes off with the question: "Is every boy trusted to paint the fence?".
Straight out of an NLP textbook question.
After that, the boy had the motivation to try. Tom gave him a brush, and he continued to say how difficult and responsible it is.
See what happened?
While painting the fence was considered a punishment, there was no point in this work.
But as soon as painting became an important task that would not be trusted to anyone, then immediately there was a desire to try my hand.
And how did it all end?
Instead of giving some kind of bonus for the work, Tom, on the contrary, bargained for an apple.
That is, he shifted the work onto other people's shoulders, and also received an apple. Wow, brilliant kid!
How can we apply this in our lives?
If you work with employees or at least freelancers, then do the same.
When you recruit people, and everything is standard in the advertisement, then ordinary people come, and they have no motivation.
As soon as you begin to put pressure on the fact that this is a responsible place, which not everyone can do, then a person’s reflex is triggered - “why am I worse than another?”.
And already the person tells you why you should hire him.
In sales, similarly, if you are selling a service or an unusual product, then try not to bargain with the client and not try to sell him your service.
Show him that he must sell himself. That you don’t really want to sell, that you still need to be persuaded. If you add a good deadline to this, then the client is yours.
You can even go to extremes, this is the technique used by the Turks.
You come to bargain for some kind of goods, such as a leather jacket or a fur coat.
Throw off the primary price of 70 percent, and continue to reap.
And then bam to you, they take away your fur coat and say that you’re sorry, but we respect and love our goods, so we don’t want to sell so cheaply. And they turn off any dialogue with you, and you are already trying to fix the situation, eventually buying a thing for a higher price, because you just decided to buy it.
Similar manipulations can be used on your sites, the technologies are about the same.
He helps with employees, and with clients, and with wives and girls, and with the family as a whole :) A universal remedy for all ills.
Model!
Tom Sawyer is the owner of a rebellious character, a fidget, a prankster and a great adventurer who settled in four books of the writer. The former journalist went through a path of creative torment before he found the right form for the work and, in fact, the hero who was destined to become a favorite of young readers. Merry adventures created the author's reputation as a great humorist and master of intrigue. Unbridled fantasy, enthusiasm and mischievous acts - any child will envy the life of a boy from the town of St. Petersburg.
History of creation
Mark Twain gave children four novels with exciting events: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer Abroad and the detective story Tom Sawyer the Detective. Another work called "The Conspiracy of Tom Sawyer" the author did not have time to finish.
The first book was born with difficulty: Twain began it in 1872, and finished it only by the summer of 1875. A curious fact is that this work is the author for the first time in his creative biography wrote on a typewriter. Autobiographical novel based on the writer's childhood, when worries had not yet burst into a serene world filled with dreams of exploits and accomplishments adult life. Mark Twain admitted that, like the heroes of novels, being a boy, he wanted to find a treasure, build a raft, and settle on a desert island.
The author borrowed the name of the character from an acquaintance, Thomas Sawyer, with whom fate brought him together in California. However, three boy friends from distant childhood served as prototypes, as Twain says in the preface. That is why the main character turned out with such a controversial character.
The prose writer wrote not so much for children as for their parents, trying to convey to moms and dads that children do not have enough shelter and clothes. Gotta try to understand Magic world child, not to evaluate his actions only negatively - behind every act there is a "great" idea. Indeed, simple language, a huge number of curiosities and sparkling humor made the novels an excellent reading material for adults.
The dates for writing subsequent books are 1884, 1894 and 1896. No less than a dozen writers tried to translate novels into Russian, however best job accepted translation . The writer presented the work to Soviet children in 1929.
Biography and plot
Tom Sawyer lives in the small town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River in the family of his aunt - after the death of her mother, she took the boy to raise. Days pass by studying at school, fighting and playing on the street, and Tom also befriends a homeless child and falls in love with a beautiful peer, Becky. In general, everything is like a normal teenager.
Incredibly optimistic Tom is able to turn every problem into a profitable event. So, the whitewashing of the fence, which the aunt entrusted to the boy as a punishment, becomes a profitable business. Tom works with a brush with such rapture and pleasure that young acquaintances also want to try it. In this case, Sawyer made a fortune, replenishing his boyish treasures with glass marbles, a one-eyed kitten and a dead rat.
Once the protagonist of the novel met Finn on the street, and a controversy erupted between the boys on the topic of the effectiveness of treating warts. Huckleberry told a new way, which requires a dead cat and a trip to the cemetery at night. From that moment, the exciting adventures of friends started.
The boys witness a murder in a cemetery, decide to become pirates, build a fleet with their school friend Joe and set off on a journey to a nearby island. Friends even managed to find a chest of gold and turn into the richest boys in town.
The adventures of friends continue in the next book, where Huckleberry Finn comes to the fore. Tom helps a friend rescue slave Jim by pulling off a whole scam. And in the third novel, the friends end up in a balloon at all - a series of trials awaits them on a journey across America, over the Sahara and the Atlantic Ocean.
In the future, Tom Sawyer was to visit Arkansas, where, again with Finn, the boy got involved in the investigation of the murder and theft of diamonds.
Screen adaptations
The works of Mark Twain were several times in the work of eminent directors. For the first time, the adventures of the young prankster were transferred to film by William Taylor in 1917. However, the picture was not successful. But the next film, shot by John Cromwell in 1930, became the leader of the box office. 40 years later, the Americans repeated the success - musical picture Directed by Don Taylor, she was nominated three times for an Oscar and twice for a Golden Globe. The main role went to Johnny Whitaker.
The French decided to approach the adventures of an American boy on a grand scale, revealing the series The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1968), albeit in a mini format. Roland Demongeo transformed into restless Tom.
In the country of the Soviets, directors of Mark Twain's novel also did not ignore. Based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the black-and-white tape was created by Lazar Frenkel and Gleb Zatvornitsky in 1936. However, the film "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn", which appeared on Soviet cinema screens in 1981, won great fame. I tried on the image of Tom, and his friend Huckleberry - future celebrity, for which the role became a debut.
Govorukhin gathered actors with a name on the set. The characters of the American book were played by (Aunt Polly Sawyer), (Meff Potter). The role of Tom's beloved - Becky - was played by her daughter. The film crew moved around the world: the geography of the film's creation included Ukraine, the Caucasus, Abkhazia, and the Dnieper convincingly appeared in the image of the Mississippi River.
A new directorial reading of Twain's books was presented to the audience by Hermine Huntgeburt. In Tom Sawyer (2011), the roles are played by Louis Hoffman (Tom) and Leon Seidel (Huckleberry).
Producer Boris Shenfelder said in an interview:
“The idea to make a movie about Sawyer came to me after watching Hands Off the Mississippi and Swindlers of Genius. In thinking about these two films, I decided to make a film for children and young adults that will not blindly cater to children's tastes and will be out of our time.
The idea turned out to be realized quite successfully.
The last film adaptation of the literary brainchild of Mark Twain happened in 2014. The film "Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn" co-production of Germany and the United States was directed by Joe Kastner. Joel Courtney played the restless boy-inventor.
- Under the name of St. Petersburg hides the hometown of Hannibal, where Mark Twain was born and raised. Tom Sawyer's environment has real prototypes. For example, Aunt Polly is "copied" from the writer's mother, and Becky is from the neighbor's girl, Laura Hawkins.
- Children's Musical Theatre young audience in 2005 staged a sparkling musical "Tom Sawyer". The music and lyrics for the performance were written by composer Viktor Semenov, especially the audience likes the composition "Star River".
- The two-story house of the Hawkins family still adorns the street of the writer's hometown. The Hannibal authorities are going to renovate the building and open the Becky Thatcher Museum. Nearby, according to Twain's fans, is the "same" fence that Tom had to whitewash, and Cardiff Hill rises a block from the street, where the children's games described in the novel took place. The caves in which Tom once got lost with Becky are also located in the vicinity of the village.
- Illustrate the books of Mark Twain were taken various artists, but the pictures of Robert Ingpen are considered the best work.
Quotes
“It often happens that the less justification for some ingrained custom, the more difficult it is to get rid of it.”
“There is no worse fool than an old fool. No wonder they say: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
“What are you going to do with your share, Tom?
- I will buy a drum, a real saber, a red tie, a bulldog puppy and get married.
- Are you getting married?
- Well, yes.
"Tom, you... you're out of your mind!"
"The only thing that's nice is that it's hard to get."
“The main thing is to believe. If you believe, then everything will definitely be fine - even better than you yourself can arrange.
“Fame, of course, is an important and valuable thing, but for real pleasure, a secret is still better.
"In the Middle Ages, the difference between a man and a locust was that the locust was not stupid."
“You can recognize everything in girls by their faces - they have no self-control.”