Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Tom Sawyer: Take 1

Tom Sawyer, a mischievous boy seems to have been put into an element that is not entirely his own. That is not say that he finds it necessary to conform, as he sticks to his individual identity and rebels from the order and cleanliness of the the town St. Petersburg. That is interesting because the foreword to our edition of the book suggests that the town is called St. Petersburg to suggest heaven. Keep this idea in mind as I introduce a quote that really struck me:

"It must be very peaceful, he thought, to lie and slumber and dream for ever and ever, with the wind whispering through the trees and caressing the grass and the flowers of the grave, and nothing to bother and grieve about ever any more...Ah, if only he could die temporarily!" Pg. 64

This area of nature to which Tom has escaped is very serene and ideal. The wind is personified to be a calming, peaceful presence. The wind is a factor that blends Tom with the grass and flowers as they are all three lying on the grave and they all three have the wind flirting through them. The relaxation with the wind, and the peacefulness of lying and slumbering strongly hints that Tom has fled to somewhere that is pastoral. The town, which is not nature, is not pastoral either, as the church has too much power and responsibility has too much priority. But unfortunately, life in the town constitutes for much of Tom's life, if it could be called living. Nature is a land of dreams while the town is a land of obligation, in the nature Tom can recite Robin Hood, while he is forced to memorize bible verses in the town. Since the town takes so much precedence, Tom declares that he wishes to "die temporarily." He says that as if death is a cure for life, but at the same time he recognizes the strength and value in living his life. Because of this, I think that the town and nature might be life and death. I am not sure which is which, but it ties into the idea that the town represents heaven. However, Tom, the rebel from society, finds heaven outside of the town, in the place of his true calling, nature.

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