When I started The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I immediately became engulfed in the language and dialogue Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) uses throughout this story. I was traveling along with Tom Sawyer on his many different adventures. Every time Tom makes amends with his Aunt Polly and takes one step in the right direction, he immediately causes more mischief and takes three steps backwards again. I feel as if I’m on a roller coaster or carnival ride as I cause ruckus alongside Tom Sawyer.

This book is unique in the way that Mark Twain developed the idea of this story from his early childhood growing up on the Mississippi, and turned some of his memories into the development of Tom Sawyer and his adventures. This book takes place during post-Civil War America in 1875, where lots of violence was still prevalent along with the Indian Wars. Not to mention, America was still suffering from the depression in 1873. With this in mind, the book shows how young children like Tom spent their time with friends and had dreams of becoming a pirate or military officer and growing up to be a brave and courageous human being. 

One of the most unique aspects of this book is the language and dialogue that Mark Twain uses. He writes in the dialect  that was common during this time period in Southern America. As I read, I can hear the characters' accents and it is very interesting to see how the way we communicate with each other has changed throughout the years. 

The innocence in Tom Sawyer and his other young companions’ voices depicts a very accurate portrayal of their characters. All of the children are constantly trading worthless items to each other such as insects, fish hooks, yarn, marbles, tin toys, and other random objects. It is comedic to read about the seriousness of Tom and his friends when making these trades and adds to the development of certain characters. Each day Tom and his friends come up with an insane theory in an attempt to give reason towards the conflict they face. For example they talk about getting rid of warts by going into the middle of the woods by yourself, finding a “spunk-water” stump, and jamming your hand in the stump at midnight while you say a silly phrase. 

In  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain displays the curiosity that we all have growing up; while this may be a juvenile book, everyone can relate to it. Growing up as a child everyone has many dreams and is curious about what is to come in this crazy world, just like Tom, and I found it enjoyable to relive aspects of my childhood through him.