The Beauty of Childhood 《汤姆.索亚历险记》读后感

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was written in 1867 by Samul Langborne Clemens who is better known by the pen name Mark Twain.Twain was an American humorist satirist ,lecture and writer.During his life time,he became a friend of the president ,artists leading industrialists and Europe royalty.Clemens enjoyed immense public popularity ,and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers.American author William Faulkner called him " the father of American literature"

The Adventure of Tom Sawyer was his second major publication which drew on his youth in Hammibal . The character of Tom Sawyer was modeled on samule as a child with traces of other children .To get rid of the dull book,the uncomfortable enviroment ,the sham of the society,they had varity adventures ,This aritcal was seen from a child or the children's eyes to critisize the black society.

Now I want to say something about the book.First is the summery .Tom is a chievous young boy who lives in the small town on the Missippi River called St.petersburg .And the story line is a memori of a summer in Tom's childhood.

There he has an aunt who love him but always bite him because of his mischif .What's more he had two good friend named Huck Finn and Joe Harper ,they sword to stand by each other and to be brothers till death relieved them of their troubles .During this period they saw a kill.

Now I want to tell the passage which Iove very much.

When aunt Polly found Tom stole the jam and want to bite him .Tom said"Hi! Look behand you ,aunt !",when the old lady whirle around and snatchedher skirt out of danger .Tom fled .Simple but usefull method. Tom's full of mischief,though aunt Polly was very angery abouthis nauty bu every time bite him her old heart always breaks,but every timeaunt forgive him her conscience bleams her.

Aunt Polly had sewn up Tom's shirt at the nack in order to prevent him from taking it of and swaming .At supper she chacked his collar but found white thread became black thread .But before he could take any measure Tom run out of the house .

Next time aunt misunderstand Tom and give him a lesson .Afeter she know the misundestand her conscience pricked her ,and she longed to say something kind and love ,but she judged that this would be taken as a confession that she had be in the wrong,and discipline that. So she kept slient ,and went about her house work with a troubled heart .Tom sat gloomily in corner and nursed his sorrows.He

known ,through tearful eyes taht she glanced tendenly at him now and again ,asking for forgiveness;But he refused to take any notice.He just imagine himself lying on his deathbed and his aunt bending over him,begging for one little forgiving work,but he could turn his face to the wall.and die without saying that word ,and wonder how could aunt Polly feel.And he also imagine he dead in the river and aunt peryde God to give her back the boy,and promis she would never,never-ill treat him any more .But he could lie there cold and pale,and made no sign .this is the feel that after a child suffer wrong treated what he may do.I think you also had this feel before.

When Tom was ill his aunt gave him some pain-killer which will burn his stomach when he had it. So he pretended to take it himself and don't worried aunt but he use it to curing a crack in the sitting-room.floor.One day he gave his aunt's yellow cat the medicine then the cat sprang a couple of yards into the air and shouted a war-cryand then flee round and round the room,banging against the furniture upsetting the flower-pot,and casing general destruction. Aunt Polly stood root to the floor with astonishement.But Tom lay on the floor,splitting his said with laughter.Aunt Polly found his secret and rised him up by the usual handle-his ear-and slipped him and asked him why did he treat the poor dumb creature like that toaunt Polly's suprise Tom said:"I was pretending to be his aunt and to tying to burn the bowelsout of him." this was putting the matter in a new light .What was curel to a cat might be curel to a boy too.Shebegin to soften;She felt sorry.her eyes watered a little and said to Tom gently that the medcine really did do good to his healthy." I was pretending to be his aunt " is a great shock to aunt Polly ,may be she never thought a child can treat a metter in this way.

Tom and Huck and Joe dissapered for three days and people all thought ther were died in the river.so they gave them a service .As the service proceeded the therr dead boys came marching up the middle of the church ,Tom leading,Joe next and Huck last.They had been hiden upstairs,listing to their own funeral service .After Tom back from the dead,aunt Polly said may be his disapper was a joke ,but it wsa curel to let her suffer so much sorrow .Tom was discomfortabled after hear this then he said he dreamed abou aunt Polly ,anyway he thought this was something that could make aunt Polly felt happier .then he told aunt about a dream which was his own experience the day he went back.And aunt Polly was very shocked and give him a powerful embrass but when she threw her arms about him he felt the guiltiest of villains .

What a pity ,his lie was wored out after aunt Polly went to Serean Harpper's house and aunt Polly felt very upset she said :"you never think of anything but your own selfishness.You couldn't think of piting us and saving us from sorrow."This time Tom told aunt about the bark which wroted ,Tom had gone pirating and he reslly kissed aunt the night.This time,this matter was ture but aunt Polly didn't believe till she saw the bark her forgave the boy totally in her heart.

"The fence was whitewshed "this part is my favor .At first Tom felt very upset for the fene is so large ang long ,freedom is so precious just then .But when he was in this dark and hopeless moment he had an idea -a glorious idea .And he made Ben first give him the appleto let him to had a try to washwite the fence .At last he had a lot of child to washwite the fence willingly and gave him so many presents .He got twelve marbles ,a pair of spetacles witout glass, a pair of blue bottle-glass to look through , a key that could not unluck anything and so on.If he had not run out of white-wash,he could have stripped everybody in the viiage of his proudest possessions.What's more ,he koow that " in order to make a man or a boy desire a thing ,it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain."

when the prise day coming nearer and nearer .Mr. Dobbins's punishment were very energetic .Because of the smallest boys spend their days in terror and their night in planning revenge .At last they hit upon a plan which promised a glorious victory.

Now the teacher put his chair aside ,turned his back to the audience ,and begain to draw a map of America on the blackbord ,upon which to excise the geography class .But he did it very bdely,because his head was unsteady.A low laugh ran round the room .He konw what was wrong and set himself to right it . He rubbed out lines and remade them .But the laughter grow louder ,and with good reasons .There was a storeroom above and the entrance to it was just above his head .Down throw this opening came a cat hanging from a string tied round her body .she had a rag fastend about her head and jaws to prent her from making a noise.As she slowly swung downwards and clawed at the air .the laughter grew louder and louder .The cat was within six inches of the teacher's head .And sized his false hair out .how naughty the boy is .

When Tom saw Becky he worshiped this new angle till he saw that she had discoverd him. then she pretended that he did not koow she was present ,and began to act in all sorts of silly boyish ways in order to win her admiration .While he was in t6he midist of some dangeroustricks,he glanced aside and saw she going inside but give him a rose .Tom lit up the moment and picked the tresure,and put it inside his coat next to his heart ,or next to his stomch possibly.for he was not quit koow where the one began and the other ended.This made me thought of Wangshuo's book<>Fangqiangqiang want to caught nanyan's atention gave her a hand in the back .I think this is the way a boy used to make his lover to know him.

When they quarlled Tom want to be good as before ,but Becky didn't talk to him .things become better when they were in the cave .Becky said she was to die though Tom felt with a lump in his throat,he still prentended to be breave and can

found the way.And promise to hold Becky hand unitll the last moment came.Tom is a ture man this moment .Tom was the hero in my heart just then.How about you ?

If two men found the treasure they may fight until there's only one live.but Tom and Huck share the treasuretogether.I think this is the most different and the most valuable part.Do you remember when you are a child you will give you good friend what you tresaure much.You think this is love.

It is a story filled with action, adventure, ingenious ideas, love, and schoolyard politics. The whole story is seemingly a complication of what people did or wish they did during their childhood.

I fell in love with this article the fist time I saw it.Every had their own childhood and Ibelieve this time is the most precious moment in one's whole life .May be we don't have the experience like Tom but Ikonw you childhood is also out of this world.

People said Twain wrote this book trying to tell people "Rescure the child but how to rescue them?Everyone should grow up .We can't' change the world but to adjust it.Can you think if every one have the mind to be outlaw in his life time and went to Sherwood Forest.How our world will be ?

I think aways have a children's mind is what the most important thing.The book would be an enjoyable read for people of all ages. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to feel young again, if just for a few hundred pages.

The Magic of Tom Sawyer

The discovery of Tom Sawyer in a Chinese textbook really came as a shock for me. I ran across the report on this novel by a Grade Six boy when I was tutoring him English. The little boy had been required to write this report after the Chinese class. Young as he was, he had made several remarkable comments in his homework among which was his advocate for Chinese students to have an adventure life as Tom had. However, at the end of his book review he came to pity himself and his peers a little bit , saying that such a desire could hardly be achieved, given the fact that they have lots of homework and examinations to finish and in the meantime their parents won’t allow them such a risk.

As well as shocked, I was in a sudden choke of shame. If my memory works properly, it was not until the sophomore year that I first read this book which was unexpectedly gained as a trophy in the First Interpretation Contest. To make things worse, I skimmed and scanned this amazing novel, as a result of which I could not figure out the right sequence of the events, let alone a deep reflection on the theme. I felt that I had lagged behind.

It took me quite some time to survive this shock as well as shame. And when I eventually get over it, another thing struck my mind----why did the compliers include Tom Sawyer as a text in primary school textbook. Is it simply because the book entertains school childrens’ curiosity, since it depicts life of some black children? Or, is it an effort to equip our children with some foreign literature since it is for the moment the trend?…Questions like such haunted my mind so much that I felt it an obligation to reread the book in detail.

The answers gradually surfaced themselves as I proceed the reading and I found myself on the compiler’s side. The style of Mark Twain’s writing as well as the personal traits of its protagonist, Tom Sawyer ,has combined to create the magic of this adventure novel, and for short I will name it "magic of Tom".

Mark Twain’s unique language fascinated me in the first place. This novel features the frequent use of the conversational rule of Black English----Double negatives make a negative, which constantly reminded me that this is about black Americans and nothing else. Mark Twain was also skillful with the emloyment of contracted forms which is quite common in black oral English. These two together creates a lifelike scenarios for Tom and the reader came to perceive Tom and his deeds through his identity both as a black and a child. I think this is the very reason that Mark Twain has been elevated off other writers. He tells about truth and he tells about real life. He involves the life of black Americans into his book, and shows the world that everyone has a role to play on the stage of life.Tom has. Huck has. And so do many others. No matter how many scandlous charges were brought against him for this matter, no one can deny his outstandingness and unique perception.

Tom Sawyer is of Mark Twain style in another aspect, that is the author’s attention to the interaction between him and his readers. Different from other writers, Mark Twain bore in his mind to giving some of his own opinions on the events which would lead his readers for better understanding. Thus the reader would hardly forget where has the story comes to and why certain events would occur. Readers seldom find themselves alone in the reading, but rather they have Mark for company, who would share with them some humors.

Well, it’s high time for me to elaborate about the protagonist, Tom Sawyer. This is a extremely mischievous boy. In the eyes of his village folks, he is nothing but a trouble-maker. He fights and swears and hates to go to church. Even aunt Polly, his blood-kin, would not want him around in her house. I bet many a Chinese adult would have no fondness for such a boy and if anything, try to keep him as far away as possible from their own children.

However, my readers, I would like to remind you in advance that you should not judge a boy by his appearance, especially in the case of Tom. This little boy is not that simple as he seems.There is a wisdom in his mischievousness. To understand Tom, you have got to dig deeper. A reader myself, I have noticed 4 important traits of Tom that I believe has contributed to his magic.

Firstly, Tom knows far too well how people think. Remember how Tom got Rodgers Ben paint the fence for him?

When Ben teased"Hi-yi! You’re up a stump, ain’t you?", Tom gave no answer. But rather he"surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist, then he gave his brush another gentle sweep and surveyed the result, as before." "Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth—stepped bach to note the effect—added a touch here and there—critized the effect again."This concentratedness and enjoyfulness on the part of Tom made Ben water for the painting work. Yet he would not confer THIS PRIVERLEGE to Ben so easily. He continued to make Ben itch for it. "Aunt polly’s awful particular about this fence—right here on the street, you know—but if it was the back fence I wouldn’t mind and she wouldn’t. I reckon there ain’t one boy in athousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it’s going to be." "Jim wanted do it, but she wouldn’t let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn’t let Sid. Now don’t you see how I’m fixed…"However, for Tom the right time had not come and there was still more to be expected. Ben indeed bite the hook. He offered to EXCHANGE for it. And all the children in St. Petersburg bite the hook. They got the PRIVILEGE of painting the fence at the expense of going "bankrupt" with their playthings. And Tom, the "retired" artist got his fence painted three times and lots of company and also lots of trifle playthings.

Traditionally, the aggressive male children would resort to fist to get their peers on their own agenda. But it was not the case with Tom. He knew the mind-set of the

boys ---"in order to get a man or a boy convet a thing, it’s only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain." Bearing this in mind, there is no doubt that he could succeding in cheating his peers.

Not only the children but also the adult cannot survive Tom’s wisdom. Remember how our pirates returned from Jackson’s island?

" There was a rustle in the gallery, which nobody noticed; a moment later the church door creaked; the minister raised his streaming eyes… the congregation rose and stared while the three dead boys came marching up the aisle…"（Chapter 18） Scaring and somewhat astonishing, right? Why didn’t these boys return earlier since they had been grief homesick and relief their families who had been repenting for the loss of them? Perhaps many adults may condemn them as being naughty and ungrateful.

But, consider it for a moment and you will find that this is again a strategy of Tom’s. A funeral is a solemn occasion sybolizing the mortal end of a person. grief and praying has apparently been the theme for Aunt Polly and the villegers. The sudden revival of the begoners would surely makes them cherish them all the more. Under such circumastances, Tom would surely save himself scoldness and punishment and by the way, elevate him to the-apple-of-the eye position for the moment. That would sound kind of ironic for the adults since they had been fooled with by these three boys. But sorry, he is Tom and you cannot readily prepare for it.

Second, Tom’s courage for starting an adventure life. Rebelling seems to have been deeply rooted in American literature, and we can also find this quality in Tom. He hated Sunday school. He hated going to the church and being tortured by the miniser’s preaching. He hated being misunderstood by Aunt Polly… He hated his life in St. Petersburg. He had desperately wanted to break away from the old life together with its traditions, authority and misunderstanding.Yet being rebelling is not enough for an adventure career. It’s the courage to get started that matters. Tom has it. He dares to seperate himself from the protection （though very little） of anut Polly. He dares to confront all the risks （get lost or even get killed） of the would-be life.

Third, the boy’s ability to manage the personnel. To succeed a pirate career, Tom knew far better that he cannot make it alone.To begin with, he had to find his partner. See who he had included in this pirate group? It’s Joe Harper and Huckleberry Fin. Why did Tom chose them and nobody else? The truth is as follows. Joe had just been whipped by his mother for drinking some cream while he had never tasted. He had firmly believed that she was tired of him and wished him to go. Any children want to be loved and any denial of love would bring them suffering. Defintely, Joe wants to break away from this suffering and living a pirate life is a pretty good way out. And Huck. He was an orphen and "don’t even get enough to

eat". To be a pirate or not makes no difference to Huck.

Fourth, Tom’s his knowledge about Adventure. As for where they should go for treasures, Tom gave his opinion--- "It’s hid in mighty paticular places, somethimes on islands, sometimes in rotten chests under the end of a limb of an old dead tree, just where the shadow falls at midnight, but most under the floor in haunted huses." Tom also gave his reasons why treasures could be found in the haunted houses---"They most always put in a dead man when they bury a treasure under a tree, to look out for it." While reading this part, I had been wondering whether they could succeed. The thing is that they made it because Injun Joe really had hid the treaures in the haunted house. I couldn’t give them a big round of applouse. Another case in point is his adventure with Becky in the cave. They had got lost and were in a dire need to find the way out. See what Tom had done---"He made a smoke—mark for future guidance and started upon their quest" "He took a kite line from his pocket, tied it to a projection…" How calm and clever is our hero! I think his background knowledge about adventure has, to a large extent, contributed to his success.

At this point, the compilers’ intentions seemed comletely clear to me. Tom Sawyer is introduced to China neither for fun nor for fashion only, it is an effort of our government to educate our children in a brand new style. Chinese children have long been consumed in the textbooks and they as a whole lack the spirit of exploring which is vital to their further study and career. Tom Sawyer, with its irresistable magic, serves as a guide to invoke the courage and ability to take adventure in children. Mark Twain had it right when he said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." It’s high time for Chinese parents set their children from their bay of excessive protection and allowed them freedom to strive on their own.

I had not expected that I would write so much about this novel. Yet I did. Well, Tom’s magic probably had worked.