An Analysis on the Character of Tom Sawyer汤姆索亚的人物性格分析.docx

An Analysis on the Character of Tom Sawyer汤姆索亚的人物性格分析.docx

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AnAnalysisontheCharacterofTomSawyer汤姆索亚的人物性格分析

CONTENTS

Abstract…………………………………………………………….1Introduction………………………………………………………..2

Chapter1TomSawyer’sInnocenceandRomance……………...6

1.1TomSawyer’sInnocence……………………………………....6

1.2TomSawyer’sRomance……………………………………….9

Chapter2TomSawyer’sWitandLeadership………………….13

2.1TomSawyer’sWit…………………………………….……13

2.2TomSawyer’sLeadership…………….…………………….15

Chapter3TomSawyer’sRebellionandHeroism………………19

3.1TomSawyer’sRebellion……………………….………….….19

3.2TomSawyer’sHeroism………………...…………………….22

Conclusion……………………………………………………..….26

Notes………………………………………………………………28

Bibliography………………………………………………………29

Acknowledgements……………………………………………….30

AnAnalysisontheCharacterofTomSawyer

Abstract:

AsoneofMarkTwain’srepresentativeworks,TheAdventuresofTomSawyer,successfullyillustratesalovelycharacterofachild,TomSawyer,whoisanaughtyandbraveboy,andaperfectdreameraswell.Sincethebookpublished,itisgreatlyreviewedbythousandsofAmericans,bothchildrenandgrown-ups,asthisnovelisnotsolelyadescriptionofchildren,butalsoasymboloftheauthor’sironicattitudetothehypocriticaloftheadultworld.ThispaperprobesintotheanalysisofTomSawyer’scharacterinthreeaspects,namely,innocenceandromance,witandleadership,rebellionandheroism,allofwhichshapesTomSawyer’suniquecharm.AconclusionisdrawnthroughtheanalysisofTomSawyer’shumancharacter.

Keywords:

TomSawyer;child;character;adventurousspirit

摘要：

作为马克·吐温的代表作之一，《汤姆·索亚历险记》成功地塑造了汤姆·索亚这个非常可爱的儿童形象。

汤姆·索亚是一个调皮捣蛋、内心勇敢的孩子，同时也是一个出色的梦想家。

这部作品一问世，就受到成千上万美国读者的关注，不光孩子们喜欢，成年人也不例外。

因为这不仅仅是一部儿童读本，更是作者从一个孩子的角度，对虚伪的大人世界所作的讽刺。

本文从性格方面着手，分三个章节来分析出汤姆·索亚的性格，分别是天真浪漫、聪明机智、叛逆勇敢，这三方面的性格特点使得汤姆·索亚极具个人魅力。

通过对汤姆·索亚性格的分析，本文揭示了该人物形象的深刻意义。

关键字：

汤姆·索亚；儿童；性格；冒险精神

Introduction

MarkTwain（1835-1910）,thepennameofSamuelLanghorneClemens,whowasregardedasthegreatesthumoristinthe19thcentury.HisworksofrealismwasthelandmarkoftheAmericanliteraryhistory.MarkTwainwasbornattheriversideofMississippi.Hislifeexperiencefilledwithchanges,asheusedtobeapprentice,typesetter,sailor,andsoldier.In1863,hebegantowritewiththepennameMarkTwain.Hiscolorfullifeexperiencehelpedhimalot,sincetheywerethebestsourcesofhiscreation.

TheAdventuresofTomSawyerwasfinishedinyear1876whentheUnitedStatesendedtheCivilWar.Sincethenationhadthousandsofthingstodotorebuildtheirhomeland,peoplewereinspiredtocreateanewcountrywithalltheirefforts.ThiswasalsothetimewhenEmancipationProclamationwasissuedbyPresidentLincolnin1863,whichfreedtheNegroslavesfromtheoppressionofCapitalists.Thetraditionaleconomicmodelwascorrupting,anddoomedtobereplacedbyCapitalismcomingfromtheNorth.Peopleinthiscountryalllivedwithhopes.

IntheprefacetoTheAdventuresofTomSawyer,MarkTwainwrites“mostoftheadventuresrecordedinthisbookreallyoccurred”[1].Indeed,wecaneasilyfindtheprototypeofTomSawyerinhisdiarywhichiswrittenin1866,whereMarkTwainrecallshischildhood.However,MarkTwaindoesnotsimplycopythediary;instead,herearrangesanumberofdetailstomakehisworkanovelratherthanapurememoir.Immediatelyafterthepublicationofthisnovel,itelicitedastrongresponse,notonlyfromthechildren,butalsofromnumerousadults.Therefore,TomSawyer,thenaughtyboy,soonbecomeoneofthewell-knowncharactersthroughAmericanliteraryhistory.

Inwritingaboutchildhoodexperiences,MarkTwainshowsthetrustworthinessoftheheartasseeninchildren,thepleasureofruralAmericanasseenthroughchildren’seyes,themoraldeclinethatcouldaccompanygrowingupandthesenseoflosswhenchildhoodisgone.IfMarkTwaindoesnotdirectlymakesocialcriticismasatheoristineconomicsandphilosophy,heisinfactmoreeffectiveinthatheshowsagenuinehatredforsocialhypocrisyandpretentiousnessthroughhisuseofhumor.Heisrelentlesswithhishumorinexposingtheimportanceofreligiousteachinginthefaceoftemptationandtheiniquityofslavery.Insum,MarkTwain’sassaultofthehypocrisyintheadultworldshowsthatheremainsachildofinnocenceinhisheart.

However,MarkTwainisnotaromanticistbecauseheknowsthatchild-likeinnocencehasnoplaceintherealworld.TheinnocentcharacterbuiltbyMarkTwainalwayscoupleswithirony.Asanironist,MarkTwainallowsustoseetheadultthroughtheeyesofachild,andtoseethechildthroughtheadult’sperspective.Hisgreatestgiftisthereforehismultidimensionalunderstandingofinnocence.ThisunderstandingofinnocenceinMarkTwainhasbeendeeplyextendedtoAmericansencounteringEurope.Inmuchencounters,theironyof“innocence”mocksboththeAmericannaivetyandtheEuropeanpretentiousness.AmericaandEuropetakeonthesameironicdynamismsthatinvolveachildandanadult.

ThispaperdedicatestoanalyzeTomSawyer’scharacterinthreeaspects,namely,innocenceandromance,witandleadership,andrebellionandheroism.Amongthosecharacters,rebellionispejorative.MarkTwainaimsatnothingbutdescribingTom’seagernessforfreedom.ToMarkTwain,rebellionisnottoblame,becausechildrenaretiredwiththehypocrisyandgreedinessinadultsociety.Tomisafighter,andhisenemyisthecomplicatedadultworld.Tomisrestrainedbythesocialrules,evenfeelshardtobreathe.HeperformsimpolitelyintheSundayschool,hedislikestheteacher,andneverhavebeenabletoreciteTheBible,heseldomlistentowhatAuntPollyordershimtodo,alwayswalkwithhisfeetnaked.

TomSawyer’sindividualityisinteresting.Hewantstodoeverythinginhisownwaywhichisquitedifferentfromwhatissupposedtobe,butsomewhatsimilartotheknightnovel.Headmirespirateverymuch.Thisisunderstandableifwepayattentiontothedifferencebetweenthelifeofapirateandachild,especiallywhenthechildhaslittlefreedominchoosinghislifestyle.

Anyhow,TomSawyerisatoughboy.Hedarestoopposetothesocialrules,theadult’sauthority.Heneverstopsmakingeffortstolivehisownlifewhereonlylove,justice,andpeaceexist.ThereasonwhypeopleworshipTomSawyerfromgenerationtogenerationisthatpeople’sdreamforfreedomneverdieeasily.

Chapter1

TomSawyer’sInnocenceandRomance

Likeanyotherchildren,TomSawyerisinnocentandcarefree.Heownsapureandnaïveinnerworld.MarkTwainputsemphasizeondescribinghispersonalitiesasaninnocentboywhoisquitefondofplay.Inthenovel,TheAdventuresofTomSawyer,Tom’sinnocenceisperfectlydescribedtogetherwithhisromanticnature.

1.1TomSawyer’sInnocence

Theworldinchildren’seyesispureandsimple.Theyalwaysexplainthethingshappenedaroundthemwiththeirinnocentmind,andtheythinkwiththeiruniquesimplicity.Inthisnovel,MarkTwainhasskillfullyshapedTomSawyerasastandardbadboy,onewhoownsthetraitsthatcanbeseenintheotheraveragekids.WhateversituationTommeets,hecansuccessfullysolvethembycertainmeans.

Generally,childrenindulgethemselvesinplayinggames,whichistrueforbothboysandgirls.Intheiropinion,thereisnothingintheworldthatismoreattractiveandexcitingthanbeingallowedtoplayaslongastheypossiblycan.TomSawyerownsvariouskindsoftoys,andhetakesmuchprideinshowinghiswealthinfrontofhispals.Hepreparesforexchangewheneverhefindsthereissomethingbetterthanhehasonhand.OneSaturdaymorning,“Tomappearedonthesidewalkwithabucketofwhitewashandalong-handledbrush.”[2]AuntPollyordersTomtowhitewashtheboardfencewhichstretchesforalmostthirtyyards.ThisisahardpunishmentforTom’snaughtybehaviorhappenedthedaybefore.Thinkingitisnearlyimpossibleforhimtofinishthetask;hebelievesthatthereshouldhavesomeshortcuts.Tomalwayshasmeasurestodealwithanykindsofdifficulty.

HesignstoJim,alittleslave,whenTomsawhimwithatinpail.JimknowsTomisgoingtobringwaterfromthetownpump,whichhasalwaysbeenhatefulworkinTom’seyesbefore.Butthistime,hewouldliketotrybyaskingJimtomakeadeal.Hesays“Say,Jim,I’llfetchthewaterifyou’llwhitewashsome.”[3]ButJimrefusesTom’sproposal,asAuntPolyhasalreadytoldhimtodohisownjobandleaveTomaway.TomfailsinthisexchangeafterhetriedtopersuadeJimagainandagain.ThenhebeginstotemptJimwithhistoywhichwouldbeabigluretoJim.HetellsJimhisbargainingchipisawhitealley,besides,hewillshowJimhissoretoe,whichistrulyapowerfulattractionforJim.Thebusinessisdone,onlyifAuntPollydoesnotnotice.“Inanothermomenthewasflyingdownthestreetwithhispailandatinglingrear,Tomwaswhitewashingwithvigor,andAuntPollywasretiringfromthefieldwithaslipperinherhandandtriumphinhereye.”[4]Tom’sreactionagainstAuntPolly’spunishmentperfectlyshowshisinnocenceandloveliness.MarkTwaindescribesthechildren’sinnocentandpureinnerworldfromtheadult’sviewpoint,andmakesusrecallourchildhoodwherenohypocriteexists.

Inthisnovel,TomSawyer’sabilityofmakinghimselfhappyisimpressive.Histoyscanbeanything,suchastooth,stone,frog,andevenatick.Inasleepynoon,theairisdead,andnowindoutside.Tomfeelsdreary,thenhishandssearchforaboxinhispocket,heopensthebox,thereisatickinside.Tomsetsthetickfree,andthetickbeginstomovearoundthedesk.Tom’sbosomfriend,JoeHarper,feelslikejustasthesame.HeisdesperatelyeagertojoinTom’sentertainment.TompermitsJoe,andhethendrawsalineinthe