Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Realism

Realism, defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is the representation in art or literature of objects, actions, or social conditions as they actually are, without idealization or presentation in abstract form. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain portrays an accurate depiction of society during the pre-civil war time. Twain paints a picture of a boy’s world along the Mississippi River, where two mischievous boys, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, go on various mini adventures from running away from home to helping putting an evil murderer, Injun Joe, behind bars. Though the novel is classified as a fantastical adventurous novel, the novel illustrates and mimics Southern society regarding its cultural and racial aspects during the pre-civil war era. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer effectively assess realism through a hypocritical portrayal of the antebellum South through institution of religion, satire, and vernacular speech.

For starters, Twain differentiates the antebellum Southern society from an ideal society to a more realistic society through the satirical use of the institution of religion. Tom Sawyer, the main protagonist, is a mischievous and thrill-seeking boy who despises anything that places restrictions on his boyhood freedom including school, church, and chores. In the beginning of the novel, Tom is seen dreading going to Sunday school due to the fact that he has little to no interest in learning about the Bible. Due to that, Tom has barely any knowledge regarding religion. Despite that Tom is being showered with compliments and rewards for impressing Judge Thatcher, the most reputable person in town. To further explain, on page 36, it quotes, “It was the most surprising surprise of the decade. . . Walters was not expecting an application from this source (Tom Sawyer) . . . The prize was delivered to Tom with as much effusion as the Superintendent could pump up under the circumstances.” Tom is being appreciated for having a number of tickets, which are rewarded to students for reciting verses of the Bible; tickets that he had never earned but rather conned from other students had rightfully earned. Mr. Walters knew very well, that Tom didn’t deserve all the compliments and awards, yet he still awarded him opposed to rewarding a student who actually deserved it or punishing Tom for lying. Rather Mr. Walters just applauded Tom so he could look good in front of Judge Thatcher. Twain accurately elucidates how something so upheld as religion wasn’t as pure as it seemed, but rather superficial. Twain captures the “fidelity” as William Dean Howells argues in his essay, Criticism and Fiction, in regards to religion by how what was preached had little effect. People were still greedy, selfish, and unable to distinguish right from wrong in conclusion making Southern society appear less idealistic as the, “ideal grasshopper,” wire and cardboard, prettily painted in conventional tint, and relatively