I enjoyed our discussion in class about the differences between city and country boys. Tom Saywer was the epitome of a typical country boy. He was scheming and loved above all things, playing and swimming, and hated doing anything related to work, labor, school, or chores. He was a very cunning boy; he often tricked his friends into doing his work for him. He lied to his aunt several times and was also guilty of skipping school more than once. Despite all these faults Tom Sawyer is a very endearing, likeable character. Earlier in the smester we read about a very similar character named Ragged Dick. Ragged Dick was different from Tom in that he lived in the city and worked in the streets as a boot shiner in order to make money to live on. Ragged Dick lived on the streets and was a honest boy who didn't lie or steal, even when afforded the chances to. He seemed to have much better characteristics than those of Tom Saywer, but was not as likeable as a character.
I think Tom Saywer may be more endearing because his character is a familar one. He lived with family members, went to school, had chores; things that we all can relate to. He also had the short attention span recognizable and expected in young boys. I think Tom Saywer represents the type of child that all of us would have liked to be like, even for just one day. He cunningly managed to get out of his chores and convinced his friends to do them for him.. who wouldn't want to be able to do that at least once?
In contrast, Ragged Dick is not that recognizable as a character. He is grown beyond his years and does not live the typical life of a young boy. He is orphanless, living on the streets, and having to do actual labor and work to make money to live on. The city life is more realistic than country living. It is not as fun and carefree. I feel that Ragged Dick's orphanless working city boy is not as enjoyable to read about as Tom Saywer. When reading Tom Saywer the reader is transported back into childhood.. living without worries and strife. I think that feeling is one that needs to be experienced every once in a while in the midst of the chaos that is life.
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I realy liked how you talked about Tom being a the type of character that we would like to be. It's very true he possesses some envious qualities and I am sure everyone would love to have his skill for scheming. Your comparison between Tom and Ragged Dick and really good and I especially like how you talk about Ragged Dick not being "as enjoyable to read" mainly because, unlike Tom Sawyer, it does not really bring us back to our own childhood. It is also true what you say about all readers wanting to experience what Tom sawyer does, and that is namely "living withoutworries and strife". I really enjoyed the topic you picked to talk about. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI love that fact that you mentioned how Tom Sawyer is relatable to our own childhood. Personally, I know that because it reminds me of what it was like when I was younger, I like this book more than say Uncle Tom's Cabin because I was not a child or a slave or even alive during the Civil War, and it was harder to compare my life to.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting point to make about Twain's "Tom Sawyer" because there is a reason why readers are drawn to Tom more than a character like Dick. I agree with the fact that Tom is more recognizable from childhood and the style of Twain's writing is familiar if you have already read "Huck Fin." I also think the bringing up, like you talked about, affects the characters "likeability."
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