AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By:
DODI ADI SETIAWAN
Student Number: 024214058
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By:
DODI ADI SETIAWAN
Student Number: 024214058
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
this thesis. I would like to express my gratitude for giving me patience, determination and ease to complete this thesis. I am nothing without Him.
I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum. for her friendly and clear guidance, support, and the advice. It is nice to have her as my advisor. My gratitude also goes to my co-advisor, Dra. AB. Sri Mulyani, M. A. who not only checked my imperfect thesis but also gave some suggestion. I am also indebted to all staff in English Letters Department secretariat and librarians at Sanata Dharma University library whose help is always there for helping me.
The followings are my friends in Sanata Dharma University who have been greatly helpful to me in various ways: Thomas, Fena, Nuke, Indhi, Yani and the gang, Ochie, Lira, Nita, Memei, Diah, Selvie, Sigit, Wawan, Leo, Septa, Dimas, Prasetio, David, Teh Ria and the gang, Shella and the gang, Stepha and the gang, and other 2002 folks. I would like to show my appreciation for the friendship and memories we have shared. I hope we can be good friends wherever and whenever we are. I also want to express my thanks for my timeless friends; Didik, Titis, Zulkhan, Rivo, and Hasan. They have assisted me a lot in building my spirit. There are many other persons who have given me a hand and whose name I cannot mention here. My appreciation goes to them.
Grateful thanks are due to Mbak Dewi, Mas Nano, Mas Doni, Mbak Atik, Bayu, Letta, Farrel, Fadiil, also my future wife, Astrid Santosa, for their love, care, and attention.
Finally, I cannot help giving my sincere and wholehearted thankfulness to my beloved Dad and Mom. I could not have finished this thesis without their blessings and prayers.
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ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... v
ABSTRACT ... vi
ABSTRAK ... vii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 5
C. Objectives of the Study ... 5
D. Definition of Terms ... 5
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ... 7
A. Review of Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ... 9
1. Theories on Character ... 9
2. Theories on Characterization ... 11
3. Theories of Character Development ... 12
4. Theories of Moral and Morality ... 14
5. Theories of Message ... 16
6. The Relation between Morality and Literature ... 18
C. Theoretical Framework ... 20
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 21
A. Object of the Study... 21
B. Approach of the Study ... 22
C. Method of the Study ... 23
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS... 25
A. The Characteristics of Tom Sawyer ... 25
B. Tom Sawyer’s Character Development ... 47
C. The Moral Lessons Reflected through Tom Sawyer’s Character Development... 54
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 60
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Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
Based on Henkle’s notion that human life can be studied from the novel through the characters described in it, it is interesting to find the idea in this literary work by Twain. The story itself is about a boy whose life is full of adventures. The climax of the story shows significant character developments. The developments indicate that there are moral lessons. There must be some events behind the character developments. The analysis will be done to find the explanation for these developments and then attain moral lesson from them.
Three problems come up as guidance for the analysis. The first is to analyze the characteristics of Tom Sawyer as the data for the second problem. The second problem is to reveal the character developments and the events which lay behind. The last problem is intended to find the relation between the character development and the moral lessons in the story.
Theories on character are used to answer the first problem. Theories on character developments are utilized to reveal the existing character developments. To be able to find the relation between the character developments and the moral lessons, theories on moral and morality, also the relation between morality and literature are applied.
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Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma. Berdasarkan pendapat dari Henkle yang menyatakan bahwa kehidupan manusia dapat dipelajari dari novel melalui karakter yang terdapat didalamnya menjadikan penulis tertarik untuk menguak ide-ide tersebut dalam salah satu karya sastra Mark Twain ini. Novel ini menceritakan tentang sebagian perjalanan hidup seorang anak bernama Tom Sawyer yang penuh dengan cerita-cerita petualangan. Klimak dari cerita ini menunjukkan adanya perubahan yang cukup signifikan dalam karakter tersebut. Perubahan tersebut mengindikasikan adanya pesan moral yang dapat dipetik didalamnya. Dapat dipastikan bahwa terdapat beberapa peristiwa yang hadir dan mengilhami perubahan tersebut. Analisis akan dilakukan sebagai suatu proses penjelasan tentang perkembangan karakter tersebut, dan kemudian menarik pesan moral yang terkandung didalamnya.
Tiga permasalahan muncul sebagai panduan analisis. Yang pertama diangkat untuk menganalisis karakteristik dari tokoh Tom Sawyer di novel sebagai data untuk permasalahan yang kedua. Permasalahan yang kedua ditujukan untuk mengungkap perkembangan karakter tersebut dan peristiwa-peristiwa yang mendasarinya. Sedangkan permasalahan yang terakhir ditujukan untuk menemukan hubungan antara perkembangan karakter tersebut dengan pesan moral yang terkandung didalamnya.
Teori tentang karakter digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan pertama. Kemudian, teori tentang perkembangan karakter digunakan untuk mengungkap perkembangan karakter yang ada. Untuk menemukan hubungan antara perkembangan karakter dan pesan moral yang ada digunakan teori tentang moral, dan hubungan antara moral tersebut dengan karya sastra.
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A. Background of the Study
Reading is an exciting hobby. Through reading, we can develop our sense toward the world. Any reading material is useful, including the one which English Letters Department students usually read, a novel. This idea goes along with the notion by Wellek and Warren who said that “a literary work does not only please the readers, but also gives them a kind of knowledge.” (1956: 30-34)
Henkle also said that “Novels deal with many kind of characters, society, and even philosophic idea. The readers can obtain lessons through the characters, societies, and ideas that are presented in the novel.” (1977: 21). It means that everything presented in the novel can be learned or taught as a guide to deal with this world.
Henkle added that “a novel as an artistic expression appears to have, as its objective, the deeper and richer knowledge of human life. Knowledge of human life can be studied from the novel through the characters described in it. The description of the characters enables the reader to get more understanding on human characters and to experience people (1977: 80).
real life, a novel contains some values. One of the basic values is moral value. It reflects not only on what a character does, experiences, or has, but also on what kind of person he or she is” (1978: 3).
Lastly, the concept by Gardner (1978: 14) explains that actually novel as a part of an art is just an imitation of the nature and should be an instrument to give a moral-teaching. He said that “I have acclaimed that art is essentially and primarily moral that is, live giving-moral in its process of creation and moral in what it says. If art destroys good, mistaking it for evil, then art is false, an error.”
The readers can find the morality in the story indirectly. The writer seldom states clearly what he or she wants related to the moral values. It seems that the moral values in the story are covered by the story itself. Thus, the readers have to figure it out through reading and doing some analysis. The moral values can be found throughout the story, or more specifically through character’s life and experience.
The novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was written by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known as Mark Twain, remains one of American’s most widely read authors. To a great extent his popularity has rested upon his humor. It would be a mistake, however, to think of him simply as a humorist. To do so is to overlook the sharpness of his observation, the penetration of his social criticism, the depth of his social concern for human suffering, and the clarity and extraordinary beauty of his style. He was a great writer who had written many masterpiece novels and been one of the greatest American frontier writers. He is praised as one of the significant contributors to American Literary style.
He was considered to be one of eight Americans authors in James Woodress’s Eight American Authors. The World Book Encyclopedia also adds that Mark Twain is one of the best and most popular American authors. He is generally considered the greatest humorist in American Literature (1971: 431).
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of Mark Twain’s children literature masterpieces besidesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain used a simple and easy language to understand compared to other writers. This novel is also enjoyable to read since it contains a humor, tragic, and happy-ending story. Some parts of which are Twain’s own experiences and the others are his schoolmates.
The topic of this thesis is the “Moral Lesson reflected in Tom’s Character Development as seen in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. Therefore, this thesis will merely discuss how the character of Tom Sawyer develops in the novel. By seeing the development in the character of Tom, the readers are supposed to get a moral lesson to be applied in their life. Tom’s childhood is full of children’s moral dilemmas like clandestine swimming, smoking, running away from home, disliking church, and torturing animals.
In the beginning of the novel, Tom Sawyer was a playful child who always envied the life and the freedom of the boys named Huckleberry Finn. As the chapter progresses, Tom Sawyer developed into a more grown-up boy. Later in the final chapter, he showed that he was a mature boy. He sacrificed himself for the others as a sign of adulthood.
A. Problem Formulation
1. What are the characteristics of Tom Sawyer? 2. How does the character of Tom Sawyer develop?
3. What moral lessons can be taken from the development of Tom Sawyer?
B. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problem formulation above, this study is meant to reveal the moral lessons that are reflected through Tom’s character development in Mark Twain’ The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The first objective of the study is, of course, to observe the characteristics of the main character, Tom Sawyer.
Then, the writer will move to the next objective. This second objective is to find out how his character develops through his behavior and attitudes described in the novel, from the beginning up to the end.
Finally, based on the development found in the character of Tom Sawyer, the writer will try to reveal the moral lessons within Tom Sawyer’s character development.
C. Definition of Terms
1. Moral Lessons
the lessons which contain the principles of right and wrong behavior for society and environment.
2. Character Development
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A. Review of Related Studies
The novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyeris a masterpiece in art of literature written by Mark Twain, or Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Thus, it is surprising that many people have done a research on this novel. They analyzed this novel in various ways, from the story that looks like the life of Mark Twain to the research that this novel is a kind of satire for the period of time.
The critics take for granted the power of Twain’s writing which always deals with humor. It has been proved in most of his works. It is stated in Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature that Twain satirizes social conventions, concluding that appearances often hide a person’s true value. Despite its “Saccharine plot” the novel succeeds as a critique of legal and moral injustices (1995: 906).
The works of Mark Twain are sometimes criticized as the reflection of Twain’s experiences in his life includingThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, so most of the critics say that The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the reflection of Mark Twain’s life as what Spiller says in his book,The Cycle of American Literature:
That is the example of the biographical analysis, it tells about Mark Twain’s background in writing his works which are based on his actual experiences. It shows the portrait of himself and his influencing person in the character of the novel he wrote.
The other criticism comes from Bartholow V. Crawford, Alexander C. Kern and Morris H. Needleman in the book entitledAmerican Literature:
Despite such limitations as incongruous humor, episodic construction, and emotional anachronism, it is a masterpiece by virtue of permanent common places about nostalgic boyhood experiences (1957: 191).
Basically, the writer agrees that Mark Twain represented himself in the story because some of the source that the writer has read shows that Mark Twain’s childhood was spent in the a place near Mississippi river, which also becomes the setting for this novel. In the other word, the novel has strong biographical aspects. This idea is agreed by Walter Blair, who said that “at any rate, Tom was based on actual character, and real life prototypes of all the other leading figures in the book have been identified” (1963: 65).
Another analysis has been done by Walter Blair, about the plot pattern that existed on the novel. It is said that:
William Dean Howells also has done a research on the characteristics of Tom Sawyer as the major character in the novel:
In a word, he is a boy, and merely and exactly an ordinary boy on the moral side. What makes him delightful to the reader is that on the imaginative side he is very much more, and though every boy has wild and fantastic dreams, this boy cannot rest till he has somehow realized them.
Many researches have commented about the novel. The comments are also various, from praising it as worthy world masterpiece, to criticize the elements within. However, none of them do the research on the moral lessons from the character development inside the character of Tom Sawyer. Therefore, in this thesis, the writer would like to do a research about the moral lessons that can be taken from Tom’s character development.
A. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character
Abrams in The Glossary of Literary Terms states that character is “the persons in a dramatic or narrative work who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say -the dialogues- and what they do -the action-.”
Similar to Abrams’s idea of character, Stanton inAn Introduction to Fiction
explains that character is a person who does the action in a story. From the characters and their personality developments, the reader of the story can enjoy the development of the story from the beginning to the end. The characters of the story will lead the reader to experience their interests, desires, and emotions. The reader will also be able to experience the emotion of the story and moral principles that make up each of these characters through their action and their dialogue (1965: 17).
He also divided the characters into two groups which are using the same terms like Abrams did. The characters in fiction can be differentiated into major and minor characters. A major character is the person who is relevant to every event in the story. Usually, the acts of the story are focused to this character from beginning to the ending parts. On the other hand, a minor character is the person who seems to appear rarely in the story. This representation is less important than the major character (1965: 17-18).
From those three theories of character above, the writer comes to the definition that character is the person in the story with all the characteristics inside him or her. It can be said that the characters in the story, then, are divided into major or minor characters which depend on the role of the character in the story.
2. Theory of Characterization
Characterization is the representation of a person in dramatic or narrative works. This may include direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description from character’s action, speech or appearance (Baldick, 1990: 34).
Characterization is the way to create of imaginary person so that they exist for the readers as life like (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 81). While to Rohrberger and Woods, characterization is the process by which an author creates character; the devices by which she makes us believe a character is the particular type of person is (1971: 81).
According to Barnet, there are some ways to understand the character through its action and dialogue (1988: 712). Firstly, from what the character says. The reader can understand the character through all of the character’s statement or what the character says. Secondly, from what the character does. Through the observation on the character’s action in the story, the reader will understand the character easier. Thirdly, from what the other characters say about the character. The other character’s comment or opinion toward the main character is important to understand the main character. And then finally, from what the others do. It means that the other character’s action help the reader to indicate what the main character could do but does not do.
3. Theory of Character Development
Holman and Harmon point out that character may be static or dynamic. The static characters are characters that do not undergo any changes in their behavior, appearance and their way of thinking. The characters remain the same from the beginning of the story till the end of the story. Their characteristics and way of thinking are not influenced by whatever actions and problems happen on them.
The dynamic characters, unlike the static characters, undergo changes in their personalities, outlook and way of thinking. The experiences and actions they do form their characters. They can also be influenced by outside factors such as the other characters’ actions and conflicts with the other characters. The internal factors namely the belief and desire may change their characters. The dynamic characters can change into better or worse characters through the development of the story. The changes of the character may occur in all aspects of the character for example, his outlook, way of thinking and behavior, but it may also be the only aspects of his character for example the appearance (1986: 83).
Under the circumstances, a change in character should be plausible and in the conditions, such as within the possibilities of character who makes it. The character in a story should not change suddenly. The writer should present the changing of the character step by step. The character must begin the changing with smaller changes that are carefully prepared for. The changing of the character should be sufficiently motivated by circumstances. The character should have strong motivations or reasons in doing his actions. One cannot change his characteristics so suddenly without any reasons and the last one it must follow sufficient time for a change (1972: 71).
4. Theory of Moral and Morality
The definition of moral lessons is taken from John K. Roth in his book entitled Encyclopedia of Ethics. In his book, Roth states that “Moral came from Latin mores (tradition). It is concerned with personally held ethical beliefs, theories of obligation, and the social elements that reinforce ethical decisions” (1995: 367). He also adds, “Moral raises the most fundamental questions about how one should live in this life” (1995: 564).
evaluation of conduct and use a similar vocabulary of action directing terms (Beauchamp, 1982: 5).
Basically, when we discuss moral, it is not simply about what is good or bad. It has a deeper sense. Cochrane, Hamm, and Kazepides, in their book entitled
The Domain of Moral Education, state that moral thinking is, also, about the fundamental values by which we profess to live (1979: 7). They also add that human actions are never done in a vacuum but in context which directly or indirectly involves other persons. It is implied that there is always an influence from one person to another in every actions that human did.
Morality has a deeper sense than moral. In the moral dimension, we only differ what is bad or good actions happened in the story or society, but in morality context, we should be able to understand what reasons that stand behind the good actions. The goodness or bad of the reason behind the action is what then called as
morality.
A person can be valued to have a good morality conscience if he or she helps the others without any other tendencies. “The rule of goodness in moral is not that you ought to help people if you care for them or if you have some other purpose that helping them might serve. Instead, the rule is that you should be helpful to people regardless of your particular wants and desires” (Rachels, 1995: 118-119)
5. Theory of Message
The theory of message is used since the morality in the novel is sometimes called a message. The idea of message is written in the book, Teori Pengkajian Fiksiby Nurgiyantoro, which says that moral in a work of art is called a message
(2001: 322).
The preceding statement can be the base for a literary works. It transforms into an idea that, later, transforms again into the background in creating the work of art. Nurgiyantoro also defines message as something that the author wants to convey the reader. It can also be the meaning within a work of art or the meaning suggested through the story (2001: 11).
Hudson and Goldings also add that a good message is a message that discloses a large possibility that the reader do not realize it. A writer would try to tell and to show those possibilities by using his work. In fact, he even tries to create those possibilities themselves. A good message does not tend to follow general pattern or norm but it creates new patterns based on human values (1971:23).
Beaty and Hunter also express their idea about message that message is the real meaning or some easy conclusion that can be simply stated or summarized inside a work of art (1989: 899). We can say that every literary work contains and offers moral message. Usually the message reflects the author’s mind, belief, wish, and interest. He or she wants to convey his or her opinion about the values of truth. Message in a story can be considered as a suggestion related to practical moral lessons that can obtained by the reader through reading the story, because a literary work, basically, is the imitation of life. Thus, when the reader reveals the lessons from it the reader also can reflect it to problems that can be found in the real life, especially those which are related to human right and dignity. Those lessons can be obtained through the characters that appear in the story.
In other words, a literary works are only giving some guidance to the reader through the message enclosed within the story. It is the readers who have the choice whether to follow it or not. However, the writer of literary works must have some intention to show the readers what actions are bad and good to do.
6. The Relation between Morality and Literature
Literature has a wide scope in human aspects of life. It can be a reflection of human thought, feeling, philosophy, and experience. E. Van de Laar and N. Schoonderwoerd in An Approach to English Literature support this statement by saying that
“Literature is an expression of life through the medium of language. It can be regarded as something essential since it contains of real life, people, thought, and their feeling about life.” (1963: 10).
Studying literatures, the reader will be able to encounter any conditions and possibilities that possibly happen in the future life. Moody agrees this opinion by saying that literature enables the student (the readers) to deal with an endless stream of fresh and unpredictable experiences as an excellent preparation for their life (1971: 13).
However, the moral or philosophical teaching becomes important thing in literary works besides the secondary aspects (1999: 25-26). Because from it, the reader can get some moral lessons and guidance so they can learn how to face and to solve problems.
In On Moral Fiction, Gardner states that a piece of literary work containing moral lessons provide value and rouse trustworthy feeling about the best and the worst in human action (1978: 19). Related to that, moral lessons are not merely a common message, but it emphasizes on a good or bad attitude. The aim of moral lesson is to teach people in relation with good or bad values and principles.
The relation between morality and literature are also clearly stated in Semi’s book Kritik Sastra. He inferred that the most effective way in developing the morality of a society is by the literary work. Morality means as a norm which is highly regarded by most people in its society. The position of morality aspects is to measure whether the actions are good or bad through the values of goodness and bad in the society (1989: 49).
How the author transfer the message to the readers are explained by Moody, who states that literary work of art always offers moral message that connected with human’s noble behaviors which can be displayed through characterization of the attitudes and the behaviors of the characters in the novel (1971: 48).
creatures in art that seem to be human beings which includes the idea of the moral constitutions and uprightness (1986: 81).
B. Theoretical Framework
This undergraduate thesis is entitled Moral Lessons as Reflected in Tom Sawyer’s character development.The focus of this thesis is on the result of the character development. Thus, the writer needs some theories to do the research. The theory will be the theory of character, the theory of characterization, theory of moral, and the relation between literature and morality. All these theories will be used to answer all three questions in the problem formulations.
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A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a novel. The novel is entitledThe Adventures of Tom
Sawyer, written by Samuel Clemens, usually known by his pen name, Mark
Twain. It was written in 1874-1875; Hartford, Connecticut, and firstly printed in England in June 1876, and six months later in the United States.
The edition of the novel used in this undergraduate thesis is the collection of Penguin Popular Classics. It was published in Penguin Popular Classics in 1994. Penguin Group printed this edition in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc and set in Monotype Baskerville. It consists of 221 pages.
This novel has been translated into many languages, including in Indonesian with the title, Petualangan Tom Sawyer. Later, along with the popularity of the novel in many countries, the novel then was made into film with the same title,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
As it is written before, the novel is mainly concerned about the personal growth of a boy whose name is Tom Sawyer and his search for an identity in his hometown, St. Petersburg, Missouri. In his personal development, he deals with many situations that make him into a mature either morally or socially. In the end of the novel, he has approved by the society to be a mature and responsible person.
A. Approach of the Study
The approach used in conducting this undergraduate thesis research is the moral-philosophical approach. Some theories would be employed to justify the analysis theoretically. A definition of this approach is stated in the following paragraph.
According to Guerin in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, Moral-Philosophical is an approach that insists on finding out and stating what is exposed and thought. The basic position of Moral-Philosophical approach is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues. They would interpret literature within the context of philosophical thought of a period or group. The important thing is the moral-philosophical thought (1979: 39).
B. Method of the Study
The author is going to analyze the moral lessons as reflected in Tom’s character development in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This study is a library research, where the data are collected from the books, and the internet.
There are two kinds of sources which are used in doing this undergraduate thesis. The primary source used in this study is the novelThe Adventures of Tom Sawyerby Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). The edition was the Penguin Popular Classics collection, which was published in 1994 and printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc.
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In this chapter, the writer will try to find the answers to the three problems formulated in the problem formulation. Therefore, the writer will make an analysis firstly on the characteristics of Tom Sawyer, then secondly on his character development, and the last on the relation between his character developments to reveal the moral lessons in the story. As the result, this chapter will consist of three subchapters: the characteristics of Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer’s character development, and the moral lessons taken from Tom Sawyer’s character development.
A. The Characteristics of Tom Sawyer
In the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom is presented as a nephew of Aunt Polly. He has lived there since his mother died many years before. He lives with his aunt, and two cousins, Mary and Sidney. He is assumed to be a teen, since the author of this novel, Mark Twain, said in the conclusion that this was the history of a boy. Tom’s characteristics are various, sometimes in the completely different poles. This is understood since he is only a boy who has not found his real identity.
him. Because Mark Twain did not give any clues for Tom’s physical characteristics, the physical characteristics will not be examined in this research. The writer believes that the absence of the physical characteristics of the character in the novel will not decrease the worth of the research. Moving into the analysis on the personality of the character of Tom Sawyer:
a. Smart and Tricky
Since the beginning of the story, he is described as a smart boy, if not tricky. He is always having so many brilliant ideas in his mind. These bright ideas appear in any occasions, whether when he is facing a difficult and harmful situation, or when he gets a trouble with his aunt, like illustrated in the first chapter.
The switch hovered in the air. The peril was desperate ‘My! Look behind you, Aunt!’
The old lady whirled around and snatched her skirts out of danger, and the lad fled, on the instant, scrambled up the high board fence, and disappeared over it. (page 8)
Aunt Polly’s response to this action also establishes the same opinion that he is a genius one. She says, “But, my goodness, he never plays them alike two days, and how is a body to know what’s coming?“ (page 8). From the key point, ‘he never play them alike’, it can be inferred that the tricks he played were various that makes Aunt Polly not knowing she is fooled till the tricks has finished. Again, Tom’s decision not to use the same trick demonstrates his smartness. By using different tricks, the victims, like Aunt Polly will not know that they are fooled.
Unfortunately, most of his brilliant ideas are used to fool the others. In the whitewashing scene, he uses his tricky skill again. Understanding that he cannot buy his freedom, he succeeds to persuade his peers to work on the fence and sells it for any things the buyers have, in this case because the buyers of this work is children so he exchanges it with miscellaneous treasures like marbles, and fire-crackers. He is brilliant to fool the children to do whitewashing as something that gives a great pleasure and not a boring activity for him:
“Oh come, now, you don’t mean to let on that you like it?’ The brush continued to move.
“Like it? Well I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence everyday?”
That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth – stepped back to note the effect – added a touch here and there – criticized the effect again – Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said:
“Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.” (page 18)
share his fortune for the privilege of whitewashing the fence. He is so smart in showing that that he likes and enjoys the whitewash work.
Though, he is a master in using tricks to fool somebody, sometimes this trick does not work well. In the action where Tom has resewn the shirt himself to disguise his mischief, his tricky smartness is almost succeeding to fool his aunt, though the ending proves differently. He lies to his aunt that he went to school that morning. In fact, he skipped the school to go swimming. To convince his aunt about his activity that morning, he shows his sewn collar to his aunt:
In a safe place Tom examined two large needles which were thrust into the lapels of his jacket – and had thread bound about them – one needle carried white thread and the other black. He said:
‘She’d never noticed if it hadn’t been for Sid. Confound it, sometimes she sews it with white and sometimes she sews it with black.
(page 10)
The quotation above shows that Tom was once resewn the lapels of his jacket. He did it to disguise his bad behavior. It is a smart action, since she has already prepared the future actions that might happened. He knows that when he gets back, his aunt will be suspicious about him. Thus, he had resewn his clothes to strengthen his false reason.
The evidence above proves that Tom has the characteristic of a smart boy. His smartness is not considered as a negative behavior because his brilliant ideas in the tricks he has are not intentionally used to harm the other people around him. His mischiefs are measured as a common bad behavior that children have and not a dangerous or negative behavior. The mischief Tom has done is not a behavior because it happens only on his childhood phase, and it is temporarily by nature.
In the fake toothache scene, his trick ends with an unsuccessful result. His hostile cousin, Sid, has believed him, instead he unconsciously supports this deception, but his aunt thwarts Tom’s effort. This time, Tom complains of a toothache with the hope that he can stay at home and does not have to go to school. With all the fake suffering which he makes, he fails to convince his aunt that he is suffering from the toothache, and he still has to go to school as usual.
Tom lay thinking. Presently it occurred to him that he wished he was sick; then he could stay home from school. Here was a vague possibility. He canvassed his system. No ailment was found, and he investigated again. This time he thought he could detect colicky symptoms, and he began to encourage them with considerable hope. But they soon grew feeble and presently died wholly away. He reflected further. Suddenly he discovered something. One his upper tooth was loose. This was lucky; he was about to begin to groan, as a ‘starter’, as he called it, when it occurred to him that if he came into court with that argument his aunt would pull it out, and that would hurt.
(page 42-43)
brings him into the toothache action. He groans like he feels a great suffering from his loose teeth.
Instead of repents of what he has done, Tom keeps lying to his aunt. When he finally returns to his aunt after a long journey in the Jackson’s Island, he manages to keep his secret that he ever stealthily visited the house during the journey. By saying that he just dreams about his lovely family and not revealing the truth, the writer sees it as a proof of his smartness. He wants to show his love to his aunt that he also misses Aunt Polly during the journey. However, he cannot tell the truth, because that will make his aunt feels that he does not love her.
‘Now, Auntie, you know I do care for you,’ said Tom. ‘I’d know it better if you acted more like it.’
‘I wish now I’d thought,’ said Tom, with a repentant tone; ‘but I dreamed about you, anyway. That’s something, ain’t it?’
(page 120).
By saying that he dreamed about his aunt ‘but I dreamed about you…’ Tom shows that he cares for his aunt, without having to face the anger from his aunt, because if his aunt knows the real story, she will blame him for not giving him a clue where he went with his companions. The choice of action is, of course various, but Tom’s final answer proves that he is really an intelligent child since only a smart child can choose such a good answer in the spontaneous situation.
was credulous about conflagrations, and he knows for sure the action which the lady-bug will take. The lady-bug will soon take her wings and go off to see his house.
A brown spotted lady-bug climbed the dizzy heights of a grass-blade, and Tom bent down close to it and said:
Lady-bug, lady-bug, fly away home,
Your house is on fire, your children are alone;
and she took wing and went off to see about it – which did not surprised the boy, for he knew of old that this insect was credulous about conflagrations, and he had practiced upon its simplicity more than once.
(page 97)
The key of this quotation is in the final stanza, it is written ‘he knew of old that this insect was credulous about conflagrations, and he had practiced upon its simplicity more than once’ It means that he learns and understands an animal behavior well. His curiosity makes him into a smart observer. It is said a smart observer because he is good at observing the object so that he knows every detail of his object, like what the actions will be taken when the object faces a problem, in this case conflagration.
He made a plausible excuse; but his real reason had been the fear that not even the secret would keep them with him any very great length of time, and so he had meant to hold it in reserve as a last seduction.
(page 110)
The last line of this quotation will be the most important clue ‘he had meant to hold it in reserve as a last seduction.’ The author, Twain, gives the reader an ease to interpret the line. The writer believes that it is the motivation behind his action of reserving the secret as the final weapon. Tom’s understanding of how the town will react to the boys’ survival proves that he possesses greater knowledge of human psychology. Tom knows that Huck and Joe are curious about how they will be missed, and he exploits this to get them under his control. Huck and Joe, whose weakness is recognized by Tom, can only obey his orders. Then, Tom smartly prepares to end the adventure of the Jackson’s island with a happy-ending rendezvous in the funeral sermon prepared for them.
His understanding of human psychology is seen in his response to his teacher too. He gets late going to school one day because he meets Huckleberry Finn on his way. Indeed, he uses it as a powerful reason to be seated right beside Becky Thatcher, his idol girl. He predicts that the teacher will get angry with his reason and will punish him to sit in the girls’ side of the school-house. His calculation is right, and he is placed beside Becky Thatcher:
Tom was about to take refuge in a lie, when he saw two long tails of yellow hair hanging down a back that he recognized by the electric sympathy of love; and by that form was he only vacant place on the girls’ side of the school house. He constantly said:
The sentence with the capital letter used in the quotation shows us his smartness once again. He is able to exploit his teacher to do what he wants. By saying that he had stopped to talk with Huck loudly, he knows for sure that his teacher will punish him to sit in the girl’s row, something that he wanted since the only row left is beside Becky Thatcher, his idol girl.
b. Melancholy
It is his moody characteristic that makes him becoming a melancholy child too. Though, he is a mischief-maker, he has a very-soft heart. His feeling is easily touched by simple things, and when he is caught by the feeling that he cannot bear, his melancholy side emerges. Then, his mind will wander around with many pitiful suffering, though it is his own suffering he feels.
One of the evidence is at dinner, when Sid breaks the sugar bowl, and Tom is blamed. Tom’s mood soon changes and he wanders out after dinner feeling mistreated and melodramatic self-pity, wishing he were dead and imagining how Aunt Polly would be miserable and sorry for having treated him so unkindly. His imagination of his own suffering proves that he is a melancholy boy that sometimes needs much attention from people around him. He feels that Aunt Polly is not fair with the punishment and she will only regret about this.
He pictured himself lying sick unto death and his aunt bending over him, beseeching one little forgiving word, but he would turn his face to the wall, and die that word unsaid. Ah, how would she feel then? And he pictured himself brought home from the river, dead, with his curls all wet, and his poor hands still for ever, and his sore heart at rest. How she would throw herself upon him, and how her tears would fall like rain, and her lips pray God to give her back her boy, and she would never, never, abuse him anymore! But he would lie there cold and white and make no sign – a poor little sufferer whose griefs were at an end.
The first line of the quotation illustrates his melancholy characteristic. Twain clearly presents the characteristic. By saying ‘He pictured himself lying sick unto death…’ he confirms Tom’s wish to die temporarily. The rest lines show the motivation in doing such action. The motivation is making his aunt appreciates him more and understands all faults she had done to Tom.
Tom’s melancholy side is also seen in her relation with Becky Thatcher. His romantic story with Becky is full of quarrel. When the quarrel happens between them, Tom’s melancholy side will arose. The melancholy feelings always make him suffer more than the other children. Thus, Tom is always looking for something that can drift away his feeling from Becky Thatcher. The top of hostilities between the couple brings Tom gloomy and desperate. He finds no one cares about him, and he finally decides to undergo a life of pirate with his three companions in the Jackson’s island:
Tom’s mind was made up now. He was gloomy and desperate. He was a forsaken, friendless boy, he said; nobody loved him; when they found out what they had driven him to, perhaps they would be sorry; he had tried to do right and get along, but they would not let him; since nothing would do them but to be rid of him, let it be so; and let them blame him for the consequences – why shouldn’t they? What right had the friendless to complain? Yes, they had forced him to it at last: he would lead a life of crime.
(page 88)
sadness from his girl, Becky. They get a childish quarrel causing the inexplicable sadness inside Tom’s heart. Finally, when he can not stand any longer from this suffering, he decides to find an escape. The escape is later known as the adventure in the Jackson’s island.
The time when Tom secretly visits his Aunt also reveals the melancholy side of his characteristic. When he sneaks into the house, and stays under the bed, he heard the conversation made by Aunt Polly, Mary, and Joe Harper’s mother. After a long conversation about their lost children and all go to bed, Aunt Polly prayed for Tom’s safety which makes Tom weltering in tears. It is clear that Tom is easily touched by Aunt Polly’s words:
Aunt Polly knelt down and prayed for Tom so touchingly, so appealingly, and with such measureless love in her words and her old trembling voice that he was weltering in tears again long before she was through.
(page 105)
The quotation clearly shows the characteristic by giving the sentence ‘he was weltering in tears again…’ Twain wants the reader know that beside his mischief characteristic, Tom is actually a child with a noble heart. He can not bear to hear his lovely aunt pray him that much, so that the tears run down from his eyes. It looks like he can feel the sadness inside Aunt Polly’s heart. Tom understands that his aunt experience the deep feeling of sadness like a mother who lost her child.
c. Mischievous
pours out her feelings about his lovely nephew, and so does Mrs. Harper about his boy. His aunt, though, sometimes feels regret on Tom’s mischief does not feel that he is really bad boy. He is just doing a common bad behavior of children that is annoying but does not cause any serious damage or harm. This can be an evidence of his mischievous characteristic.
‘But as I was saying,’ said Aunt Polly, ‘he warn’t bad, so to say – only mischievous. Only just giddy, and harum-scarum, you know. He war’t any more responsible than a colt.He never meant any harm, and he was the best-heartedboy that ever was’ – and she began to cry.
(page 103)
The writer infers from Aunt Polly’s speech ‘he war’t bad, so to say – only mischievous…’ that Tom has the mischievous characteristics. The mischief he makes does not harm, or causes any danger for the others. It is only common delinquency in the childhood phase that everybody did. At least that was the picture of Tom Sawyer in the eyes of his aunt.
The fighting scene with a newcomer boy named Alfred Temple in the beginning of the story also proves Tom’s role as a trouble-maker. When he wanders around the street, he meets Alfred Temple, the well-dressed boy. Actually, the fight can be avoided if Tom does not challenge the boy first. Tom, who feels uncomfortable with his dress, starts the dispute initially by mocking the new boy that he can defeat him and that is surely increasing the tense of the hatred between them.
Finally, Tom said: ‘I can lick you!’
‘I’d like to see you try it.’ ‘Well, I can do it.’
The first line ‘Finally, Tom said’ establishes the idea that Tom is the trouble maker who set up a dispute between these two boys. The newcomer boy who feels insulted accepts the challenge that ends in a fighting. Tom Sawyer can be considered as the trouble-maker since he starts the dispute, and if he did not do it, the fighting would not happen.
In addition to his mischief, the writer takes the action in the Sunday-school class. Tom Sawyer, who does not bear with the situation in the class, starts to do some mischief toward his friends. Later, he is also releasing the pinch-bug in the sermon causing a chaos. All the actions are likely just for fun, because like the other, he has lack of attention for the sermon:
He entered the church, now, with a swarm of clean and noise boys and girls, proceeded to his seat and started a quarrel with the first boy that came handy. … Tom pulled a boy’s hair in the next bench, and was absorbed in his book when the boy turned around; stuck a pin in another boy, presently, in order to hear him say ‘Ouch!’
(page 30)
Tom is famous of his mischief since the beginning of the story. It is exposed in the Sunday-school scene. The evidence can be seen in the above quotation ‘Tom pulled a boy’s hair…, stuck pin in another boy…’ It is said as a mischief because the motivation in doing the actions are just for fun, and it does not cause any harm or hurt to the victims, in this case his friends.
d. Show off
gymnastics performances and all sorts of absurd boyish ways to win her admiration. He does some show-off actions, but when the girl never exhibits herself again, he goes home reluctantly.
He worshipped this new angel with furtive eye, till he saw that she had discovered him; then he pretended he did not know she was present, and began to ‘show off’ in all sort of absurd boyish ways in order to win her admiration. (page 22)
It is clearly written in the above quotation that ‘… (Tom) began to show off..’ The author, Mark Twain helps us to catch the characteristics by directly wrote it within the story. Then, the writer understands that Tom tries to impress the new angel, who is later known as Becky, by showing how good he is at doing gymnastic performances.
The action continues into another scene evidence of Tom’s show-off is also seen in the Sunday school scene. When Judge Thatcher visits his Sunday school class, Tom show-offs in an attempt to attract the attention of Becky, the beautiful girl that he notices in the previous afternoon. In a moment, he becomes extremely happy because of the girl.
The next moment he was ‘showing off’ with all his might – cuffing boys, pulling hair, making faces, in a word, using every heart that seemed likely to fascinate a girl, and win her applause.
(page 32-33)
society, he does it purposely to attract the attention of the girl, Becky, who comes with her family.
That Tom is a show-off child is also illustrated when he meets Becky at the first time after accidentally revealing his previous engagement to Amy Lawrence that makes their relation broke. Becky returns to school after staying at home because of her illness. In the way home from the school, Tom tries many actions to attract Becky, though she refuses him completely:
Then one more frock passed in at the gate, and Tom’s heart gave a great bound. The next instant he was out, and ‘going on’ like an Indian; yelling, laughing, chasing boys, jumping over the fence at risk of life and limb, throwing handsprings, standing on his head – doing all the heroic things he could conceive of, and keeping a furtive eye out, all the while, to see if Becky Thatcher was noticing.
(page 88)
The writer sees all the heroic things, like jumping over the fence at risk, standing on his head, as a show-off action. The last line of the quotation ‘… to see if Becky Thatcher was noticing.’ proves that all the actions he did are intended to attract the attention of the girl. Therefore, the writer gets one more evidence that Tom Sawyer has the characteristics of being show-off.
Lastly, in their adventures in the Jackson Island, Tom shows one proof of his show-off characteristics. It is when he pretends enjoying the smoke though he suffers from it. He does not want Huck to know about this and keeps show-off. He feels that smoking is easy and enjoyable activities, and if he knows it before, he will smoke a pipe all day, and do not feel sick. In the later dialogues, Tom also shows his motivation of doing some forbidden activities like smoking that he wants the admiration of his friends in the school:
‘Why, it’s just as easy! If I’d a knowedthis was all, I’d a learnt long ago.’ (page 110)
‘I believe I could smoke this pipe all day,’ said Joe. ‘I don’t feel sick.’ ‘Neither do I,’ said Tom. ‘I could smoke it all day, but I bet you Jeff Thatcher couldn’t.’
(page 111)
Both of the above quotations prove the motivation behind his smoking activities. He wants to impress his friends in the school by showing that he is good at smoking. It is considered as show-off actions because he did all the forbidden activities just for achieving the respect of his peers.
e. Childish
His melancholy side also shares the idea that Tom is childish. His wish to die under Becky’s window after Aunt Polly falsely blaming him for breaking sugar bowl, he wanders out after dinner feeling mistreated and melodramatic self-pity, imagining how Aunt Polly would be miserable and sorry for having treated him so unkindly. It is said childish because the aim of all his actions is to get the attention of his family, in this case he resembles the action of a boy who cries to get the attention of his mother.
His imagination that flows well in the story has became the third clue to imply that tom has childish characteristic. He can easily move from one game to the next action. It testifies the youthful style when undergoes the world. Youths usually do not care much on one problem. They feel that the life should be spent in a game, or something else which gives fun.
The most observable clue is in the scene where he left his responsibility of spying Injun Joe to Huck, while he spent the time picnicking with Becky. Children usually do not understand the sense of responsibility well. They tend to do whatever they do, and leave all the consequences that they have done. This is happened to Tom in that action.
f. Superstition-believer
that night. According to the superstition, when the devil comes to take the corpse of a wicked person, the dead cat will follow the corpse, and the warts will follow the cat:
‘Say – what is dead cats good for, Huck?’ ‘Good for? Cure warts with.’
(page 47)
It can be inferred from the brief quotation above that the children believe in the superstition. Huck believes that the dead cat can be used to cure the warts. Indeed, in the later dialogues, Tom is also conversing with Huck about the other superstitious belief in curing the warts. Tom believes better action to cure it by using the spunk water.
From this point forward, superstition becomes an important element in Tom’s decision-making. The convenient thing about Tom’s superstitious beliefs is that there are so many of them, and they are so freely interpretable; Tom can pick and choose whichever belief suits their needs at the time. Tom is fascinated by the intricate details of charms, magical cures, and other varieties of folk wisdom.
If you buried a marble with certain necessary incantation, and left alone a fortnight, and then opened the place with the incantation he had just used, you would find that all the marbles you had ever lost had gathered themselves together there, meantime, no matter how widely they had been separated.
(page 62)
strong belief in the superstition. If it does not work, he will start to find the explanation, though it seems not reasonable.
After taking seeing the murder of Dr. Robinson and doing the blood oath, Tom and Huck hear the howls of a stray dog, which they interpret as a sign that whomever the animal is howling at will die. They assume that the dog’s howls are for them, but when they go outside, they see that the dog is facing Muff Potter. Then, they believe that something bad will happen to Muff Potter.
They turned and saw the strange dog standing within a few feet of where Potter was lying, and facing Potter with his nose pointing heavenward. (page 77)
They both believe that a howling dog in the middle of the night is the bad omen. Whomever the dog is howling at, the person will get something bad happened on him or herself. This believe makes them at the top of fear, when they assume that the dog howled at them. This superstitious belief is not proved when the readers get nothing happen at them or the Muff Potter.
In the pirate adventure, Tom and his companions hear a cannon shot over the water. With all their curiosity, they come to see from the far side the ship that shoots the cannon. They understand that this is the sign when someone gets drowned. Finally, they know that they are assumed to be drowned. Then, they start to have a conversation about a superstition about someone who gets drowned:
Yes, and they take loaves of bread and put quicksilver in ’em and set ‘em afloat, and wherever there’s anybody that’s drownded, they’ll float right there and stop.
It makes the characteristic of Tom who believes a superstition gets clearer. Experiencing some superstition actions before in his surrounding, Tom believes that the bread with the quicksilver on it will have the power to find the drowned person. The key point is in the ‘… they’ll (the bread with the quicksilver inside) float right there (on the drowned body) and stop…’ That is surely becomes one kind of superstition belief in his life.
Then, it seems that the adventures of Tom are full of superstition. He believes superstitions like his two companions. So much Tom has believed the superstition that any actions will be related with the superstition. It can be seen in their pirates’ adventures that Tom is nearly bitten by a rattlesnake, and he gets the only explanation that the one which saves him is the mysterious charm:
Then Joe and Huck had another swim, but tom would not venture, because he found that in kicking off his trousers he had kicked string of rattlesnake rattles off his ankle, and he wondered how he had escaped cramp so long without the protection of this mysterious charm.
(page 107)
The superstitious believe not only becomes an important element in Tom’s decision-making, but also gives him a kind of protection in his life. It can be seen through the above quotation. When he by mistake kicks the snake, and not gets bitten, he believes that the mysterious charm has saved him. ‘…he wondered how he had escaped cramp so long without the protection of this mysterious charm.’
will lie down together and a little child shall lead them Tom wishes that he could be that child -- as long as the lion were tame.
His face lit up with the thought, and he said to himself that he wished he could be that child, if it was a tame lion.
(page 40)
Tom’s mind is always wandering around on a great adventure. The quotation above can be the evidence of his characteristic. In the middle of the sermon, because of the adventurous spirit, he wondered to be the child in the sermon’s story.
Also a Tom and Joe Harper’s comment that has been narrated by Twain’s writing. In the scene, Twain writes that ‘They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States for ever.’ (page 65) Thus, it can be interpreted that Tom is a kind of boy who has an adventurous spirit in his life. He prefers living as an outlaw which, of course, more adventure in his life, to become the president of the United States.
g. Adventurous
Because of his adventurous spirit that lives beyond his unconsciousness, when he gets a play or something, Tom always relates his childhood life with the story he ever read. His ability to memorize and re-create situations according to stories and literature makes his life full of adventure. It is shown in the part when he dreamed to be a pirate that becomes one of his dreamed futures:
But no, there was something grander even than this. He would be a pirate! That was it! Now his future lay plain before him, and glowing with unimaginable splendour. How his name would fill the world, and make people shudder!
h. Lazy
The other characteristic that Tom has is lazy. He is a sort of child that does not like any other activities that do not give him an excitement. He hates working, going to school, and also going to the Sunday-school. He prefers spending his time to play with his peers rather than doing the mentioned actions. This is shown since the very beginning of the story from Aunt Polly’s opinion about him:
It’s mighty hard to make him work Saturdays, when all the boys is having a holiday, but he hates work more than he hates anything else, and I’ve got to do some of my duty by him, or I’ll be the ruination of the child.’ (page 8) The above statement proves that Tom is a lazy boy. He hates work more than anything else. He will work only if he is punished. Like the whitewash scene that becomes the punishment of his dirty clothes because of his wrestle with the comers named Alfred Temple.
His laziness is clearly shown when all the family members prepare to go to the Sunday school. This time, he provides evidence of his laziness in this following dialogue:
Mary gave him a tin basin of water and a piece of soap, and he went outside the door and set the basin on a little bench there; then he dipped the soap in the water and laid it down; turned up his sleeves; poured out the water on the ground gently, and then entered the kitchen, and began to wipe his face diligently on the towel behind the door. But Mary removed the towel and said:
‘Now ain’t you ashamed, Tom? You mustn’t be so bad. Water won’t hurt you.’
There the writer sees that Tom does not want to clean up himself before going to the Sunday school. He only dips the soap, and does not use it properly. Indeed, he pours the water that he supposes to use. The action shows that Tom Sawyer is a lazy child though he tries to cover it with many ways.
Those characteristics imply that Tom is a tricky boy whose smartness is used mostly to justify his mischief. Moreover, he has an adventurous spirit in his lives, and like any other people in the story he is also showing-off and enthusiasm in a superstition. Therefore, this will be used as the base for his character development. Seeing the characteristics of Tom Sawyer from the first chapter, the writers has some developments in his character that makes him better, and makes him into a mature, and responsible person.
B. Tom Sawyer’s Character Development
In this subchapter, the writer will try to answer the second problem formulation concerning Tom Sawyer’s character development. Since the aim of this subchapter is finding the character development, the writer will show events by events that bring significance to his characteristics, and then give the details of his character development.
through several correspondent behaviors. What the writer means is to make a relation between some actions with the relevancy toward his characteristics.
The starting point of the Tom Sawyer’s character development is in the whitewashing scene. In that scene, Tom has the ability to persuade many of his peers to do his whitewashing work. It launches his position as a leader among his peers. He earns the respect of his peers that sometimes makes them proud to follow his activities, such as whitewashing. Though a mischief-maker, Tom at that time presents a maturity that his comrades lack. He is able to be the organizer of all his peers.
The whitewashing scene also develops his characteristic. Since then, he turns into a person who does not give up easily and always works hard to achieve all his dreams. In the whitewashing scene, he does not give up easily with the work, though he feels so unease about the work. He plays trick so that many of his friends ‘help’ him to do the whitewashing work It seems that this is just the evidence of his mischief behavior, but it also proves that he does not give up easily to finish the whitewashing work.
His recognition of Becky Thatcher identifies the level of his maturity. The fact that he is interested in a girl shows him to be more mature compared to his friends, like Joe Thatcher and Huckleberry Finn. Indeed, he has developed emotionally by falling in love with Becky Thatcher. Though, his romance does not run well, it becomes the main event which develops his characteristics. Tom’s romantic story does not run smoothly, they have to deal with some problems in their love. They broke up and then reconciled several times. It seems that they have dealt with true love, where the couple usually has a short quarrel since they can not stand far away from their soul mate. They usually reconcile as they feel that they need each other.
The development in Tom’s character can also be seen through the convention in adult romance where unreturned love drives men to desperate acts. In this story, his unreturned love drives him to undergo the pirate adventures in the Jackson’s Island. Experiencing the live of a pirate in the Jackson’s Island becomes the escape of his burden. However, he is unable to avoid this feeling, and that makes him suffer more when he comes back to the village.
The adventures of the children of being pirates in the Jackson Island are also bringing the significance to Tom’s character development. It is related with his romantic story with Becky. In the middle of his adventures, the writer sees that Tom misses Becky so much that he writes her name on the sand. It signifies that Tom, like any other adults, has a strong feeling or affection toward the other sex. This bring the significance toward his characteristics that his development is almost completed in this scene.
The other character development that can be drawn from his adventure in the Jackson’s Island as a pirate is that his care to the other increase. The writer sees it during his journey as a pirate, in the middle of their adventures, he sneaks into Aunt Polly’s house. It becomes the most significance events since his purpose to come back to the village is that he does not want to make the others worry, in this case his family. He wants Aunt Polly to understand that he is still alive somewhere. Unfortunately, he can not tell the truth because it will ruin the adventure.
Aunt Polly’s and her family member soon hug Tom, and so do the Harpers to Joe. Unfortunately, there is no one care about Huck. Tom, who aware about this, begins to complain ‘Aunt Polly, it ain’t fair. Somebody’s got to be glad to see Huck.’ (p.119). It simply shows that Tom has changed into more caring person. In that case, he shows his care to his good friend, Huck.
Along with the flows of the story, Tom has undergone a development in his character. For example, the murder of Dr. Robinson develops him mentally. By seeing this dreadful scene, his innocence has gradually diminished. It means that he is ready to join the world of adult. Since then, he is aware that the world is not as small as he thinks. He knows that the world of adult is more than just a play, and that makes him into more mature child.
Tom’s decision to testify at Muff Potter’s trial marks an important moment in his process of character development from childhood into adulthood. His conscience is troubled whether he should tell the truth about the murder or keeps the blood oath that he made with Huckleberry Finn. Though, he feels guilty and wants to reveal the secret, Tom, who believes in a superstition, also afraid the consequences of breaking the sacred swear. Therefore, to ease his guilty he begins sneaking to the window of Potter’s jail every few days to bring him small gifts. After considering all the consequences, he decides to testify as a witness against Injun Joe. When Tom eventually changes his priorities and acts out of his concern for Muff instead of out of his concern for himself, he conquers his fears and achieves a greater level of maturity. Tom, who at first is a coward and a liar, learns to be honest to the other, and feels that sometimes he should sacrifice himself to the other in the name of humanity.
His sacrifice can be seen once again in the scene when he is acting heroically by saving Becky from punishment. Becky unintentionally rips Mr. Dobbin’s book. Tom, who knows the real situation, sacrifices himself for Becky. Thus, Mr. Dobbin gives the wrong culprit a whipping.
maturity to develop a true partnership. Tom develops this maturity as the novel progresses.
The incident in the cave where Tom and Becky lost in the cave brings the other significance for his characteristics. Their romance stories likely have ended in the cave. In their desperate times, Tom performs gently manner to comfort Becky with any efforts he could. Many things he did until they finally manage to escape from the cave. It demonstrates his development to the more mature stage than his childish behavior when he left his responsibility for spying Injun Joe because of the prospect of picnicking with Becky.
While they are lost, however, Tom’s character develops. As Tom grows mature, his adaptability develops, along with his willingness to accept his own mistakes. He assumes his responsibility for his mistakes, behaves generously toward Becky. Tom takes the initiative to explore the side passages around the spring, while Becky, who is less rugged, sleeps or lies in a daze. Eventually, Tom’s persistence and continued resourcefulness leads them out of the cave.
C. The Moral Lessons Reflected through Tom Sawyer’s Character
Development
Apparently, moral is the clue or a direction of how to act rightly, and to differ between good and bad. Moral lesson in a literature can be taken in the character development. By seeing the character develops, the reader will have a morality in the literature or often called as a message (Nurgiyantoro, 1955: 22). Thus, the writer attains two basic moral lessons from Tom Sawyer’s character development. The writer only takes two moral lessons because those are the most observable moral lessons in the story. Tom has developed through the flow of the story into a better character from the bad one. The two moral lessons are we should not give up easily getting what we want, and we should be responsible for any actions that we did.
His obsession to conquer the idol girl, Becky Thatcher, does not run smoothly. Sometimes he fails badly that makes him down, but later he succeeds to get his dream girl in hand. It is a long and hard work that Tom later can be with Becky Thatcher. Since the first time Tom sees her in her house, he falls in love with her. From that time, he always looks for something to attract this girl. Written in the analysis of his characteristics, Tom’s show-off is mostly directed toward Becky Thatcher. Some sort of boyish actions has been performed to catch the attention of the girl. Because of his hard and never ending effort, he gets Becky in his arm to love and beloved in return.
Similar to the great efforts to conquer his dream girl, Tom also shows his hard work in achieving his dream to be a pirate. Suffering from a false blaming from his aunt, he meets Joe, and then decides to live a life pirate in the Jackson’s Island. As a proof that he prepares the adventure in detail, the writer takes the initial name taken for all his fake pirates and also their logistics food they take for the life in the Jackson’s Island as the evidences. The Jackson’s Island is also the evidence that their adventure is well-prepared plan. The Jackson’s Island is the nearest Island which is only inhabited by few people, and has many forests which perfect for their plan.
to find the treasure in the haunted house. There, they meet the Injun Joe
