In his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses specific
incidents and both main and secondary characters to develop themes and comment on
Romanticism and society at the time. Tom Sawyer, though he is a secondary character,
plays an influential role in Twain's criticism, satire, and farce of Romanticism and
Tom's romantic qualities and tendencies are in sharp contrast with the logical and
sensible characteristics of Huck. Tom takes control of situations by romanticizing and
exaggerating them. When he sees the opportunity to implement the ideas and
proceedings from the romantic, adventurous stories he has read, he does. When Tom
forms his gang, Tom Sawyer's Gang, everything the gang does imitates Tom's readings.
They form a ridiculous oath for members to sign with blood, and agree that they will
capture people and "ransom" them, though none of the boys, not even Tom, know what
this word means. They agree to do this though, because "that's what they do" in the
After the gang is formed, the only adventure they have is the attempt to rob a
Sunday-school picnic. Tom tries to convince Huck that they are stealing jewelry from
Spaniards and "A-rabs". This further makes the scene ridiculous, and Huck begins to see
Tom's "magicians and A-rabs" as fabrication. Tom is a romantic, insensitive
representative of the confining society that Huck dislikes and is trying to escape from.
Towards the end of the novel, Tom is reintroduced on his Uncle and Aunt Phelp's
farm to add humor and to once again burlesque his romanticism, though his extravagant
plans come at the price of Jim's perceived freedom. Tom sets the standards for Jim's
escape, imitating exactly the prison and adventure stories he has read by using tactics
that, under the circumstances, are ridiculous and unnecessary. The entire escape ...