Mark Twain "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer": description, characters, analysis of the work. Characteristics of Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer - an ordinary child from a prosperous family There was Tom Sawyer

1. Mark Twain as the creator of a unique image.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of the hero.
3. Tom Sawyer is one of the most beloved characters in world literature.

Perhaps there is no more or less literate person in the world who has not read the novel by the famous American prose writer M. Twain. He created many wonderful works, such as “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn”, “The Prince and the Pauper”, “Joan of Arc” and others. But it is “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” that is best known and loved by adult and young readers all over the world. What is the secret of such great and long-lasting popularity? It seems to me that it lies in the enormous charm that the author’s talented pen endowed on the image of this restless, restless boy.

In world literature there are a great many images of boys - adventurers, but Twain's hero is unique and original. At first glance, he is a completely ordinary boy from a small provincial American town. Like thousands and millions of his neighbors, Tom does not like to do household chores, hates going to school, prefers shabby clothes to a smart suit, and as for shoes, he tries to do without them. Attending church and especially Sunday school is real torture for him. Tom has a lot of friends who are just as naughty as he is. His intelligent head is constantly filled with all kinds of fantasies and inventions. Most likely, if the boy's parents were alive, he would have grown up more obedient and less wayward. The old maid - Aunt Polly - with all her efforts could not cope with the restless nephew entrusted to her care. But it was precisely this freedom that allowed Tom to remain a sincere, spontaneous, organic being. Of course, he is characterized by cunning, he can lie without any remorse, “steal” a delicacy without permission, but with all this, it is almost impossible to get angry with him.

At first glance, Tom Sawyer is the same ordinary boy as most of his peers. And yet he is a special hero, since Twain endowed him with all the most wonderful qualities that can only be inherent in a teenager.

Tom loves Aunt Polly dearly. Not knowing how to pacify his inclinations, the boy nevertheless worries if he sees that he is causing his aunt anxiety and grief. This is characterized by a sense of justice. He does not tolerate pretense, hypocrisy, or insincerity. That is why the obedient brother Sid often becomes the object of Tom's hostility. Sometimes the boy is overcome by the desire to become a good, “correct” child; it is not his fault that he most often fails to curb his irrepressible temper. What Tom Sawyer has in common with all the boys in the world is that he does not tolerate boredom, routine, or monotony. He will always prefer spanking or other physical punishment to cramming and sadness at a church service. This is a lively, impressionable nature with a rich imagination.

Not every adult is capable of admitting that he is wrong, but anyone can do it. Repenting of his escape from home, the boy convinces his friends to return to the city.

Tom Sawyer has many extraordinary character traits. One of them is his entrepreneurial spirit. It’s not for nothing that the episode with the fence has become a textbook one. Here the boy shows remarkable abilities as a psychologist and organizer. Leadership qualities are generally inherent in Tom. He easily manages to inspire his less inventive and brave friends to take risky actions. Tom is able to wholeheartedly sympathize with those who undeservedly suffer insult and injustice. Despite his fear of Injun Joe, Tom, along with his bosom friend Huckleberry Finn, risking their lives, helps out the hapless Muff Potter by testifying in court. Not every adult is capable of such a brave act committed by a sympathetic boy. This, in my opinion, is true heroism.

Another episode that shows us Tom at his best is the pages about him getting lost in the cave with Becky Thatcher. The boy managed to keep his cool and find a way out, while still constantly supporting, comforting and encouraging the girl. In the finale, Tom helps neutralize a gang of bandits and save the life of a respectable townswoman.

The author rewards his hero - Tom becomes a rich man, a heroic figure, and deserves the respect of the most prominent townspeople. However, even this last test the boy passes with flying colors. He does not become arrogant, does not boast of his heroism and wealth. This is still a spontaneous teenager full of charm.

Saying goodbye to him, the reader remains convinced that Tom Sawyer will retain all his best qualities, become a wonderful person and, having turned into an adult man, will do many more wonderful things.

Tom Sawyer is a restless, funny boy who does not like to listen to adults and dreams of becoming as free as his friend, the homeless Huckleberry Finn. Let's take a brief look at the characterization of Tom Sawyer, a hero from Mark Twain's book.

Tom Sawyer has more than enough energy. He always comes up with something interesting, his wit and enterprise seem genius for the age of twelve. Tom is an orphan, and Aunt Polly is raising the boy. She cannot be called evil, she is generally good and kind, but she is guided by the principle from the Bible, which talks about proper punishment for a child. Therefore, Aunt Polly considers it her duty to punish the pupil for the cause.

Although we are talking about the characterization of Tom Sawyer, it is worth mentioning that the good boy and terrible sneak Siddy, Tom Sawyer’s half-brother, is being raised by Aunt Polly, and a sweet and patient girl Mary, who is Tom’s cousin, also lives with them. It is clear that Siddy is the opposite of Tom, they are so different in character and views on how to live. That's why Siddy likes to tell tales, and Tom is not averse to telling jokes.

What is told in the book about Tom Sawyer

For example, one day Tom accidentally acted as a witness to a murder and even managed to expose the criminal. Then he got engaged to a girl from his class, ran away from home in order to start living on a distant island where there was no one. Tom Sawyer attended his funeral, and one day he got lost in a cave, but was able to find his way out in time. He also found a treasure. All these adventures show the characteristics of Tom Sawyer.

If you look at the purpose of the book, you can see that the image of Tom Sawyer represents the carefree and wonderful childhood of the children in the mid-19th century.

A striking episode characterizing Tom

The characterization of Tom Sawyer is revealed very well at the very beginning of the story. Let's look at one episode from his life.

One day, instead of going to school, Tom decided to go for a swim. Aunt Polly found out about these pranks and roughly punished her pupil - Tom had to whitewash the long fence. But that's not so bad. I had to do the whitewashing in the middle of Saturday - a day off! The guys were playing happily at this time, and Tom could already imagine how they would laugh at him, seeing their friend doing tedious work.

Tom Sawyer was not at a loss; he made a cunning plan. There were a lot of useful things in his pockets, for example, a dead rat with a string (for greater convenience, untwist it in the air) or a key that could not open anything. But is it really possible to buy at least a little freedom with these “jewels”? The boy Ben approached Tom, clearly with the intention of getting behind him. And then the characterization of Tom Sawyer was revealed in all its glory. What did Tom come up with?

Our sly guy told Ben that painting a fence is his favorite thing to do, and that's why he's happy to do it. Ben first began to tease, but Tom asked in surprise what kind of work Ben thought was good, and then announced to him that Aunt Polly barely agreed to entrust this responsibility for whitewashing the fence to Tom. Tom's idea and his plan turned out to be correct, because soon not only the rogue Ben, but also others begged Tom to let them work on the whitewash...

Tom made an important conclusion, and so did we: when work, even difficult and tedious work, is not paid, it becomes not work, but a hobby, and doing it is interesting. But as soon as they start paying for it, the hobby will turn into work, and this is already boring.

You learned what the characteristics of Tom Sawyer are, what kind of character he is and what we can learn from him. Be sure to read about his adventures.

The work of the famous American publicist and writer Mark Twain about the adventures of two boys still remains the most beloved and read all over the world. And not only a favorite work for boys, but also for adults who remember their mischievous childhood. This is the story of young America, whose romanticism still touches boys all over the world.

The history of writing "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

The first work in the series of adventures of American boys was published in 1876, the author at that time was just over 30 years old. Obviously, this played a role in the brightness of the book’s images. America at the end of the 19th century had not yet gotten rid of slavery, half of the continent was “Indian territory,” and boys remained boys. According to many testimonies, Mark Twain described himself in Tom, not only his real self, but also all his dreams of adventure. The real feelings and emotions are described that worried the boy of that time, and which continue to worry the boys today.

The main characters are two friends, Tom, who is being raised by his lonely aunt, and Huck, a city street child. Inseparable in their fantasies and adventures, both boys are typical images, but the main character remains Tom Sawyer. He has a younger brother, more rational and obedient, he has school friends, and a boyish crush - Becky. And like any boy, the main events in life are connected with a thirst for adventure and first love. An ineradicable thirst constantly draws Tom and Huck into dangerous adventures, some of which, of course, are fictional by the author, some are real events. Things like running away from home or going to a cemetery at night are easy to believe. And these adventures, interspersed with descriptions of ordinary boyish everyday life, ordinary pranks, joys and annoyances, become reality thanks to the genius of the author. The description of American life at that time is impressive. What is lost in the modern world is democracy and the spirit of freedom.

Chronicle of Young America (plot and main idea)

A town on the banks of the Mississippi, in which residents mixed into a single society, despite differences in property, race and even age. Negro Jim, in slavery to Aunt Polly, mestizo Injun Joe, Judge Thacher and his daughter Becky, street child Huck and rascal Tom, Doctor Robenson and undertaker Potter. Tom's life is described with such humor and with such naturalness that the reader forgets in which country it happens, as if he is remembering what happened to himself.

The boy Tom Sawyer, together with his younger brother, who is clearly more positive than him, is raised by his old aunt after the death of his mother. He goes to school, plays on the street, fights, makes friends and falls in love with a beautiful peer, Becky. One day he met his old friend Huckleberry Fin on the streets, with whom they had a deep debate about ways to remove warts. Huck told a new method of mixing using a dead cat, but it is necessary to visit the cemetery at night. This is where all the significant adventures of these two tomboys began. Previously occurring conflicts with his aunt, entrepreneurial ideas with receiving a bonus Bible at Sunday school, whitewashing the fence as a punishment for disobedience, which Tom successfully transformed into personal success, fade into the background. Everything except love for Becky.

Having witnessed a fight and a murder, two boys for a long time doubt the need to bring everything they saw to the attention of adults. Only sincere pity for the old drunkard Potter and a sense of universal justice force Tom to speak at the trial. By doing so, he saved the life of the accused and put his own life in mortal danger. Injun Joe's revenge is a very real threat for the boy, even under the protection of the law. Meanwhile, Tom and Becky's romance began to crack, and this distracted him from everything else for a long time. He suffered. It was finally decided to run away from home from unhappy love and become a pirate. It’s good that there is a friend like Huck who agrees to support any adventure. A school friend, Joe, also joined them.

This adventure ended as it should have. Tom's heart and Huck's rationality forced them to return to the town from the island on the river after they realized that the whole town was looking for them. The boys returned just in time for their own funeral. The joy of the adults was so great that the boys were not even given a beating. Several days of adventure brightened up the boys' lives with the memories of the author himself. After that, Tom was sick, and Becky went away for a long time and far away.

Before the start of the school year, Judge Thacher threw a luxurious party for the children in honor of the birthday of his returning daughter. A trip on a river boat, a picnic and a visit to caves, this is something even modern children could dream about. Here Tom's new adventure begins. Having made peace with Becky, the two of them run away from the company during a picnic and hide in a cave. They got lost in passages and grottoes, the torch that lit their way burned out, and they had no provisions with them. Tom behaved courageously, this reflected all his enterprise and responsibility as a growing man. Quite by accident, they came across Injun Joe hiding the stolen money. After wandering around the cave, Tom finds a way out. The children returned home to the joy of their parents.

The secret seen in the cave haunts him, Tom tells Huck everything, and they decide to check the Indian's treasure. The boys go to the cave. After Tom and Becky safely got out of the maze, the city council decided to close the entrance to the cave. This became fatal for the mestizo; he died in the cave from hunger and thirst. Tom and Huck carried away a whole fortune. Since the treasure did not belong to anyone in particular, two boys became its owners. Huck received the protection of the widow Douglas, coming under her tutelage. Tom is also rich now. But Huck was able to endure “high life” for no more than three weeks, and Tom, who met him on the shore near the barrel hut, openly declared that no wealth could keep him from becoming a “noble robber.” The romanticism of the two friends had not yet been suppressed by the “golden calf” and the conventions of society.

The main characters and their characters

All the main characters of the story are the thoughts and feelings of the author, his memories of childhood, his sense of that very American dream and universal human values. When Huck complained that he could not live in idleness, Tom answered him uncertainly: “But everyone lives like that, Huck.” In these boys, Mark Twain describes his attitude to human values, to the value of freedom and understanding between people. Huck, who has seen more bad things, shares with Tom: “It’s just embarrassing for all people,” when he talks about the insincerity of relationships in high society. Against the romantic background of a story about childhood, written with good humor, the writer clearly outlines all the best qualities of a little person, and the hope that these qualities will remain for life.

A boy raised without a mother or father. The author does not reveal what happened to his parents. According to the story, one gets the impression that Tom gained all his best qualities on the street and at school. Aunt Poly's attempts to instill in him basic behavioral stereotypes cannot be crowned with success. Tom is the ideal boy and tomboy in the eyes of boys all over the world. On the one hand, this is hyperbole, but on the other hand, having a real prototype, Tom really carries within himself all the best that a growing man can carry within himself. He is brave, with a keen sense of justice. In many episodes, he displays precisely these qualities in difficult life situations. Another feature that cannot affect the feelings of an American. This is savvy and enterprise. All that remains is to remember the story of whitewashing the fence, which is also a far-reaching project. Burdened with various boyish prejudices, Tom looks like a completely ordinary boy, which captivates the reader. Everyone sees a small reflection of themselves in it.

A homeless child with a living father. The drunkard appears in the story only in conversations, but this already somehow characterizes the living conditions of this boy. Tom's constant friend and faithful companion in all adventures. And if Tom is a romantic and a leader in this company, then Huck is a sober mind and life experience, which is also necessary in this tandem. An attentive reader has the impression that Huck is described by the author as the other side of the coin of a growing person, a citizen of America. Personality is divided into two types - Tom and Huck, which are inseparable. In subsequent stories, the character of Huck will be revealed more fully, and often, in the reader’s soul, these two images are mixed and always receive sympathy.

Becky, Aunt Polly, Negro Jim and half-breed Injun Joe

These are all people with whom the best in the protagonist’s character is revealed. Tender love in a girl of the same age and real care for her in moments of danger. A respectful, although sometimes ironic, attitude towards the aunt, who spends all her strength to raise Tom as a real respectable citizen. A Negro slave, who is an indicator of America at that time and the attitude towards slavery of the entire progressive public, because Tom is friends with him, justifiably considering him an equal. The author’s, and therefore Tom’s, attitude towards Injun Joe is far from clear. The romance of the Indian world was not yet so idealized at that time. But internal pity for the mestizo who died of hunger in the cave characterizes not only the boy. The realities of the Wild West are visible in this image; a cunning and cruel mestizo takes revenge with his life on all whites. He is trying to survive in this world, and society allows him to do so. We do not see the deep condemnation that it would seem should have been for a thief and murderer.

Continuation of the epic adventure

Later, Mark Twain wrote several more stories about Tom and his friend Huck. The author grew up along with his heroes, and America changed too. And in subsequent stories there was no longer that romantic recklessness, but more and more of the bitter truth of life appeared. But even in these realities, Tom, Huck, and Becky retained their best qualities, which they received in childhood on the banks of the Mississippi in a small town with the distant name of the Russian capital - St. Petersburg. I don’t want to part with these heroes, and they remain ideals in the hearts of the boys of that era.

The main character of the story “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is an enterprising and intelligent boy named Tom. He lives in the house of his Aunt Polly, who took him in after the death of his sister. Aunt tries to raise Tom strictly, not to spoil the boy. One day Tom misbehaved more than usual, and Aunt Polly, for educational purposes, forced him to paint the fence on his day off.

Tom didn’t want to spend the whole Saturday next to a long and high fence. And he came up with a wonderful solution to the problem - he began to paint the fence with such an air as if there was nothing more interesting in the world than this task. Neighborhood boys passing by became infected with Tom's enthusiasm and begged him to let them paint the fence. And Tom, being stubborn for the sake of appearance, gave such permission, but at the same time also charged a fee from the boys for painting, in the form of glass balls, old keys, firecrackers and other things. Soon the fence was covered with three layers of lime, and Tom Sawyer became the owner of many boyish “treasures.” At the same time, he understood one important thing - in order for a person to want something, it is necessary to make it difficult to obtain.

The restless character of the main character simply attracted various adventures to him. One day, Tom and his friend, the street child Huckleberry Finn, went to the cemetery at night and witnessed a murder there. Moreover, a person not involved in the murder later became accused. Tom and his friend supported him in every possible way and fed him in prison, but they were afraid to reveal the secret for fear of reprisals from the real killer, Injun Joe.

Another time, Tom, Huck and another boy decided to become pirates. They ran away from home and settled on a large river island, where they swam, fished and played pirates and Indians. Everything was wonderful, but then the guys found out that they were considered drowned. Tom Sawyer then came up with the mischievous idea of ​​appearing at his own funeral service. Which is what the guys did, causing shock and surprise among relatives and all local residents.

And although Tom loved to play pranks and mischief, he was also characterized by such feelings as generosity and the ability to empathize. One day at school, a nice girl, Becky Thatcher, was threatened with punishment because she accidentally tore the teacher's book. Tom, without hesitation, took all the blame upon himself and silently endured harsh punishment.

The summer holidays arrived, which passed very monotonously, with the exception of those days when Tom was sick with measles. A revival arose in the city when the trial of Mathematical Potter, whom the whole city considered to be the culprit of the murder in the cemetery, began. Tom and Huck knew the truth, but they were afraid of Injun Joe. However, on the day of the trial, Tom told everyone the truth and the charges against Muff Potter were dropped, but Injun Joe managed to escape from the courtroom.

Over time, the events surrounding the murder and Injun Joe began to be forgotten. But one day Tom and his inseparable friend decided to look for a treasure. They dug in different places until they reached one abandoned house. And here they almost ran into Injun Joe, who, it turns out, did not run away, but lived in the city, pretending to be a mute Spaniard. Tom and Huckleberry accidentally witnessed how an Indian and his accomplice actually discovered a real treasure of gold in an abandoned house. But they took him away from this house to hide him in a hiding place. Now the guys have an ineradicable desire to find out where the treasure is hidden. They managed to discover in which hotel Injun Joe lived under the guise of a Spaniard and agreed to follow him to find out where he was hiding the treasure.

But only Huckleberry Finn had to watch, because Tom was invited to the picnic by Becky Thatcher. They decided to arrange this picnic three miles from the city at the entrance to a local attraction - the caves. While Tom was having fun at the picnic, his friend, while spying on Indian Joe, managed to save Judge Douglas's widow, whom the Indian wanted to take revenge on, from death. The Indian managed to escape again, and the trace of the chest of gold was again lost.

Meanwhile, Tom and Becky, walking through the cave, managed to get lost in its winding passages. The whole city went in search of them, which lasted three days. Tom and Becky themselves also tried to find a way out. While searching, Tom came across Injun Joe, who was now hiding in a cave. But the Indian, frightened, ran away from him. The guys managed to find a way out themselves five miles from the main entrance to the cave. The whole city greeted them with joy. Becky's father ordered a secure door to be placed at the entrance to the cave so that no one else could get lost. As a result, Injun Joe was trapped and starved to death.

Tom and Huckleberry did not give up trying to find the treasure. Tom was able to remember that when he met Injun Joe in the caves, he saw one of the signs that the Indian called when choosing a place for a cache. The two boys went into the caves together, using an entrance that no one knew about. After a long and difficult search, they found the place where the gold was hidden.

As a result, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn became richer than any of the residents of the city. Widow Douglas took Huck into her care. And Becky Thatcher’s father was very grateful to Tom for leading his daughter out of the caves.

This is the summary of the story.

The main point of the story “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is that success is achieved by people with an active lifestyle, capable of showing initiative and ingenuity. It doesn’t matter that in childhood such people often play pranks and play pranks. It is important that at heart they are generous and decent people. The story teaches you to be persistent and never give up in difficult life situations.

I liked Aunt Polly in the story. Although she raised Tom Sawyer strictly, she did it solely for his own good, so as not to spoil the boy. And in her heart, Aunt Polly loved her restless nephew very much, whose energy brought unexpected wealth and recognition from all residents of the city.

What proverbs are suitable for the story “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”?

A rolling stone gathers no moss.
No matter what anyone undertakes, everything succeeds.
Good friendship is sweeter than wealth.

Tom Sawyer is the owner of a rebellious character, a fidget, a prankster and a great adventurer, who settled in four books by the writer. The former journalist went through a path of creative torment before he found the right form for the work and, in fact, the hero who was destined to become a favorite of young readers. Funny adventures created the author's reputation as a great humorist and master of intrigue. Unbridled imagination, enthusiasm and mischievous actions - the life of a boy from the town of St. Petersburg will be the envy of any child.

History of creation

Mark Twain gave children four novels in which exciting events unfold: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “Tom Sawyer Abroad” and the detective story “Tom Sawyer - Detective”. The author never finished another work called “The Tom Sawyer Conspiracy.”

The first book was born with difficulty: Twain began it in 1872, and finished it only by the summer of 1875. An interesting fact is that the author wrote this work for the first time in his creative biography on a typewriter. The autobiographical novel is based on the writer’s childhood, when the worries of adulthood had not yet burst into a serene world filled with dreams of exploits and accomplishments. Mark Twain admitted that, like the heroes of his novels, as a boy he wanted to find a treasure, build a raft, and settle on a desert island.

The author borrowed the name of the character from an acquaintance, Thomas Sawyer, with whom fate brought him together in California. However, the prototypes were three boy friends from distant childhood, as Twain talks about in the preface. That's why the main character turned out to be such a contradictory character.


The prose writer wrote not so much for children, but for their parents, trying to convey to moms and dads that children do not have enough roof over their heads and clothes. You need to try to understand the magical world of a child, and not evaluate his actions only negatively - behind every action there is a “great” idea. Indeed, simple language, a huge number of curiosities and sparkling humor made the novels excellent reading for adults.

The dates of writing of subsequent books are 1884, 1894 and 1896. At least a dozen writers tried to translate novels into Russian, but the translation was recognized as the best work. The writer presented the work to Soviet children in 1929.

Biography and plot

Tom Sawyer lives in the small town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River in the family of his aunt - after the death of his mother, she took the boy in to raise him. Days fly by studying at school, fighting and playing on the street, and Tom also makes friends with a street child and falls in love with a beautiful peer, Becky. In general, everything is like an ordinary teenager.


An incredible optimist, Tom can turn every problem into a profitable event. Thus, whitewashing the fence, which the boy was assigned by his aunt as punishment, becomes a profitable business. Tom works with a brush with such gusto and pleasure that his young acquaintances also want to try it. In this case, Sawyer made a whole “fortune”, adding glass marbles, a one-eyed kitten and a dead rat to the piggy bank of his boyish treasures.


One day, the main character of the novel met Finn on the street, and a controversy broke out between the boys about the effectiveness of treating warts. Huckleberry revealed a new method that requires a dead cat and a trip to the cemetery at night. From that moment on, the exciting adventures of friends began.

The boys witness a murder in a cemetery, decide to become pirates, and together with their school friend Joe, build a fleet and set off on a journey to a nearby island. The friends even managed to find a chest of gold and become the richest boys in the city.


The adventures of the friends continue in the next book, where Huckleberry Finn comes to the fore. Tom helps his friend save Jim's slave by pulling off a whole scam. And in the third novel, the friends find themselves in a hot air balloon - a series of trials awaits them on a journey across America, over the Sahara and the Atlantic Ocean.

Later, Tom Sawyer was to visit Arkansas, where, again with Finn, the boy became involved in a murder investigation and the theft of diamonds.

Film adaptations

Mark Twain's works were used several times by famous directors. William Taylor first brought the adventures of the young prankster to film in 1917. However, the film was not a success. But the next film, directed by John Cromwell in 1930, became a box office leader. 40 years later, the Americans repeated the success - the musical film directed by Don Taylor was nominated three times for an Oscar and twice for a Golden Globe. The main role went to Johnny Whitaker.


The French decided to approach the adventures of an American boy on a grand scale, releasing the series “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1968), albeit in a mini-format. Roland Demongeau transformed into the restless Tom.


In the country of the Soviets, the producers also did not ignore Mark Twain’s novel. Based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the black-and-white film was created by Lazar Frenkel and Gleb Zatvornitsky in 1936. However, the film “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn”, which appeared on Soviet movie screens in 1981, gained great fame. He tried on the image of Tom, and his friend Huckleberry was a future celebrity, for whom the role became his debut.


Govorukhin gathered famous actors on the set. The characters from the American book were played by (Aunt Polly Sawyer), (Muff Potter). The role of Tom's beloved Becky was played by his daughter. The film crew traveled around the world: the geography of the film included Ukraine, the Caucasus, Abkhazia, and the Dnieper convincingly appeared in the image of the Mississippi River.


The director's new interpretation of Twain's books was presented to the audience by Hermine Huntgeburt. In Tom Sawyer (2011), the roles are given to Louis Hoffman (Tom) and Leon Sidel (Huckleberry).


Producer Boris Shenfelder said in an interview:

“The idea to make a film about Sawyer came to me after watching “Hands Off the Mississippi” and “Brilliant Con artists.” Thinking about these two films, I decided to make a film for children and young adults that would not blindly pander to children's tastes and would be out of our time."

The plan turned out to be realized quite successfully.


The last film adaptation of Mark Twain's literary creation happened in 2014. The film "Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn" was co-produced in Germany and the USA and directed by Joe Kastner. The restless boy-inventor was played by Joel Courtney.

  • Hidden under the name St. Petersburg is the hometown of Hannibal, where Mark Twain was born and raised. Tom Sawyer's entourage has real-life prototypes. For example, Aunt Polly is “based” on the writer’s mother, and Becky is based on the neighbor girl Laura Hawkins.
  • In 2005, the Children's Musical Theater for Young Spectators staged the sparkling musical Tom Sawyer. The music and lyrics for the performance were written by composer Viktor Semenov; the audience especially likes the composition “Star River.”
  • The two-story house of the Hawkins family still adorns the street of the writer’s hometown. Hannibal officials are planning to renovate the building and open a Becky Thatcher Museum. Nearby, according to fans of Twain’s work, stands “the same” fence that Twain had to whitewash, and a block from the street rises Cardiff Hill, where the children’s games described in the novel took place. The caves in which Tom once got lost with Becky are also located in the vicinity of the village.
  • Various artists undertook to illustrate Mark Twain's books, but the best work is considered to be the pictures of Robert Ingpen.

Quotes

“It often happens that the fewer justifications there are for some ingrained custom, the more difficult it is to get rid of it.”
“There is no worse fool than an old fool. No wonder they say: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
“What will you do with your share, Tom?
- I’ll buy a drum, a real saber, a red tie, a bulldog puppy and get married.
- Are you getting married?
- Well, yes.
- Tom, you... you're out of your mind!
“The only thing that’s nice is that it’s hard to get.”
“The main thing is to believe. If you believe, then everything will definitely be fine - even better than you can arrange for yourself.”
“Fame, of course, is an important and valuable thing, but for real pleasure, a secret is still better.
“In the Middle Ages, the difference between humans and locusts was that locusts were not stupid.”
“You can tell everything about girls by their faces - they have no self-control.”