Character Description (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

 Notes: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer - The young protagonist of the novel. Living with his aunt at St. Petersburg, Missouri. Tom has a penchant for adventure and "showing off.". Tom is a mischievous boy with an active imagination who spends most of the novel getting himself, and often his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite his mischief, Tom has a good heart and a strong moral conscience. Constantly getting into mischief, he bunks from school and would rather go swimming than tend to his Sunday school lessons. Blessed with an active imagination, Tom dreams to be a noble robber such as Robin Hood or a pirate. Hungry for attention, Tom is obsessed with appearing noble and obtaining the envy of his peers. However, Tom is extremely clever and possesses an incredible insight on human nature. Throughout the novel, Tom must learn to listen to his conscience and become accountable for his actions. As the novel progresses, he begins to take more seriously the responsibilities of his role as a leader among his schoolfellows.

 

Aunt Polly - Tom's somewhat elderly aunt and guardian. Aunt Polly is a simple, kind-hearted woman who struggles to balance her love for her nephew with her duty to discipline him. She is responsible for Tom's discipline and upbringing, Aunt Polly is constantly torn between expressing her exasperation and showing her lover for Tom. She generally fails in her attempts to keep Tom under control because, although she worries about Tom’s safety, she seems to fear constraining him too much... Every time he causes trouble, another hair on her head turns gray; she often wishes Tom would behave properly like his brother, Sid. Above all, Aunt Polly wants to be appreciated and loved.

Huckleberry Finn- The town's social pariah (outcast). Son of an abusive and drunkard father who left town, Huck has failed to have been raised with any parental guidance or authority figure. Huck is a juvenile outcast who is shunned by respectable society and adored by the local boys, who envy his freedom and the nightmare of every mother in town. Like Tom, Huck is highly superstitious, and both boys are always ready for an adventure. He can smoke a pipe and never has to attend church or school, he is the envy of every schoolboy.

Although disregarded by the "sociable," Huck possesses a kind spirit and

consideration for others. Huck gradually replaces Tom’s friend Joe Harper as Tom’s sidekick in his escapades.

Becky Thatcher - Judge Thatcher’s pretty, yellow-haired daughter. Becky is Tom's age and has recently moved into town. Prim and proper, Becky is the opposite of Tom: she has never been in trouble and is used to obey her mother's words. With blonde hair and dressy frocks, she quickly wins Tom's affection and attention. From almost the minute she moves to town, Becky is the “Adored Unknown” who stirs Tom’s lively romantic sensibility. Naïve at first, Becky soon matches Tom as a romantic strategist, and the two go to great lengths to make each other jealous.

Joe Harper - Tom’s “bosom friend” and frequent playmate. Joe is a typical best friend, a convention Twain parodies when he refers to Joe and Tom as “two souls with but a single thought.” Though Joe mostly mirrors Tom, he diverges from Tom’s example when he is the first of the boys to succumb to

homesickness on Jackson’s Island. As the novel progresses, Huck begins to assume Joe’s place as Tom’s companion.

Sid - Tom’s half-brother. Sid is a goody-goody who enjoys getting Tom into trouble. Always trying to tattle on Tom, Sid keeps a close on eye his brother's wrongdoings. A goody-two-shoes, he is a punctual and studious pupil.

He is mean-spirited but presents a superficial show of model behaviour. He is thus the opposite of Tom, who is warm hearted but behaves badly

Mary - Tom’s sweet, almost saintly cousin who resides with Aunt Polly. Mary is depicted as a sweet and good-hearted young lady who sees the good qualities in Tom's character. Religious and pious, Mary was an exceptional student the opposite of Tom. Mary holds a soft spot for Tom. Like Sid, she is well behaved, but unlike him, she acts out of genuine affection rather than malice.

Injun Joe - The antagonist of the novel. Guilty of several murders, Injun Joe possess a violent temperament is set on seeking revenge on those who have treated him harshly in the past. He commits murder, becomes a robber, and plans to mutilate the Widow Douglas. Injun Joe’s predominant motivation is revenge. Half Native American and half Caucasian, he has suffered social exclusion, probably because of his race. He attempts to frame Muff Potter for one of his own crimes and is pursued by the village authorities.

Muff Potter - A hopeless drunk and friend of Injun Joe. Potter is kind and grateful toward Tom and Huck, who bring him presents after he is wrongly

jailed for Dr. Robinson’s murder. Potter’s naïve trust eventually pushes Tom’s conscience to the breaking point, compelling Tom to tell the truth at Potter’s trial about who actually committed the murder. Although his kind nature and drunken state make him harmless, Potter is persecuted by the entire town that believes that he is a murderer

Dr. Robinson - A respected local physician. Dr. Robinson shows his more sordid side on the night of his murder: he hires Injun Joe and Muff Potter to dig up Hoss Williams’s grave because he wants to use the corpse for medical experiments.

Mr. Sprague - The minister of the town church.

 

The Widow Douglas - A kind hearted, pious resident of St. Petersburg whom the children recognize as a friend. A rich, upper-class widow, with a kind spirit and a devotion to the Christian faith, the widow Douglas is known for her open hospitality and good nature. She also appears as a major character in Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tom knows that she is kind to Huck even before she learns that he saved her life.

Mr. Jones - A Welshman who lives with his sons near the Widow Douglas’s house. Mr. Jones responds to Huck’s alarm on the night that Injun Joe intends to attack the widow, and he takes care of Huck in the aftermath.

Judge Thatcher - Becky’s father, the county judge. A local celebrity, Judge Thatcher inspires the respect of all the townspeople. He takes responsibility for issues affecting the community as a whole, such as closing the cave for safety reasons and taking charge of the boys’ treasure money.

Amy Lawrence - Tom’s former love. Tom abandons Amy when Becky Thatcher comes to town.

Ben Rogers - One of Tom’s friends, whom Tom persuades to whitewash Aunt Polly’s fence.

Alfred Temple - A well-dressed new boy in town. Like Amy Lawrence, Alfred gets caught in the crossfire of Tom and Becky’s love games, as Becky pretends to like him in order to make Tom jealous.

Mr. Walters - The somewhat ridiculous Sunday school superintendent. Because he aspires to please Judge Thatcher, Mr. Walters rewards Tom with a Bible, even though he knows that Tom hasn’t earned it.

Mr. Dobbins - The schoolmaster. Mr. Dobbins seems a slightly sad character: his ambition to be a medical doctor has been thwarted and he has become a heavy drinker and the butt of schoolboy pra