Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. How does Tom
Sawyer change over the course of the story?
2. Analyze the
character of Aunt Polly and her relationship to Tom.
3. What role
do alcohol and images of drunkenness play in the novel?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Analyze the relationship between
Tom and Huck Finn, paying close attention to their trip to the graveyard
and their hunt for treasure.
2. Analyze Tom’s relationship
to the other boys his age,
paying close attention to the whitewashing scene and the scenes
at school.
3. Discuss how Twain uses satire
in the Sunday school scene.
4. Trace Tom’s courtship of Becky.
In what ways is their romance adultlike? In what ways is it childish?
5. Discuss Twain’s portrayal
of the town’s authority figures, especially Judge Thatcher, Mr.
Dobbins, and the minister.
6. Analyze Twain’s portrayal
of Injun Joe. Does Twain want us to feel sympathy for Injun Joe?
How can you tell?
7. Analyze the relationship between
the adults and children of St. Petersburg. Focus especially on the
adult reaction to Tom Sawyer.
