Analysis—Chapters 27–29
Chapter 27, which opens with Tom’s
belief that his adventures were only a dream, prepares us for the
dreamlike quality of the novel’s conclusion. Before Tom and Huck
find out about Injun Joe’s treasure, St. Petersburg seems a safe,
sleepy town with year-round summery weather perfect for children’s
make-believe and games. However, once fantasy adventures of piracy
and Robin Hood turn into real encounters with outlaws, murder, and
stolen treasure, Tom and Huck seem well prepared to handle the scenario
precisely because of their many rehearsals. Although much of the
novel concerns Tom’s gradual acclimation to the adult world, the
surprising plot twist brought about by Tom and Huck’s discovery
of Injun Joe’s plan seems to reaffirm their childhood activities
and to suggest that these imaginative activities should not be abandoned
as soon as adult responsibilities emerge.
Twain has already poked fun at church, school, and Sunday school,
so his unveiling of the Temperance movement’s hypocrisy—the “Temperance
Tavern” serves alcohol in a secret room—follows naturally. Because
the novel focuses on Tom’s journey toward adulthood, and because
Twain views the adult world as hypocritical and pretentious, it
can be argued that Twain views Tom’s maturation as an unfortunate
loss of freedom and honesty. However, Twain seems to be redefining
the concept of maturity. Whereas conventional understanding links
maturity with adulthood, Twain distinguishes between real maturity—the
kind Tom displays when he testifies against Injun Joe and saves
Becky from punishment—and the false maturity of the Temperance Tavern
and the Sunday school. The older townspeople may be more learned
than Tom by virtue of their age, and thus more intellectually mature,
but Twain makes no similar correlation between age and moral maturity.
When Tom leaves Huck by himself to handle Injun Joe because he
is excited by the prospect of picnicking with Becky, he behaves immaturely
and gets himself into trouble. In Chapter 30,
we find out that Tom and Becky haven’t actually gone to the Widow
Douglas’s house; they are lost in the cave. The stage seems set
for a final confrontation between Tom and Injun Joe at the Widow
Douglas’s, but Huck, not Tom, is to prove the hero. Tom has been
the planner all along, persuading the reluctant Huck to go along
with his schemes. By staying when Tom irresponsibly leaves for the
picnic, Huck finally assumes control of the Injun Joe plot and proves
his superior maturity.
