Tom Sawyer-Mark Twain
	Few novels are as full of wit and humor as Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer. The book covers one spring and summer of Tom’s life. During this time, he witnesses a murder, camps out on an island with his friends, and seeks buried treasure. He also tries to attract and keep the attention of Becky Thatcher, the new girl in town; at the end of the book, they become hopelessly lost in a cave. Throughout the novel, as the character of Tom Sawyer develops, he influences and is affected by other elements in the novel.
	The character of Tom Sawyer is revealed slowly and deliberately. At first, we see only how he acts at home; he steals jam, outwits his aunt, and avoids doing his chores. He is contrasted with his siblings, who always perform tasks with diligence. Later, we see how he acts at school, plays hooky, and beats up the “Model Boy”. In chapter 3, we see that he likes to show off for girls. Soon after, we also discover that he loves to rebel, especially against memorizing bible verses for Sunday School. Tom is shown to have fears when he is afraid of Injun Joe, the novel’s villain, and he appears intrepid when he decides to watch Injun Joe and find his treasure. Throughout the novel, Tom also goes off by himself in a melancholy mood, contributing to his characterization by showing that even he is not always cheerful and often lacks alacrity; this also displays his method of dealing with vexation. He is always shown to be wily and full of sagacity, outwitting everyone he knows. By the end of the novel, Tom has been shown to have a very diverse personality.
        Because Tom is the main character and is very carefully drawn, he is dynamic and changes greatly throughout the novel. Tom is in his early adolescence, so he matures physically, mentally, and emotionally in the story. However, the process is sluggish and sometimes Tom returns to an earlier state. For example, when he runs away from home to camp out on Jackson Island, he decides to return home to reassure his aunt that he is alive. Although this is a mature action, he quickly reverts to a state of immaturity when he decides to stay quiet and watch his funeral, which was scheduled to take place the next day. Afterwards, he appears mature again when he tells his aunt that he loves her. Another example of Tom’s maturation is that at the beginning of the book he is mainly concerned with being boyish, but at the end he comforts Becky when lost in the cave with her. Tom would have considered this effeminate earlier. These actions affect other characters both positively and negatively, often at the same time. For example, Tom pleases Becky when he gives her companionship, but he also distresses her by mentioning his former girlfriend, Amy. He troubles his aunt by running away, but he also fills her with exultation by saying that he loves her. For some characters, such as the Model Boy, Tom’s actions have an exclusively harmful effect; Tom beats him up and treats him with derision. At the resolution, Tom seems to have matured completely, as Twain comments, “[This chronicle] being strictly the history of a boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man.”
        Tom’s maturation is driven mainly by conflict. Although there are several separate conflicts in the novel, the main conflict is between Tom and Injun Joe. On another level, there is also a conflict in which Tom tries to get over his fear of Injun Joe. At the climax, he succeeds by testifying against the Injun in court, thus facing his fears. This is a mature action, and the development required for it is a direct result of the conflict. Tom is also impacted by the resolution; when Injun Joe dies, Tom actually feels sympathy for him. However, conflict changes Tom the most.
        The main character, Tom, is revealed slowly and gradually, allowing us to understand Tom a little bit at a time. We observe as the complex interaction between him and other characters is created. Finally, we see how conflict and resolution have driven the maturation that he goes through. As I read and enjoyed the novel, I came to regard with respect my own seclusion from society. Because I was able to experience it from Tom’s point of view, I came to see its merits. I was satisfied with the ending, because the novel ended with a ray of hope as Twain comments that he may write about the characters again. Using his wisdom, Twain has created a true masterpiece of literature.