"Tom Sawyer" Summative Response

You wake up yet again to what feels like another utterly flawless day. The sunlight illuminates the outside, sharing its balmy temperature, and you take advantage of it. You let your imagination run free, wild, because you know nothing can penetrate that power. Not caring about what could go wrong, you follow your thoughts wherever they take you. This is the way that Tom Sawyer, the main character of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, leads his life. Being young and foolish, he relies on his imagination to control his motives, but sometimes that’s what we all rely on when we need a little inspiration. The thoughts we have aren’t always practical, but that is exactly what makes us human.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book we all can relate to. Mark Twain creates this unbelievable little kid that we all have in us, and then some. Tom is imaginative and adventurous, like most of us once were, but then, when you least expect it, he dares to do these heinous actions, things that we all wish we had the perseverance to attempt. There’s not always good results that come from these adventures, but that is just a part of life. Sometimes you have to take risks to discover what it truly means to “live life to the fullest.”

If people choose to do think certain things and make certain decisions, those will become our character. The way we operate dictates the kind of person we will always be. Tom is thoughtful and heroic, and that will never change. Our qualities define ourselves, which is why when in the book, the day was saved or the situation got worse, Tom Sawyer found behind it. Even if these qualities lead us to making the biggest mistake ever, like when Tom and Becky Thatcher get lost in the cave, something good always comes from it. They know now not to wander too far away from the people they care about.

At that particular point of the book, Tom’s character becomes especially pronounced. Even when his life could have been pulled away from him, Tom continued on, guiding Becky and searching for the way out. If Tom had not been so bold from the very beginning of the book, he would not have been able to do this, which is why it is so vital that we follow our instincts. There might be a time where the things that happen to us will turn out to be very useful.

Tom Sawyer uses his imagination as a release from normal everyday life. He takes what’s boring and makes it fun. Now and then it’s good to have a release, and just be a kid. We have too much time to deal with to leave behind everything we once thought. Wherever our thoughts and actions take us, we will know that that’s what distinguishes us.