Tone and Dialect in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Introduction

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is a narrative of the adventures and events in the life of Tom Sawyer, a young, mischievous boy who lives in St. Petersburg, Missouri. Beyond the adventurous plot, one of the most noticeable and interesting elements Twain uses to give character to Tom's portrayal is his liberal use of speech. Tom's speech is largely made up of exclamatory statements and slang words — factors that reflect Tom's dynamic character throughout the novel. Similarly, Twain assumes an interesting yet serious tone as the narrator of Tom's life story. Through this narrative voice, the author is able to give life to Tom's character and consistently illuminate it in parallel with his use of speech. These two stylistic strategies — narrative tone and character dialect — are analyzed here in relation to the context in which they appear in the novel.

Chapter 2 of the novel is widely considered the most useful unit of analysis for discussing the tone and dialect that Twain assumes as the novel's narrator. In Chapter 2, the narrator liberally infuses the author's own philosophy of life, expressed through Tom's wit and extraordinary talent for maneuvering his way out of a dilemma, whether serious or trivial. This chapter focuses on Tom's punishment by Aunt Polly, wherein he is tasked with whitewashing the fence of her house. Twain's narration is effectively interspersed with Tom's thoughts, rendered in the third-person voice.

Twain's Narrative Tone and the Whitewashing Episode

Within this chapter, two important passages effectively reflect the sentiments of both the author and Tom's liberal, witty perspective on life. The first: "He surveyed the fence, and the gladness went out of nature, and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of broad fence nine feet high! It seemed to him that life was hollow, and existence but a burden" (15). The second: "Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world after all. He had discovered a great law of human action… In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain" (19).

These passages demonstrate how Twain consistently displays dynamism and ingenuity in thinking while maintaining a serious narrative tone. Tom's wisdom and realization about the truths of life is expressed in simple, concrete terms anchored in the whitewashing episode. Although Twain's narration might seem somewhat melodramatic given that Tom is merely a young boy, the ease with which the author expresses the protagonist's feelings, thoughts, and beliefs illustrates how Twain effectively merges his own identity with that of Tom Sawyer.

Another important unit of analysis is Tom's speech itself, which is characteristically dynamic in tone and informal — though meaningful — in content. The novel's final chapter shows how Tom converses with Huck in his own distinctive language. The following passage illustrates Tom's dynamic character, wit, and humor: "Looky here, Huck, being rich ain't going to keep me back from turning robber… I wouldn't want to and I don't want to, but what would people say? Why, they'd say, 'Mph! Tom Sawyer's Gang! Pretty low characters in it!'"

Conclusion

Twain, M. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York: Penguin Books, 1994.