A Comparative Study of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

Abstract

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, often known as “sister novels”, are both the best representatives of American writer Mark Twain. Tom and Huck both take an active part in each other’s adventures, in spite of the fact that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was finished ten years after the publication of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Both of the two main characters are eager to be set free and dare to explore nature. However, the discrepancies of their childhood lives are so much great due to their different characters, family background, and social experience. In the life of Tom, it is full of romance and happiness all the time. He has worries from time to time, but they are just the tokens of his next joy. Huck, on the other hand, is not as half lucky as Tom. Though he’s rich after finding the gold coins, Huck has start a life of running away from his father and his society, and he almost sacrifices his life for his contrary to Tom, Huck’s worries are forever lasting. This thesis aims to discuss the similarities and differences between the two children and find the deep reasons. From this thesis, we can explore the two images from different aspects.

Key Words: Mark Twain; Tom Sawyer; Huckleberry Finn; children image; characteristic comparison

摘  要

《汤姆•索亚历险记》和《哈克贝利•芬历险记》同为美国作家马克•吐温的不朽之作，两部作品素有“姊妹篇”之称。汤姆与哈克都在以对方命名的历险记中频频出场，并毫无例外地参与到对方的重大历险中去，两位小主人公都向往自由，敢于历险，对于生活充满了幻想，然而两位小主人公的童年世界因各自的性格、家庭背景以及社会经历的不同而存在着天壤之别，汤姆的生活充满着浪漫欢乐的色彩，他的烦恼总是短暂的，转瞬即逝的；而哈克则没有汤姆那么幸运，同样是发了大财，哈克却过上了逃亡的生活，甚至险些丢了性命。和汤姆相比，哈克的烦恼是永久的，无处不在的。本文从上述几个方面讨论了两个儿童形象的异同点，并对深层的原因进行了分析和探讨，旨在多角度探究作者创造的这两个儿童形象。

关键词：马克•吐温、 汤姆•索亚、  哈克贝利•费恩、 儿童形象、 性格比较

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