Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Detailed Simplified Summary:Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 

This lesson is an extract from a novel ‘Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ written by Mark Twain.

Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half brother Sid. Tom Sawyer has been punished by his Aunt for dirtying his clothes in a fight.

The characters in this one act plat are Tom, Jim, Ben, Joe and Aunt Polly.

The scene is at the pavement (roadway) near the fence (boundary wall)  made up of wooden boards and it is morning time. Some boys are passing from that way laughing, shouting, playing tag, etc. They go away and then a boy hurries along the pavement with a fishing rod slung (hung) over his shoulder. Two more boys were also playing leap-frog across the pavement. After that Sid also comes through the gate, then crossing the yard reaches the pavement and he also goes off rolling a hoop (ring) happily.

Then Tom enters through the gate carrying a large bucket of white paint and a broad brush. He puts the bucket down on near the fence and has a look on the long-spread (expanse) of the fence which he was to white-wash as punishment. He seems to be very sad and hopeless about his freedom from the punishment.

He dips the brush in the white-wash and passes it along a part of the topmost part of it. He steps back and surveys the painted streak (line) that was quite unimportant for him and compares it with the rest of the unpainted part.

Feeling unhappy and disappointed, he sits down on an upturned barrel (drum).

Then Jim comes through the gate with an empty pail (bucket).

Tom asked him where he was going.

Jim told him that he was going to the pump to fetch (bring) water. He also told him that if he finished his task early, Miss Polly would allow him to watch Big Ho (awesome person, here it may be something interesting) draw up and then he laughs in delight.

Tom offered to Jim that he could do the work of bringing water if he white-washed some part of the fence.

Jim shook his head rejecting the offer and said that he could not do it because he was told by Miss Polly that he would fetch water and not stop anywhere. She had already expected that Tom would ask him to white wash, so she advised him to go along and mind his own business.

Tom was very clever and he tried to bribe Jim by showing him a marble which he took out from his pocket. Jim was influenced. He began to waver.

Jim was afraid of Miss Polly. Tom assured him that she would never come to know about it. He also promised to show him his sore toe. After some hesitation, Jim got ready to help him. He puts down his pail and collects marbles from Tom and bends over the sore toe. *His eyes widens with interest as Tom starts unwinding the bandage.

In the meantime, Aunt Polly, clutching (holding tightly) a slipper appeared on the scene and gave a powerful blow to Jim and he picked up his pail and giving out a startled (full of surprise) ran away quickly. Tom jumps towards the fence and began whitewashing it.

Aunt Polly went back from the scene feeling victorious. Now Tom was whitewashing at a good speed.

In the distance, he heard a whistle which gave a long mournful (full of sadness) sound. It was the whistling sound of a steam-boat called Big Missouri. Tom felt excited and he looked wishing that he should have been there to see the steam-boat. Then he took a long breath feeling helpless. The whistle was repeated.

After some time, Ben Rogers, a strongly built boy approached (reached) there. He was of Tom’s age. He was eating an apple and imitating the sound and movement of the steamboat as he walked along the pavement.

In the next lines, Ben was speaking some words that showed the sounds created by the moving steam-boat.

Tom looked at Ben and then he looked at the brush and then to the fence. An idea was forming in his mind. He started quickly dipping the brush and beginning the work showing full determination (strong decision).

Ben is speaking the same type of words.

After sometime, Ben noticed Tom doing work and he asked him if he was in a difficult situation.

Tom did not pay any heed (attention) to him. He started doing his work as if he were an artist and was very much interested in it. He wanted to impress Ben. So he surveyed his last touch like an artist who surveys ( watches carefully) his painting or drawing. Then he gave a gentle sweep with the brush and watched it in the same way.

Ben stopped near him and watched Tom doing work and also enjoyed eating his apple.

Then Ben asked him if he was given a work to do.

Tom pretended that he did not noticed (see) him.

Ben told him that he was going to enjoy swimming till he heard the sound of the steamboat. He asked if he did not wish to accompany (go with) them. Then he in a taunting way said that he would prefer work to enjoyment.

After saying that he laughed in a suppressed way and took another bite of the apple. Tom stared (gazed, looked in a fixed way) at the apple as if feeling entranced (involved, willing to eat), but soon he turned his eyes away from it..

Then he asked Ben as to what he called work.

He also told him that it was not work that he was doing at that time. It suited him and he liked it very much.

Ben Got more interested in it and Tom began to do his work showing more interest. Tom kept creating interest in Ben for the work he was doing.

Ben stopped biting the apple and Tom swept the brush back and forth delicately (softly), stepped back to notice the effect, added a touch here and there, criticized the effect again. Ben stood watching getting more and more interested in the work. Tom pretended not to see Ben.

At last Tom won and Ben asked him to allow him to whitewash a little. In the beginning Tom wanted to give him the brush at once, but then he controlled himself.

He made some excuses. The more Tom refused, the more Ben became interested in it.

Ben became so much interested in the task that he was ready to give his apple to him.

Showing reluctance (hesitation), Tom gave the brush to him and took the half eaten apple. Ben started white-washing and Tom sat on a drum and took a full bite of the apple.

In between, he also kept giving warnings to Ben to remain careful in his work.

Then another boy, named Joe Harper reached there. He was carrying a kite with him.

He talked about the steamboat and suggested to Tom to go together to watch it.

But Tom told him that he and Ben had more important things to do than watching the steamboats.

Then Joe started asking about the white-washing and Tom applied the same method to attract him to it.

Ben asked Tom if he had given Ben something for doing whitewashing for him. Tom told him that he did not give him anything rather Ben gave him his apple.

Tom also created a spirit of competition in Joe and Ben told him that he could whitewash as good as Ben could.

Tom made the work more difficult for Ben by saying that he could not take brush from Ben. Then Joe ran to his house to fetch his father’s brush for doing white-wash.

Joe also promised to give his kite to Tom.

Tom again sat on the barrel (drum), holding the kite given to him by Joe. Joe and Ben stood side by side while white-washing the fence. The steamboat Big Mo sounded again.

Tom looked anxiously (worriedly) at the unpainted fence and wanted to get more victims to help him in his work.

Then another boy of Tom’s age came down picking up a dead rat swinging and held by a string. Soon a crowd of boys came down the pavement Tom collected a big treasure for him I addition to the kite and the dead rat, a window sash (that holds glass in a window), six marbles, a piece of chalk, a glass stopper from a decanter (bottle, vessel), a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles (frog or a toad), six firecrackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass door knob, a dog’s collar, a knife handle, etc.

In addition to Joe and Ben, a number of boys joined in whitewashing the fence. Some were whitewashing, some mixing more whitewash, some waiting their turns at the brushes or mixing buckets. Tom learnt feeling lazy against the barrel. He was surrounded by the valuable things and watching the boys idly (doing nothing) white-washing and sweating due to the work.

Ben wanted to do more work. He said that there was only one board left. Joe also wanted to whitewash on that. In a way they argue for that. The other boys also gathered round and asked for a chance to paint the last board. Tom told them to line up and take their turn in a disciplined way.

Tom gave all the boys their turn till they finished whitewashing.

Aunt Polly was in the kitchen knitting something. She roes and moved out muttering to herself that she should see how much work Tom had done. She had expected only one quarter of it and she decided to be satisfied at it.

Tom was sitting on the barrel and was arranging his wealth. The other boys had gone. Aunt Polly came through the gate spying him. She did not notice the fence and reached near him.

She asked him if he could do whitewashing in that way lying about in the sun and playing with his small things of little value.

Tom informed her happily that it was all done.

She was amazed to see all that. She asked him doubtfully as to how he managed complete all that.

Tom said that he did it without taking any break. She had to believe him and then she caught his wrist and led him inside the house. She promised him to give him doughnut (daonut: a kind of cake) as he had earned a treat.