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
《湯姆•索亞歷險記》和《哈克貝利•芬歷險記》同為美國作家馬克•吐溫的不朽之作，兩部作品素有“姊妹篇”之稱。湯姆與哈克都在以對方命名的歷險記中頻頻出場，並毫無例外地參與到對方的重大曆險中去，兩位小主人公都向往自由，敢於歷險，對於生活充滿了幻想，然而兩位小主人公的童年世界因各自的性格、家庭背景以及社會經歷的不同而存在著天壤之別，湯姆的生活充滿著浪漫歡樂的色彩，他的煩惱總是短暫的，轉瞬即逝的`；而哈克則沒有湯姆那麼幸運，同樣是發了大財，哈克卻過上了逃亡的生活，甚至險些丟了性命。和湯姆相比，哈克的煩惱是永久的，無處不在的。本文從上述幾個方面討論了兩個兒童形象的異同點，並對深層的原因進行了分析和探討，旨在多角度探究作者創造的這兩個兒童形象。
關鍵詞：馬克•吐溫、 湯姆•索亞、 哈克貝利•費恩、 兒童形象、 性格比較