Tom Sawyer

After reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer it didn't surprise too much to see a child in the novel without parents. It was brought up in our discussion in class how all the children presented in the novels of this semester don't have their parents. Even Ellen Montgomery who had parents in the beginning of the novel, was left alone.



The good news is that even though the children don't have parents there is always someone in the novel who is willing to take care of them. In the Hidden Hand Capitola is saved by a man she encounters in the streets of New York, also in the Lamplighter, Gerty is picked up from the streets after her evil guardian Nan Grant kicks her out by True her "uncle." In Tom Sawyer we find out the Tom's mom has died and that his Aunt Polly has taken over his care. "He's my own dead sister's boy, poor thing, and I ain't got the heart to to lash him." (pg. 3) Even thought Aunt Polly can sometimes get tired of Tom and his mischievousness she does her best to care for him.



I started thinking so why is it that all this children presented in the novels don't have parents and the first thought that came to my mind was that the novels would not be interesting. I believe that the author purposeful placed these orphan children in the novels to perhaps get more readers interested in reading there novel. I find it more interesting when suspense and drama are present in a novel.