I thought to myself thought I, why not read some classics? But where to begin, says I. Mark Twain. That's where.
Beside the fact the man was born in my state & he's known as one of the greatest American authors of all time, the reason I settled on him was because he's goddamn hilarious too. I wish I could have the humor of Samuel Clemons! What a gift!
That said, you may wonder why I gave this illustrious book just 4 stars out of 5. The reason is I've already started reading "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" & I'm saving my 5 stars for that. I was greatly amused by Tom Sawyer, but Huck has him beat. I actually laughed out loud while reading Huck, & this while I'm trying to suppress it 'cause Puppy was going to sleep. But I digress--
Back to Tom Sawyer. I can't help but be amused by Tom, but I already liked Huck more. Tom seems to symbolize who we all are. Huck is who we wished we were. Tom, though he gets into trouble, follows the rules of society, & the rules of society are foul. For example: don't talk to those beneath you (in this instance, slaves), it's OK to cheat to get the prize, using other people to make someone you care about jealous is alright, & money is everything. We've all done these things, you've got to admit it. But it sure feels like crap when you do. Meanwhile Huck has been brought up outside of accepted society, & therefore doesn't follow the nasty rules we use against each other. It's all cut & dry for Huck, & you love him for it.
I recommend "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", but mostly because of Huck.
