Tom Sawyer is a book that deals with the adventures and misadventures of Tom Sawyer and his friends. Set in a time when religion was being ‘revived’ time and again while slave trade led to an increasing belief in superstition, the book is replete with instances of Tom, his friends as well as the society at large displaying varying degrees of faith and superstitious belief. Tom is a naughty and often defiant boy.
Despite his Aunt Polly’s best efforts, the boy is simply unmanageable. Although this attitude would lead one to believe that Tom would shun any form of social judgment of his worth, he shows a duality in nature and a degree of hypocrisy often displayed by adults as well.
Tom Sawyer and Religion
Tom’s Aunt Polly, his brother Sidney and cousin Mary are all ‘respectably’ religious. Tom, on the other hand, is like an adult in child’s clothes when it comes to his intellect and his understanding of the character of those around him and the nature of the society at large. Although Tom initially appears to be a lazy and irresponsible child, he time and again proves that he is well capable of manipulating everyone around him. He keeps fooling his Aunt Polly and even talks the neighbourhood kids into completing his chores. However, it is his defiance of religion that most shows how well Tom understands the human society. For example, he refuses to pray before going to bed, yet cunning cheats his way to winning a bible from the church. The act is not remotely religiously inclined but pursued only for pride. However, Tom bends the rules of behavior in order to please himself while adults conform to ‘good behaviour’ only to please the society. This hypocrisy is clearly revealed when people at church laugh and giggle along with Tom, even as they try to control a yelping dog that interrupts Sunday sermons.
This shows that most adults portrayed in the book follow religion as an obligation, with the exception o Widow Douglas who genuinely prays for Tom’s well being. Tom abhors going to church as it is far too boring and does not hesitate in making attempts to alleviate his boredom.
Tom Sawyer and Superstition
Tom does not like following religious practices as he considers them to be mere obligations. However, superstition appeals to the young minds of his friends as well as Tom. Their faith in superstition is first revealed when Tom and Huck try to get rid of warts by visiting the graveyard to throw a dead cat at the devil. The boys attribute both, their successes as well as failures to superstition. Tom believes that a howling dog is a sign of impending doom and so when he sees one howling at Muff Potter, he assumes that his telling the truth about the murder will not save Potter. Yet, superstition is not limited to Tom and his friends. The adult folk of the town too are steeped in superstitious belief. It is a superstition that if the body of the deceased bleeds, the killer must be near. This is why when the body of Dr. Robinson bleeds when Joe moves it, people assume that Potter must be guilty as he is near. The belief of adults in superstition further strengthens the children’s faith in it too. Tom often uses superstition as a means to confirm his expectations or avoid blame for failure. When he plans to buy new pirates clothes with his friends, he takes a worm crawling by his feet as a sign that he will be successful in his plans. Here, superstition is used by Tom only to strengthen his resolve in his own abilities.
Religion versus Superstition
Tom’s lack of interest in religion and his deep faith in superstition are both contradictory as well as correlated, forming a unique paradox that Tom’s character. Intelligent and wise beyond his age, Tom is viewed as a child by the adults of the town and as a leader by his friends.
Defiance of obligations and orders is a trait that earns him the image of bravery among his friends while his manipulation of societal norms to meet his own goals adds to Tom’s sense of accomplishment and pride. Most of the acts of Tom and his friends are done in pursuit of adventure and their belief in superstition stems from this desire. Similarly, Tom’s resentment of religious practices like attending church also arises from boredom. However, even though the children do not realize it, they do, in fact, have a religious side. Tom is unable to sleep and has nightmares after he witnesses Dr. Robinson’s murder. He feels guilty about not confessing and revealing who the real murderer is.
Instead, he tries to justify his silence by leaning on superstition. In comparison, Huck is shown to be slightly more religious than Tom, which is why he does get affected by the religious revival and it is he who finally reveals the true identity of Dr. Robinson’s killer. Yet, Tom has a clear concept of right and wrong, good and evil, that is not based on superstition but on his religiousness, even though he is not aware of it.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003.
