The Excitement of Childhood

Response to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom stirred up the other pirates and they all clattered away with a shout, and in a minute or two were stripped and chasing after and tumbling over each other in the shallow limpid water of the white sandbar, living joyously in the excitement that every boy in America experiences. In “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” Twain shows us what it is like to be a young boy in the 1800s and a big part of that is the excitement of simple things in life.

The excitement that a child enjoys, when they are young and carefree, is the fantasy vision for every adult, especially in the time that Twain was writing. Because Tom does not have to worry about the things in life that drive the normal adult crazy, he can rejoice in the simple excitement that a child can find in the beauties of life. When Tom stood up and testified against Injun Joe, he was a hero, enjoying the bliss and euphoria of being number 1. The excitement that this feeling brings is almost overwhelming. The feeling that everyone is talking about you and talking about what you did is a fantasy for every boy. Tom also felt the adrenaline of excitement when he and Huck go down into the cave to seek for buried treasure. It is scary but thrilling as you go down into a dark cavern not knowing what will pop out at you or scare you, but in this case they found the treasure and went back up without a problem and swore to go back to a life of robbery. The excitement of childhood also shows itself in the time when Tom runs away from school and plays Robin Hood with his friends all day. That is every child’s ultimate fantasy, weather big or small, to be able to run away from school and not get caught, and Tom pulls it off. The excitement and joy that you don't have to go through another day of listening to some boring guy talk, is an awesome feeling that every child feels on the weekend, but it's magnified by ten when you are high on the adrenaline of sneaking away from the school building. Finally, excitement is the most present when Tom and his friends run off and pretend to be a pirate gang. The first thing that would excite boys Tom's age is just the stealing of the raft. We have all stolen small things from our parents or friends. These things include candy, gum, a pencil, an eraser, and small things like that, but stealing something big like a raft is unthinkable for most children but not for Tom who knew that it was possible, but other children Tom's age, were too scared of getting whipped to try something like that. Because Tom was used to it and even took whippings from other people was the reason he was willing to try. Huck, Tom and Joe get the raft and sail to a little island in the middle of the Mississippi. Then Tom and Huck have the time of their lives being carefree and "playing in the shallow limpid water of the white sandbar." What an amazing feeling that would be to stand on an unknown island with your friends, the people you trust the most in your life, free of worry and full of joy and excitement of what the new day would bring you, the beauty of the nature around you heightening the experience. The sense that it's just you and your friends is the greatest thing in the world. You control your kingdom and to this day that is what every child wants, to be able to make your own decisions and at Twain's time if you were a kid, you would worry about having to fight in the Civil War. Every kid’s fantasy back then, was you can make your own decisions and do what you want to do and be free.

The combination of excitement and romance is present in any boy’s life. Just the joy it brings is enough for most of us but Tom always pursues more than usual. With his friends, Tom is more than just a regular boy. The rush of excitement drives him on.