Reconvening the Innocent Voice of Childhood

Of the many American authors, Mark Twain undoubtedly stands out for his concern on childhood with a little bit more of innocence. The ever greatest masterpiece of his, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, transforms into a timeless proof of how the innocent voice of childhood contains a myriad of profound meanings. His pride of his childhood spent in Hanibal, Missouri and his talent of witticism have driven him to be “The father of American Literature” at the time he earns praise as “The greatest American humorist of his age”. By means of the simply-structured, casually-toned writing, he digs up the buried memories of childhood through a humorous, lively character named Thomas Sawyer. In here, this playful boy is accompanied by his sidekicks, Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn, as well as other fellow friends. Under the flags of sincerity, friendship, and mischievousness, they walk on a fun way of life. These children make adults wake up and open their eyes that profound goodness is there, in the innocent voice of childhood.

The undeniable of children is sincerity. The way children see, think and feel something is so simple. There must be a simple yes, if a word yes comes out of their mouth, and vice versa. Never be an intricate thing for them is to feel gratified by what they have already possessed or not. But if children desire something, they will go for it, no matter what. Thomas Sawyer figures out “a great law of human action – A man or a boy will desire something if it is not easy”. He grasps that people forget how to do something on behalf of sincerity. Too many orientations and faked importance are a reason of it. He reminds us not to focus on the result but the process. “People stop when they almost find the box of gold” said he. Just be sincere; people do not need to undergo the lack of spirit at tow. 

Children show, not tell, their friendship. This distant gap of the adults and children’s ways of thinking come into sight when being asked from what point they should uncover their views of friendship. More often than not, not many adults are able to express their view in a couple of words. They are totally different from children who mostly have no idea what the word means. But, look at this! The mischievous Thomas shows the significance of friendship through his actions flawlessly. Here are some of the examples. Although Thomas has a quarrel with Becky Thatcher, he lets himself punished for her fault. Just like a good motivator does, Thomas also advises Huckleberry Finn not to leave Mrs. Douglas’ house and encourages him to adapt his new way of life.  And, at the end of the story, Huck speaks up his mind about their club and friends; “We will promise to help each other” he says. The children with a little or more of innocence obviously show what friendship is.

“Mischievousness, it is!” adults say, “Think out of the box!” children do. Adults are trapped in so-called homogeneity and monotonicity back and forth. They grumble every time but do nothing to make a change. They pleasantly go with the flow, no matter they undergo continuous torture on their mind and feeling  Children are different. With fresh imagination and what is called mischievousness by adults, they effortlessly put colors on their lives. Thomas conveys this meaning through simple words “Church will be pleasure when something different happens.” He thinks people should not fool themselves as if it is a sin to let them under the spotlight of others. Thomas together with Huckleberry Finn and Joe Harper enjoys earning praise and being spotlighted with joy (a couple of TIMES!); they do everything different from being some pirates to discovering a buried box of gold. 

To pique your interest in life could not be better without this humorous book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The clips of the adventures gift you great pleasure and entertainment in the hurly burly of life. But still, the book is a perfect pick for those who want to have such reflection during their days of fatigue or for those who feel that things go wrong. If you are currently suffocated by a long list of official work or paperwork and have no idea what it is for, reading this book will bring your faith back. The characters in the book are you in the past, when everything was full of joy, when anything was only waited for to raise up your challenge, when nothing was worried about but loved and when you dreamed of what you are now. Keep your head up high with the innocent voice of childhood in your mind!

Image credit: realismlit.blogspot.com