Submitted by Grade 10 Student for ISU Conflict paragraph.

Conflict in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

“Without conflict there is no progression.” (William Blake). This quote certainly rings

true in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, where Tom Sawyer moves

towards maturity through a conflict of man versus self. In the narrative, Tom Sawyer and

his friend, Huckleberry Finn, have just witnessed a murder. They swear themselves to

secrecy believing that should the murderer, Injun Joe, discover their knowledge, they will

be his next victims. The boys become increasingly apprehensive when the wrong person,

Muff Potter, is accused and sentenced to death – with the murderer standing as the

witness. For a while, Tom Sawyer battles with himself over whether or not he should

break the oath of secrecy and risk his life to confess the truth, thereby saving the life of

an innocent man. “…During this time of sorrow, Tom watched his opportunity and went

to a little grated jail window and smuggled such small comforts through to the ‘murderer’

as he could get a hold of.” (pg 99-100) For the first time in his life, Tom Sawyer is

thinking seriously about a situation and has to deal with issues surrounding right versus

wrong. Prior to this, the only issue that ever caused Tom sorrow was anything that

endangered his selfish desires. Now, he is concerned about justice, and the part he has

played in bringing injustice to the innocent. The fact that Tom “smuggled small

comforts” to the “murderer” shows a new considerate character trait developing in Tom.

In trying to ease his conscience, he has finally begun to consider the well-being of

someone other than himself. Eventually, he testifies as a witness in court because “Tom’s

harassed conscience had managed to drive him to the lawyer’s house by night and wring

a dread tale from lips that had been sealed with the dismalest [sic] and most formidable of

oaths.” (pg 193). This drives home a recurring theme throughout the novel: maturity

comes through inner pain and sacrifice. In this conflict, the thing that causes Tom the

most sorrow is his “harassed conscience.” His ultimate level of becoming considerate of

others is when he sacrifices his own fear and safety to save the life of an innocent man.

Therefore, the conflict over conscience that Tom Sawyer experiences aids him in his

progression towards maturity.