The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Characters

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Character	Description
Tom Sawyer	Tom Sawyer is an orphan who lives with his aunt Polly. He has a penchant for trouble, although he ultimately has a good heart. Read More
Huck Finn	Huck Finn is one of Tom's closest friends. His father is a drunk, and Huck is without adult guidance. Read More
Aunt Polly	Aunt Polly is a kindhearted and trusting woman. She is raising Tom and Sid to the best of her abilities. Read More
Becky Thatcher	Becky is a new girl at school and the object of Tom's affection from the first time he sees her. She is often characterized as crying, walking away, or rejecting Tom. Read More
Joe Harper	Joe Harper is the third member of Tom's gang. He is one of Tom's closest friends and runs away with him and Huck. Read More
Injun Joe	Injun Joe is a criminal with a temper. Early on Tom and Huck see him committing murder, and their fear of him is a significant driver of the novel's action. Read More
Mr. Dobbins	Mr. Dobbins is the schoolteacher. As was typical for teachers at this time, he is free with physical punishment.
Widow Douglas	Widow Douglas is a target of Injun Joe because her late husband embarrassed him by having him horsewhipped. At the end of the story she becomes Huck's guardian.
Mrs. Harper	Mrs. Harper (Sereny) is Joe's mother.
Jim	Jim is Aunt Polly's young slave.
Amy Lawrence	A schoolmate of Tom and Becky's, Amy is the girl Tom uses to make Becky jealous. Amy is eager for Tom's approval.
Mary	Mary is Tom's cousin; she's affectionate toward him despite his trouble with following rules. She bribes him to get him to memorize his verses.
Muff Potter	Muff Potter is a drunk who is misled into believing he is a murderer. His imprisonment and trial lead Tom to reveal what he saw in the graveyard.
Dr. Robinson	Like a lot of physicians at the time, Dr. Robinson needs a corpse to study anatomy and so plans to rob a grave. He is murdered by Injun Joe during the body snatching.
Ben Rogers	Ben is a friend of Tom's who is duped into whitewashing the fence.
Sid	Sid (Sidney) is Tom's half-brother, who also lives with Aunt Polly. He's keen on getting Tom into trouble, and he regularly sees through Tom's lies.
Reverend Sprague	Reverend Sprague is the minister at the church.
Alfred Temple	Alfred is a classmate of Tom and Becky's. Becky spends time looking at a picture book with him to make Tom jealous.
Judge Thatcher	Judge Thatcher is Becky's father, and at the end of the book he helps manage Tom's money and plan for his future.
Mrs. Thatcher	Mrs. Thatcher is Becky's mother.
Mr. Walters	Mr. Walters is the Sunday school superintendent (in charge of the Sunday school) and very officious.
The Welchman	Mr. Jones, the Welchman (sometimes spelled Welshman depending on the book's edition), answers Huck's knock when he seeks help for Widow Douglas. At Huck's word he goes to protect the widow.

Context Character Analysis

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