Tom Loses a Tooth

Tom's attempt to avoid school

Tom's attempt to avoid school is not a single act but a carefully escalating sequence of strategies. He begins with a stomach ache, which fails to con

Tom's fake deathbed scene is

Tom's fake deathbed scene is the comic climax of the story. He groans loudly enough to wake Sid, delivers a solemn farewell speech forgiving Sid 'for

Aunt Polly is one of

Aunt Polly is one of the most memorable figures in American comic fiction. In this extract she is depicted as a woman of genuine warmth, practical int

The story does not end

The story does not end with Tom's defeat. After losing the tooth and being sent to school, Tom discovers on the way that the gap left in his mouth all

Twain's narrating voice is warm

Twain's narrating voice is warm, knowing, and entirely sympathetic to Tom. He writes as someone who remembers boyhood perfectly and judges it not at a