Tom Sawyer - The Book Every High School Student Should Read! by Hunter

Tom Sawyer - The Book Every High School Student Should Read! by Hunter - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

I believe that all high school students before graduation should read the old classic novel Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) written by Mark Twain. This book is cleverly written, if not a bit antiquated. Honestly this timeless classic is more readable for high school students looking for an adventure. The main character in this book comes from a real life inspiration of a man that Twain was familiar with through his employment as a reporter in San Francisco. The real life Tom Sawyer was a fireman who told Twain about his adventures as a youth. Twain was so fascinated with the stories that he created four books depicting stories that came from the original tales of the real life Sawyer.

In the novel Tom has best friends who are very near and dear and diverse (which is very helpful in today’s society for anyone). As high school students we have this need to fit in and be accepted by our peers. It is not always easy to know which ‘group’ to become a part of in school. Often times we feel outcast or different, never knowing really where we fit in. In this book we can get a sense of real human thought and interaction between friends and yes, even girls. Since his friends are a very diverse group it further helps high school students to both accept others and themselves for who they are rather than trying to be someone they are not.

Tom goes through a lot of heart ache and mishaps trying to show Becky how much he cares for her. Using his looks, his charm and his very bold readiness for adventure he tries to win her love. This shows us that life is not easy but it can be fun and it can always be an adventure. It also helps to understand the very elusive male female relationships that are so misunderstood in high school. Most of my friends go from one relationship to another in a blink of the eye, never really understanding what they are feeling. Twain really helps us to better understand how relationships work.

For all those high school students who feel like an outcast reading this book can really inspire them to look for and find the friends and adventure that means the most to them individually. Not only is reading this book an educational experience for growth and human contact as a young person, but it also helps with language development and understanding of complex ideas. Since this book is a classic it is widely accepted as a well written and wonderfully developed story line which can only add to the knowledge base of any high school student. With so many books we are required to read, this should by far be the most assigned one.