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The Adventures of Tom Sawyerby Mark Twain (adapted excerpt)Judge Thatcher hoped to see Tom a great lawyer or a great soldier some day. He said he meant to look to it that Tom should be admitted to the National Military Academy and afterward trained in the best law school in the country, in order that he might be ready for either career or both.Huck Finn's wealth and the fact that he was now under the Widow Douglas' protection introduced him into society—no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it—and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. The widow's servants kept him clean and neat, combed and brushed, and they bedded him nightly in unsympathetic sheets that had not one little spot or stain which he could press to his heart and know for a friend. He had to eat with a knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and plate; he had to learn; he had to talk so properly that speech was become insipid in his mouth; the bars and shackles of civilization shut him in and bound him hand and foot.1Select the correct answer.What theme does the excerpt most clearly reflect? A. It reflects the theme of innocence and the joys of being a child. B. It reflects the theme of isolation and lack of social connections. C. It reflects the theme of childhood expectations and their impact on future choices. D. It reflects the theme of conflict between individual freedom and social expectations.

Question

The Adventures of Tom Sawyerby Mark Twain (adapted excerpt)Judge Thatcher hoped to see Tom a great lawyer or a great soldier some day. He said he meant to look to it that Tom should be admitted to the National Military Academy and afterward trained in the best law school in the country, in order that he might be ready for either career or both.Huck Finn's wealth and the fact that he was now under the Widow Douglas' protection introduced him into society—no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it—and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. The widow's servants kept him clean and neat, combed and brushed, and they bedded him nightly in unsympathetic sheets that had not one little spot or stain which he could press to his heart and know for a friend. He had to eat with a knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and plate; he had to learn; he had to talk so properly that speech was become insipid in his mouth; the bars and shackles of civilization shut him in and bound him hand and foot.1Select the correct answer.What theme does the excerpt most clearly reflect? A. It reflects the theme of innocence and the joys of being a child. B. It reflects the theme of isolation and lack of social connections. C. It reflects the theme of childhood expectations and their impact on future choices. D. It reflects the theme of conflict between individual freedom and social expectations.

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Solution

To determine the correct theme reflected in the excerpt, let's analyze the key points step by step:

  1. Judge Thatcher's Expectations for Tom:

    • Judge Thatcher hopes Tom will become a great lawyer or soldier.
    • He plans to ensure Tom is admitted to the National Military Academy and the best law school.
    • This indicates a strong expectation for Tom's future career and societal role.
  2. Huck Finn's Situation:

    • Huck is introduced into society due to his wealth and the Widow Douglas' protection.
    • He suffers from the constraints of civilized life, such as cleanliness, proper dining etiquette, and formal speech.
    • Huck feels trapped by the "bars and shackles of civilization," indicating a conflict between his desire for freedom and societal expectations.
  3. Themes Analysis:

    • A. Innocence and the joys of being a child: The excerpt does not focus on the joys of childhood but rather on the pressures and constraints placed on the characters.
    • B. Isolation and lack of social connections: While Huck feels out of place, the primary focus is not on isolation but on the societal pressures he faces.
    • C. Childhood expectations and their impact on future choices: This is relevant to Tom's situation, as Judge Thatcher has clear expectations for his future.
    • D. Conflict between individual freedom and social expectations: This is most evident in Huck's experience, where he feels constrained by societal norms and expectations.

Given the analysis, the theme that most clearly reflects the excerpt is:

D. It reflects the theme of conflict between individual freedom and social expectations.

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Similar Questions

he Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain1 You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly--Tom's Aunt Polly, she is--and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is all told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers, as I said before.2 Now the way that the book winds up is this: Tom and me found the money that the robbers hid in the cave, and it made us rich. We got six thousand dollars apiece--all gold. It was an awful sight of money when it was piled up. Well, Judge Thatcher he took it and put it out at interest, and it fetched us a dollar a day apiece all the year round --more than a body could tell what to do with. The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back.Question 1The author's choice to have Huckleberry Finn narrate his own storyResponsesA lends the work a dark and serious tone.lends the work a dark and serious tone.B lends the work a captivating, tense tone.lends the work a captivating, tense tone.C lends the work a surprisingly hostile tone.lends the work a surprisingly hostile tone.D lends the work an informal, lighthearted tone.

From Twain's behavior when the Captain confronts him about what he has done to Brown, you can infer that Twain

What does the Captain do when he learns that Twain attacked Brown?

. What is the setting of this passage by Mark Twain?The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe river went on rising and rising, for ten or twelve days. The water was three or four feet deep in the low places on the island. Daytimes we paddled all over the island in the canoe. We went winding in and out among the trees. In some places the vines hung so thick we had to back out and go some other way.a raftthe roadthe rivera canoe

Early on, Twain says his young friends had "transient ambitions," meaning that                *10 pointsthey only wanted to work on the river and would not consider any other jobs.they frequently changed their minds about what they wanted to do.they knew they had to go to school for many years to reach their goal.

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