The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Tom Sawyer Quotes

Tom Sawyer

Quote 22

"O, lordy, I'm thankful!" whispered Tom. "I know his voice. It's Bull Harbison."

(Note: If Mr. Harbison had owned a slave named Bull, Tom would have spoken of him as "Harbison's Bull," but a son or a dog of that name was "Bull Harbison.") (10.42-43)

Here, something as simple as a naming system emphasizes how demeaning slavery is; slaves, we are told, are referred to like possessions, while dogs are named like sons.

"Oh, Tom, I reckon we're goners. I reckon there ain't no mistake 'bout where I'll go to. I been so wicked."

"Dad fetch it! This comes of playing hookey and doing everything a feller's told not to do. I might a been good, like Sid, if I'd a tried -- but no, I wouldn't, of course. But if ever I get off this time, I lay I'll just waller in Sunday-schools!" And Tom began to snuffle a little.

"You bad!" and Huckleberry began to snuffle too. "Consound it, Tom Sawyer, you're just old pie, 'longside o' what I am. Oh, lordy, lordy, lordy, I wisht I only had half your chance." (10.51-53)

Though Tom and Huck do not much like church or Sunday school – Huck doesn't even attend – they both worry about going to hell.