Abstract

Satire, as one important figure of speech, holds an important place in literature. As a good satirist, Mark Twain created many famous works. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876, mainly depicting the adventures of Tom Sawyer in a small town near the Mississippi River before the Civil War broke out in America. This small town can be seen as a microcosm of American society in the 19th century. Through comparing the innocence of a child to his dull social surroundings, Mark Twain exposes and satirizes the seamy side of the society at that time: the religious hypocrisy, the educational rigidity and the social sordidness. As to this thesis, through analyzing some plots in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer in detail, the purpose and meaning of Mark Twain writing this novel can be dissected so that it can help readers know better about the American society in the 19th century.

Key Words: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer  Satire  American society  
 
摘  要

讽刺作为一种重要的修辞手法在文学上拥有很重要的地位。作为一位伟大的讽刺文学家，马克•吐温创造了许多著名的作品。小说《汤姆•索亚历险记》出版于1876年，主要描写的是美国南北战争爆发前，密西西比河附近的一个小镇中的男孩汤姆•索亚的冒险经历，小说中的小城镇可以看成是当时美国社会的一个缩影。通过对比天真活泼的童心和陈腐乏味的社会环境，马克•吐温揭露并讽刺了当时美国社会的种种弊端：宗教的虚伪，教育的死板和社会风气的腐败。本文通过对《汤姆•索亚历险记》中某些情节的具体分析，从而剖析出马克•吐温的写作目的和意义，来帮助读者更好的了解当时19世纪的美国社会。

关键词： 《汤姆•索亚历险记》 讽刺 美国社会

1 Introduction
   Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known as his pen name Mark Twain, is a famous American satirist. He grew up in the river town of Hannibal Missouri. So his writings mainly show the life around the Missouri River. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer published in 1876 depicts to the daily life of the people in the town of St.Petersburg which is on the banks of the Mississippi River. At that time, the Civil War in America just came to an end. And the social conflicts were becoming increasingly acute. Mark Twain felt mournful about the American society. In addition, he recalled the colorful life before the war. So Mark Twain explains that his purpose of writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was “to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in”.