The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer

Also known as Thomas Sawyer · The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main

The mischievous boy at the center of the story, raised by his Aunt Polly alongside his half-brother Sid and cousin Mary. He is imaginative and rebellious; while playing pirates, he calls himself the Black Avenger of the Spanish Main.

Aunt Polly

Tom’s aunt and guardian, and the sister of his late mother. She tries to discipline him but is deeply affectionate and often softens toward him.

Jim

A small Black boy in Aunt Polly’s household who helps with chores. Tom tricks him into whitewashing the fence.

Sid

Also known as Sidney · Siddy

Tom’s quiet younger half-brother, who often follows the rules and sometimes gets Tom into trouble by pointing out his mischief.

Tom’s mother

Aunt Polly’s deceased sister and Tom’s mother; she is mentioned but does not appear directly.

The new boy

A well-dressed boy who recently moved to St. Petersburg and fights with Tom. His name is not given in this passage.

The new boy’s mother

The unnamed mother of the new boy; she scolds Tom after the boys’ fight.

Ben Rogers

Also known as Benjamin Rogers

A boy Tom persuades to whitewash the fence by making the chore seem desirable. He later joins Tom’s school and the boys’ adventures.

Billy Fisher

A boy who takes a turn whitewashing Tom’s fence in exchange for a kite.

Johnny Miller

A boy who takes a turn whitewashing Tom’s fence in exchange for a dead rat and its string.

Joe Harper

Also known as The Terror of the Seas · Joseph Harper

Tom’s close friend and the general of the opposing boys’ army. He joins Tom and Huckleberry Finn in make-believe outlaw adventures and their plan to run away as pirates.

The new girl

Also known as Becky Thatcher · Rebecca Thatcher

Judge Thatcher’s daughter, who captures Tom’s attention and becomes his schoolmate and sweetheart. She is grateful when Tom takes punishment to protect her from being exposed for tearing the schoolmaster’s book.

Amy Lawrence

Tom’s former sweetheart, who had confessed her affection shortly before he became interested in Becky.

Mary

Tom and Sid’s cousin, who is kind and patient with Tom and helps him prepare for Sunday school.

Sunday-school teacher

An unnamed elderly teacher who reprimands Tom and oversees his class.

Sunday-school superintendent

Also known as Mr. Walters

The earnest superintendent who awards Tom a Bible after he presents enough tickets, unaware that Tom acquired them by trading.

The German boy

An unnamed pupil who once recited thousands of Bible verses to win tickets; the strain reportedly left him with greatly impaired faculties.

Lawyer Thatcher

The local lawyer and brother of Judge Thatcher; he attends Sunday school with the visitors.

Judge Thatcher

Also known as the county judge

A respected county judge and Becky’s father. He praises Tom’s apparent Bible-learning achievement and asks him to name disciples.

Judge Thatcher’s wife

The dignified, unnamed wife of Judge Thatcher and Becky’s mother; she accompanies them to Sunday school.

The minister

Also known as Rev. Mr. Sprague

The village minister who reads notices, prays, and preaches the Sunday sermon. He leads the funeral service for Tom, Joe, and Huck.

The poodle

A visiting dog who plays with Tom’s pinchbug during the sermon and is painfully bitten by it.

The poodle’s master

An unnamed churchgoer whose lap the poodle jumps into; he throws the dog out the window.

The model boy

Also known as Willie Mufferson

The exceptionally well-behaved village boy, admired by adults and disliked by the other boys.

Huckleberry Finn

Also known as Huck · Hucky · Finn the Red-Handed

The town drunkard’s son, an independent, unruly boy who lives outside the rules of school and family. He is Tom’s close companion in their graveyard and treasure-hunting adventures.

The town drunkard

Also known as Huckleberry’s father · Pap

Huckleberry Finn’s father, known in town as a drunkard. Huckleberry says he once believed Mother Hopkins was bewitching him.

Bob Tanner

A boy whose supposed wart cure is recounted by Huckleberry as hearsay.

Jeff Thatcher

A boy who passes along a story about Bob Tanner’s wart cure; his relation to Becky is not specified.

Johnny Baker

A boy who passes along the story about Bob Tanner’s wart cure.

Jim Hollis

A boy who passes along the story about Bob Tanner’s wart cure. After the measles, he calls his recovery a warning and later acts as judge in a children’s mock trial.

The unnamed Black man

An unnamed man who is the last link in the chain of hearsay about Bob Tanner’s wart cure before Huckleberry hears it.

Old Mother Hopkins

Also known as Mother Hopkins

An old woman whom Huckleberry says told him that dead cats can cure warts. The boys believe she is a witch.

Joe Harper’s mother

Also known as Sereny Harper · Mrs. Harper · old Miss Harper

Joe Harper’s mother, who whips him after wrongly accusing him of drinking cream. She grieves for Joe when he is presumed drowned.

Hoss Williams

Also known as Mister Williams · old Hoss Williams · Horse Williams

A recently buried man whose corpse the boys expect devils to carry away; Huckleberry plans to use his grave in the dead-cat wart charm.

The tick

A live tick Tom trades Huckleberry for a tooth. Tom and Joe later play with it at school.

Schoolmaster

Also known as the master · Mr. Dobbins

The severe teacher at Tom’s school, who punishes pupils and longs to become a doctor. His schoolroom book and bald head become the targets of the boys’ revenge before vacation.

Becky’s father

Also known as Becky’s pa

The unnamed father of Becky Thatcher, who plans to take her to the circus if she is good.

Jimmy Hodges

A boy who has recently died; Tom envies him while feeling miserable in the woods.

Guy of Guisborne

The outlaw character Joe plays during a make-believe sword fight with Tom, who plays Robin Hood.

Robin Hood

The legendary outlaw Tom pretends to be during his Sherwood Forest adventure with Joe Harper. Tom later tells Huck about Robin Hood’s generosity to the poor.

Friar Tuck

A character in the Sherwood Forest stories whom Joe and Tom consider playing during their make-believe combat.

Much the miller’s son

A character in the Sherwood Forest stories whom Joe and Tom consider playing during their make-believe combat.

The Sheriff of Nottingham

A character Tom offers to play in his make-believe Sherwood Forest adventure with Joe Harper.

The treacherous nun

A character in the Sherwood Forest stories whom Tom plays during his make-believe death scene.

Muff Potter

Also known as old Muff Potter · Potter

A poor, often-drunk man who helps Injun Joe and Doctor Robinson rob a grave. Injun Joe murders the doctor and frames Potter, but Tom’s testimony clears him; Potter is grateful to Tom and Huck.

Injun Joe

Also known as the half-breed · the Spaniard · the deaf and dumb Spaniard

A formidable man who helps rob a grave and murders Doctor Robinson after an old grievance. He frames Muff Potter, escapes after Tom testifies, and plots revenge while hiding stolen treasure with a companion.

Doctor Robinson

Also known as the young doctor · Sawbones

A young doctor who hires Muff Potter and Injun Joe to dig up a corpse. Injun Joe murders him and frames Potter.

Bull Harbison

A named figure whose nighttime howl Tom recognizes at first; a note explains that the name could refer to Harbison’s son or dog, depending on context.

The stray dog

A dog whose howling frightens Tom and Huckleberry and seems to them to foretell a death.

Johnny Miller’s householder

An unnamed resident of Johnny Miller’s household, where a stray dog reportedly howled around midnight; the passage does not say who lived there.

Gracie Miller

A girl who is badly burned in a kitchen fire and is recovering; the boys discuss a superstition that her accident foretold death.

The Sheriff

The unnamed village law officer who brings Muff Potter to the graveyard and presents the knife identified as Potter’s.

The unnamed citizen

A villager who reportedly encountered Muff Potter washing himself in a creek during the night of Doctor Robinson’s murder.

The unnamed graveyard witness

A villager who identifies the knife found near Doctor Robinson’s body as belonging to Muff Potter.

Peter

Aunt Polly’s yellow cat. Tom gives him Pain-killer, causing him to race wildly through the house.

Bill Turner

A person who drowned the previous summer; the boys recall that a cannon was fired over the water during the search for him.

Mary Austin

A girl at Tom and Becky’s school whom Becky invites to her planned picnic.

Grace Miller

A girl at Tom and Becky’s school whom Becky invites to her planned picnic.

Sally Rogers

A girl at Tom and Becky’s school whom Becky invites to her planned picnic.

Susy Harper

Also known as Susan Harper

A girl at Tom and Becky’s school, apparently Joe Harper’s sister, whom Becky invites to her planned picnic.

Alfred Temple

A well-dressed boy from St. Louis who looks at a picture-book with Becky. He spills ink on Tom’s spelling-book after realizing Becky had used him to make Tom jealous.

Miss Peters

An unnamed teacher whose Sunday-school class Mary Austin says she attends.

The signpainter’s boy

An unnamed boy whose father houses Schoolmaster. He helps the pupils’ revenge scheme by gilding the master’s bald head and arranging for a cat to pull off his wig.

Schoolmaster’s wife

The unnamed wife of Schoolmaster, who is expected to visit the country during the pupils’ revenge scheme.

The young lawyer

An unnamed lawyer who occupies room No. 2 at the town’s best tavern.

The tavern-keeper’s young son

An unnamed boy who tells Tom that room No. 2 at the less fashionable tavern is kept locked and seems haunted.

Injun Joe’s companion

Also known as the ragged man · the comrade · pard · the stranger

An unnamed, ragged man who accompanies Injun Joe and helps uncover and move a cache of stolen money. He takes part in Joe’s attempted attack on Widow Douglas and drowns while trying to escape.

Nance

The wife of Injun Joe’s unnamed companion, mentioned when Joe tells him to return home to her and their children.

Injun Joe’s companion’s children

The unnamed children of Injun Joe’s companion, mentioned when Joe tells him to go home to Nance.

Murrel

A person associated with Murrel’s gang, which the unnamed companion says was rumored to have been in the area; the text does not identify Murrel further.

Old Judge Frazer

Also known as Judge Frazer

A justice of the peace whose expected public funeral briefly gives Tom hope of displaying his Cadets of Temperance regalia. He recovers, then suffers a relapse and dies.

Mr. Benton

A United States senator who visits for the Fourth of July. Tom expects him to be enormous and is disappointed by his ordinary stature.

The mayor of the village

An unnamed mayor who presents the prize for the evening’s best composition and praises it by comparing its eloquence to Daniel Webster’s.

The little boy reciter

An unnamed young pupil who nervously recites a comic verse at the school examination.

The little girl reciter

An unnamed pupil who recites “Mary had a little lamb” at the school examination.

The slim, melancholy girl

An unnamed young pupil who reads a poem about leaving Alabama at the school examination.

The dark-complexioned young lady

An unnamed, black-haired pupil who reads the prize-winning composition “A Vision” at the school examination.

Daniel Webster

A prominent public figure mentioned by the village mayor, who says Webster might be proud of the winning school composition.

Benjamin Franklin

Also known as Franklin

A historical figure whose supposed power over lightning is invoked in the student composition “A Vision.”

Richard

Also known as the old humpbacked Richard

A king mentioned in Tom and Huck’s conversation about treasure and kings; no fuller identity is given.

The old Welshman

Also known as Mr. Jones

A kindly Welsh resident of Cardiff Hill who shelters Huck and his two sons. He and his sons interrupt Injun Joe’s attempted attack on Widow Douglas, and he protects Huck’s identity while giving him refuge.

The Welshman’s first son

One of the old Welshman’s two tall sons. He joins his father in confronting Injun Joe and searching for him.

The Welshman’s second son

One of the old Welshman’s two tall sons. He joins his father in confronting Injun Joe and searching for him.

Widow Douglas

Also known as Mrs. Douglas

A kind, wealthy widow whom Injun Joe targets for revenge because her late husband, a justice of the peace, had him jailed and horsewhipped. She takes charge of the sick Huck, offers him a home and education, and invests his share of the treasure.

Becky’s mother

Also known as Mrs. Thatcher · Judge Thatcher’s wife

The unnamed wife of Judge Thatcher and Becky’s mother. She is distraught when Becky is believed lost in the cave.