Exploring the Delineation of Nostalgia for the Pre-industrialized American Society in Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer

Abstract

This paper deals with the representation of the pre-industrial social order which has its effective representation in Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or popularly known as Tom Sawyer. The novel is among the classics of American literature despite it being a period piece of art. The social milieu and the economic structure of the American society have completely altered. The organization of society and culture of America has undergone a huge transformation after industrialization and digital evolution. Nor does the eternal conflict between good and evil have resonance with the current situations. Yet the novel is a part of the contemporary literary and popular discourse. The most important aspect of this sustained popularity and appeal of the novel mostly owes to Mark Twain's nostalgic delineation of the pre-industrialized society. The world view, the social and natural ecology described in the novel has so much to teach and seek solace in for the modern readers. This paper deals with the thematic concerns of the novel which have contemporary appeal and relevance. The novel is a living picture of the past that had a calming and soothing lifestyle; the world-order which is no longer accessible to the modern generations.