In her August 10, 2010 Washington Post column, Anne Applebaum writes an interesting comparison between the consequences of bad behaviors for Mark Twain's two literary sons and for modern children. "Tom Sawyer and Today's Children: Same behavior, Different Treatment" contrasts Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn's behavior struggles and similar behavior issues in today's children. Her conclusion is that, "the behavior or actions of the children and the parents are familiar, [but] the society surrounding them is not." Applebaum is right; society is different, but Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn wouldn't be candidates for medication.
What Would Modern Society do With Tom and Huck?
Applebaum makes compelling points demonstrating that Tom and Huck turned out okay despite (or because of) their inability to fit in with society, and notes that for today's children, "Instead of striking out into the wilderness like Huck Finn, they get sent to psychologists and prescribed medication." What would modern society do with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn?
Aunt Polly would have been an involved guardian. She would have gone to parent conferences, taken Tom to counseling to grieve his parents, involved him in sports and church youth groups, and made sure he turned out okay, just as she did in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The parenting methods would have changed, but the love and commitment would be the same.
Huck Finn would have had some of the same early struggles. His father's alcoholic rages would have made his early years fearful and miserable. Eventually, his father's poor parenting and lack of care would have attracted the Department of Child Welfare, and Huckleberry Finn would have been placed in safer hands after a court battle, not unlike what Widow Thatcher tries to accomplish. By chapter 8, Huck is in the protective custody of Jim, who does not allow him to see the body of his father floating by.
Did Tom Sawyer Have ADHD or ODD?
Despite Applebaum's diagnoses, it is doubtful that doctors and educators would have reached for pills before trying behavior interventions, especially with Huck Finn. Although Tom is excitable and energetic, he is not ADHD. When Tom and Huck have to outsmart Injun Joe, Tom is focused and intent. When he watches his own funeral, he is aware of time and consequences. He is also not, as Applebaum suggests, ODD.
Tom understands how leadership works; throughout the novel he grows into a leader among boys. He does not defy the code of boys, nor does he oppose the rules that Becky Thatcher wants to live under. Tom is able to control his own behavior. A better example of ODD is Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caufield, who truly did not understand why he was compelled to rebel against his teachers and his family. Tom Sawyer didn't behave because he it wasn't worth it to him; when he wanted to behave, he did.
Did Huck Finn Have a Conduct Disorder?
Huck Finn, says Applebaum, has a conduct disorder. A better example of a literary character with a conduct disorder is Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, who killed animals to make the women in his life feel miserable. Huck Finn was an abused child who wanted to escape his current circumstances.
Huck knew people who were literally enslaved; Huck saw the value of physical freedom. Huck doesn't have Tom's assurance or confidence, and he doesn't have his happiness. He is trying to do the best with what he has. Huck Finn did not have a conduct disorder. He had a conscience.
When Huck Finn decides to reject Tom (who offered to let him join his band of robbers if Huck became respectable) and society by helping Jim, he says, "All right, then, I'll GO to hell." That is not an easy decision to make, and to accept condemnation out of an obligation to another person is clearly indicative of someone who has a higher morality than is surrounding society. Huck Finn's traumatic childhood explains why he never learned proper behavioral procedures and explains his loyalty to Jim, the adult who did protect him.
Although Anne Applebaum makes strong points about how people are quick to find medical labels for behaviors that existed long before prescription pads, the characters she uses to illustrate her column had other factors that explained their antics. Mark Twain might have advised Applebaum to find other characters. He introduces The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with the warning, "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
Sources:
"Tom Sawyer and Today's Children: Same behavior, Different Treatment" by Anne Applebaum was published in the Washington Post on August 10, 2010.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain was published in 1876. The version accessed for this article is the ebook available from Project Gutenberg, which was released as Ebook #74 in July, 2004.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in 1884. The version accessed for this article is the ebook available from Project Gutenberg, which was released as Ebook #76 in August, 2006.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
