The Adventures of Tom Sawyer · Chapter
Endnotes explained
This chapter provides explanatory notes on regional language, naming conventions, and the source of the schoolgirl compositions quoted earlier in the book.
What happens
This chapter provides explanatory notes on regional language, naming conventions, and the source of the schoolgirl compositions quoted earlier in the book.
Key passages
“If Mr. Harbison 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.””
The naming convention distinguishes between a slave (owner's name first) and a family member or pet (given name first).
Clarifies regional social hierarchy in naming.
“The pretended “compositions” quoted in this chapter are taken without alteration from a volume entitled Prose and Poetry, by a Western Lady —but they are exactly and precisely after the schoolgirl pattern, and hence are much happier than any mere imitations could be.”
The compositions in the chapter are real excerpts from a book by a Western Lady, perfectly matching the style of schoolgirl writing, making them more effective than any imitation.
Acknowledges the source and authenticity of the quoted material.