# Endnotes explained — The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

> Chapter companion for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

## 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/endnotes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tom_sawyer_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters