The Adventures of Tom Sawyer · Chapter
XXVII: Trembling on the Trail explained
Tom and Huck plan to find the hidden treasure by investigating the mysterious No.
What happens
Tom and Huck plan to find the hidden treasure by investigating the mysterious No. 2 room in a tavern, while Tom struggles with doubts about whether his adventure was real or a dream.
Themes in this chapter
Fear and Courage
Tom and Huck grapple with fear of Injun Joe while mustering courage to pursue the treasure.
Adventure and Imagination
The boys' plan to break into No. 2 and their belief in hidden treasure highlight their adventurous spirit.
Characters to notice
- Tom Sawyer
Tom is tormented by dreams of treasure and plans to investigate No. 2 with Huck.
- Huckleberry Finn
Huck is melancholy but agrees to help Tom track Injun Joe and the treasure.
- Injun Joe
Injun Joe is mentioned as a threat who may seek revenge and is associated with the mysterious No. 2.
Key passages
“Four times he had his hands on that rich treasure and four times it wasted to nothingness in his fingers as sleep forsook him and wakefulness brought back the hard reality of his misfortune.”
Tom dreamed repeatedly of grabbing the treasure, only to wake up empty-handed.
Illustrates Tom's obsession and the dreamlike quality of his adventure.
“If his notions of hidden treasure had been analyzed, they would have been found to consist of a handful of real dimes and a bushel of vague, splendid, ungraspable dollars.”
Tom's idea of treasure was a mix of a few actual coins and many imaginary riches.
Highlights Tom's youthful naivety about wealth.
“Tom, if we'd 'a' left the blame tools at the dead tree, we'd 'a' got the money. Oh, ain't it awful!”
Huck laments that forgetting the tools cost them the treasure.
Shows Huck's regret and confirms the adventure was real.