The Adventures of Tom Sawyer · Chapter
XXXIII: The Fate of Injun Joe explained
Injun Joe is found dead inside McDougal's Cave, having starved to death.
What happens
Injun Joe is found dead inside McDougal's Cave, having starved to death. Tom Sawyer feels relief and pity. After the funeral, Tom reveals to Huck that the stolen treasure is hidden in the cave, and they set out to retrieve it, discovering a cross marked by candle-smoke that leads them to the treasure's location.
Themes in this chapter
Fear and Courage
Tom and Huck confront their fear of Injun Joe's ghost, ultimately overcoming it with the symbol of the cross.
Friendship and Loyalty
Tom confides in Huck about the treasure, and they work together to retrieve it, planning to form a gang.
Morality and Conscience
Tom feels pity for Injun Joe despite his crimes, and the chapter critiques the hypocritical petition for his pardon.
Characters to notice
- Tom Sawyer
Leads the discovery of Injun Joe's body, feels pity and relief, then takes Huck to find the hidden treasure.
- Huckleberry Finn
Learns about Tom's cave adventure and joins him to retrieve the treasure, initially fearing Injun Joe's ghost.
- Injun Joe
Found dead in the cave, starved to death, with his broken knife and makeshift cup for catching water.
- Judge Thatcher
Accompanies Tom in the skiff to the cave to discover Injun Joe's fate.
Key passages
“Injun Joe lay stretched upon the ground, dead, with his face close to the crack of the door, as if his longing eyes had been fixed, to the latest moment, upon the light and the cheer of the free world outside.”
Injun Joe was found dead, lying face-down near the cave door, as though he had been staring at the light and freedom of the outside world until his last breath.
Describes the poignant discovery of Injun Joe's body.
“Tom, it's a cross !”
Tom, that's a cross!
Huck's exclamation upon seeing the candle-smoke cross that marks the treasure's location.