Books allow people to escape reality and be able to hear others’ stories and imagination through writing. Books can teach lessons, retell memoirs, and have an assortment of genres to show these themes. Some of these books have been able to withstand the test of time and convey a universal theme to many because of their immense popularity, these are called classics.

Classics are known for being read by millions of people and these books have been around for decades or centuries. Books such as Tom Sawyer, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Little Women are all classics because they have been read for generations. These books have been read because they have been written by famous others, like Mark Twain, and they teach valuable lessons. In Tom Sawyer, the main protagonist, Tom, goes about his adventures portraying Tom Sawyer with universal themes, relating to the reader, and just being a well written novel. Scenes from Tom Sawyer make it a classic, “They kept face to face and eye to eye all the time. Finally, Tom said: “I can lick you! I’d like to see you try it.”” which shows a scramble with Tom and an assumed rich boy quarreling over nothing.

Every book has a theme within it no matter how obvious it is. Classics are known for their universal themes that teach people to be a better person. Throughout Tom Sawyer, Tom goes about his adventures by making real life decisions that many people can relate to. In the story, Tom has been known for working smarter and not harder, “Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart,” which shows how Tom was able to convince Ben to paint the fence for him (Twain 14). This can be implemented into real life to work smarter and more efficient rather than putting effort doing something the wrong way. In Tom Sawyer, Tom also keeps his sense of adventure throughout the book. Most of our lives we are taught to just follow orders and stay focused on a one way journey, but in reality we should stand out and keep our sense of adventure to try new things. Tom tries to be a pirate because he doesn’t want to live the rest of his life like everyone else, “He would be a pirate! That was it! Now his future lay plain before him, and glowing with unimaginable splendor (Twain 63). Classics are able to tell people a story that relates to the reader through themes.

Classics have been passed down from generation to generation by withstanding the test of time. They can pass through decades and centuries because of their universal themes which relate to the reader. Books like Tom Sawyer are called a classic not only for its plot, but for its themes and being able to relate to the reader.