Mark Twain wrote his novels from past experiences in his life. The characters, setting, and society in the books The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are described by the way Twain had experienced. The only difference was that he wrote the books from the perspective of young boys. This made the novels more adventurous and creative, even though it was not precisely what Twain had encountered throughout his life. In both books, many similarities between Mark Twain's experiences and those of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are expressed.
In Tom Sawyer, Twain made Tom a unique character with characteristics very much like his own. Tom was from St. Petersburg, Missouri, another recreation of where Twain himself grew up; Hannibal, Missouri. Moreover, Tom's parents died, leaving him an orphan. He was lucky that his Aunt Polly had excepted him in her home or else he would have had a tougher life. Twain, at the age of twelve, had also lost his father, yet experienced a more challenging life than Tom Sawyer. His father had left the family with very little money, which led Twain to work as a printer's apprentice like his brother, Orion. While experimenting with writing, he learned to write humorous pieces, which had an impact on Tom Sawyer. Besides all the themes and lessons in the book, it was comical, especially since it is about the adventures of young boys.
Mark Twain also reflected on his own childhood in Huckleberry Finn. Huck Finn was from Missouri and throughout the book traveled through the Mississippi River. The river was well described and Huck always depicted where he was or was heading to. The reason why Twain had described the setting in the book was because knew the Mississippi River very well given that he was a riverboat pilot for three years. In Huckleberry Finn, Twain also revealed how he felt about the government. When Huck's father tried to take Huck's six thousand dollars, Widow Douglas and Judge Thatcher tried to take custody of Huck.
