“Tom Sawyer and the Use of Novels” by Louis D. Rubin approaches Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer from an alternative point of view. Tom Sawyer has been frequently used to study South American history. For example, just looking at class discussions about the novel, most of the topics discussed were about history, such as racism and religion. Rubin conversely argues that "by using Tom Sawyer as a factual guide to life on the great river, we neglect it as literature..." and instead asks: "In short, what is this novel about as a novel ? (210). “Tom Sawyer and the Use of Novels” removes history from the conversation and focuses on setting, characters and plot, the “patterns” of literature. While I agree with some of Rubin's assertions, I struggle to fully accept other assertions. By reviewing these three traits of Tom Sawyer, Rubin is able to argue that the novel is less about the American historical period in which it is set, and more about the feelings and emotions of what American life means. The novel Rubin dissects is the setting. These paragraphs discussing setup in the review gave me the most problems. If Rubin's goal was to focus less on the "historical aspects of the novel," how could he fully discuss the context of the novel? The setting is what situates the novel in its historical subtext. Ironically, Rubin writes that the setting is actually essential: "All novels take place somewhere, of course, but in this case the somewhere is very important" (211). Instead of focusing on time, an artificial measurement, Rubin emphasizes the natural world. found in the text, particularly at Cardiff Hill, discussing specific scenes. Rubin writes: ...... middle of paper ...... reviews Tom's own distinct interactions with each character, each having its own conclusion. Rubin, however, writes: “The plot structure of the novel is oriented toward this ending [of the novel]” (210). In summary, Louis Rubin does something different with his review of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. By focusing on the novel as a literary work and exploring the setting, characters, and plot, Rubin is able to break the stigma that Tom Sawyer is strictly a historical story. Although there are some slight oversights and complications with Rubin's "Tom Sawyer and the Use of the Novels", the essay is able to critique and evaluate the true purpose of the novel aside from being a snapshot of the American history. Rubin ends his essay by writing: “It may not give us all the facts we want about American life, but it can… tell us what American life means.” (216).