In "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876), the main story surrounds the murder of Dr. Robinson by Injun Joe, which is witnessed by Tom and Huckleberry Finn. Another man is wrongly convicted of the crime, but Tom testifies that Injun Joe committed the crime. Joe escapes and later tries to kill Tom and his friend/girlfriend, Becky Thatcher. The children escape and Joe is killed.
Tom Sawyer is a minor character in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884), and his immaturity puts in peril Huck's plan to rescue the slave Jim. Tom also appears in two other Twain novels: "Tom Sawyer Abroad" (1894) and "Tom Sawyer, Detective" (1896). The character was to appear in three other works that Twain did not finish (although all three were published posthumously), including "Schoolhouse Hill," "Huck and Tom Among the Indians" and "Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy."
Tom Sawyer was about 12 years old and his family included his aunt Polly, cousin Mary and half-brother, Sid. Polly is the sister of Tom's dead mother, whose death Twain never explained. They live on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Petersburg, Missouri.
Mark Twain worked with a reporter named Tom Sawyer at the "San Francisco Call" newspaper, and some believe this to be the inspiration for the character's name. In the introduction to "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Twain says Tom's characteristics come from a mixture of three friends Twain grew up with.
"Sawyer" also is a term used by boat pilots on the Mississippi river to describe a tree in the river bed with branches that move up and down on the surface along with the flow of the current. Twain was a riverboat pilot before becoming a reporter and novelist, and many of his stories arise from his experiences on the water.