<Tr> <Th> Text </Th> <Td> The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at Wikisource </Td> </Tr> <P> The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River . It is set in the 1840s in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy . In the novel Tom has several adventures, often with his friend, Huck . One such adventure, Tom's whitewashing of a fence, has been adapted into paintings and referenced in other pieces of popular culture . Originally a commercial failure the book ended up being the best selling of any of Twain's works during his lifetime . </P> <P> Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half - brother Sid . He skips school to swim and is made to whitewash the fence the next day as punishment . He cleverly persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work . </P> <P> Tom falls in love with Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get "engaged" by kissing him . But their romance collapses when she learns Tom has been "engaged" previously to Amy Lawrence . Becky cried for a great deal of time until the other students began to notice, and she became embarrassed . Shortly after Becky shuns him, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn to the graveyard at night, where they witness a trio of body snatchers, Dr. Robinson, Muff Potter, and Injun Joe, getting into a fight in which Robinson is murdered by Injun Joe . Tom and Huckleberry Finn swear a blood oath to not tell anyone about the murder, as they feel that if they do, Injun Joe would murder them . </P>

Who did tom sawyer tricked into painting the fence