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Tom Brown's Schooldays

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This book is about the life and coming of age of a young wealthy English boy, who goes to school at Rugby. Throughout the novel, we are witnesses to the growing up of Tom and his friends. Tom is not a model boy, but rough, virile and self-confident, as is his friend East, a smart and audacious guy. The story is funny and entertaining, and is also illustrative about life in the English boarding schools (for affluent people) in the XIX century. It is also a bildungsroman, that is, the story of the education and maturation of a young person. Although the story contains carefully hidden, and sometimes easily identifiable, morals, it is not a long lecture. It is easy to read and understand, and I consider it highly recommendable.

This is one of my favorite books. Hughes,the author, developes a wonderful atmosphere in this story, you feel as if you are in this 19th century English boarding school with Tom. You taste, smell, and hear the experiences in this book. It is educational about what life was like at that time in England for a boy like Tom. But it is the plot that endears this classic to me. Tom is a rough and tumble lad who cares little about character and education. This book is about a young carefree boy who matures into a young man who has a deep faith in Jesus Christ. I recommend this book to anyone.

On seeing the title "Tom Brown's Schooldays" printed on the cover of the book, you're invariably led to the conclusion that it is yet another tale of a schoolboy, yet another story of a mischievous brat, yet another trailer of a prankster. To a considerable extent, the prognosis prove correct but for a major portion, the realm of the book must remain a surprise.


Thomas Hughes has revealed the picture of school life at Rugby, a place where he himself was educated under Dr. Arnold until his subsequent dparture to Oxford, through the portrait of Tom Brown. The novel delves on Tom's schooldays as much as it revolves around the customs at Rugby. "Tom Brown's Schooldays" traces the saga of an ordinary young boy who typically finds immense pleasure in making chaos, in fun and in joyous boisterity. In Tom we get a vivid illustration of a child's psychology. For Tom is the representative of all English schoolchild who learns the world and learns to accept the harsh myriad forces of it. The character then is a simple blend of raw youth and intens inquisitiveness.


And delightful reading it is as the smooth, genial language makes the novel resound like a river running evenly between its banks. The compact, precise language has a high overtone throughout the book which appeals to our heart of hearts and we're so sjhamelessly dragged back to those days when we too were school chldren. "Tom Brown's Schooldays" brings out the child in our bosom, brings it out in broad daylight and makes us tap our feet in bittersweet flashback and sigh in a pang of nostalgia.


Yet Tom Brown's story isn't a mere happy-go-lucky memory:it goes much beyond, depicts the gradual maturation of an untrained soul into a more sublime spirit. From the beginning we get a glimpse of Tom's ability to realise the without when his"first thoughts as he tumbled out of bed at the summons of Boots"are those quiet, dignified words of his father at his departure for Rugby. Tom is a typical boy enthralled by heroic tales of danger, one who has been accompanied in his very early childhood by his abettors Noah and Benjamin and nurse Charity.


Tom is indeed the eponymous protagonist of the novel but whether he's the hero of it or whether that station is held by someone else is a matter to ruminate. As Tom explores his own life, four characters criss-cross his path who can be accredited with the appellation 'hero'. His boyish fancy would eke out Pater Brooke, the head of the victorious football team on the first day of Tom at the School-house whse stirring post-match speech is a marvellous pice of rhetoric. The major claimer to herohood is of course Harry East, Tom's partner in all mischiefs, pranks and rebellions. Indeed it is on East's firm solidarity that Tom manages to rise against the brute bully Flashman. It would be East once more who would embolden Tom to figh against Slogger Williams. Such staunch, reckless and unconditioned friendship is rare indeed but rarer still is the sustainence of such a relationship hrough thick and thin and through joviality and seriosness. Tom is manufactured into a brooding character by the darker and srious aspect of their friendship in the chapter dealing with dilemmas and deliverancs. East's sudden revealation of his own seriosness muses both Tom and the reader. Tom by this time has already transfigured himself into a sort of leader:a master at cricket and football who can never endure oppression.


But the person who makes the most collosal impact on Tom Brown is Arthur who comes from Devonshire and is placed under the care of Tom. That is how the tid turns, how the sun finally evades the gry clouds, how the flower blooms into life. As a visibly irritated and jittery Tom gradually comes to terms with his new responsibility, he undergoes a radical metamorphosis. He becomes a much more solemn boy and his discusson about death when Arthur is on his death-bed is a classic depiction of two friends travelling beyond the tragectory of the earthly. To some degre the reader deciphers that the influence that Arthur has on Tom resonates with the mpact that Agnes has on David in Charles Dicken's "David Copperfield".


Tom Brown's transmutation from a dreamy-eyed boy to a 19-year-old English gentleman on the verge of departure from Rugby is accomplished when he realises the greatness of the Doctor who underlines his own influence in moulding Tom. Tom,"a strapping figure, near six feet high, with ruddy, tanned face and whiskers, curly brwn hair, and a laughing, dancing eye" is full of "allusion and by-play" as like the novel.


The lack of coherence in East's nature is revealed largely by his obscure exeunt from the drama and this is the inappropiation of unity of ime. Yet despite this flaw in the plot, "Tom Brown Schoolday's" is highly entertaining as well as engaging. A careful reader is able to discern in Tom Brown's nature and follies the traits of some other great literature scoolboys such as Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Dickens's Oliver Twist. The description of the rugby match at the School-house and that of the boys' rooms are exquisite and could never have been the work of an uninformed and untrained pen. The inticate diction and powerful effect of the poignant words describing the sorrow of Tom at his old Doctor's passing away are brilliant.


The tracing of a young buoyant heart through White Horse Hill and "eight long years" at a School-housse in Rugby to the ultimatum of a comprehensive person isn't that easy to compile in a single volume. But that Thomas Hughes has accomplished just that, we should all be grateful to him.


SUBHANKAR MONDAL, UG STUDENT, BANGALORE, INDIA

A must read for any of the legions of Flashman fanatics (like myself) if only for a better understanding of what George MacDonald Fraser was satirizing in his famous, and infamous Flashman, series. Of course, this was aimed at Victorian boys to inspire them to be better Victorian gentlemen and not to jaded, cynical world weary reprobates like myself. So, perhaps I'm not the most appropriate reviewer of this book. No doubt, Tom Brown, Arnold and the author himself would arm wrestle each other to be the first to agree.

But, it's not such a bad read, even now in the 21st century. Tom Brown is an exemplary Boy's Life character, full of vim and vigor, not overly intellectual, but quite bright and without doubt, the very model of a brave and adventuresome young man, everything one would most definitely want in a defender of the queen, empire, and the faith, and most assuredly everything my preferred character, Harry Flashman, is not. His inevitable triumph over the upperclassman bully, young Flashman is the highlight of the novel. It's been filmed as a movie on several occasions, and not without reason.

I read this great book only after reading nearly all the Harry Flashman books, I should have read it long ago!

Its a great story of British private school life (they call them public school but they are not - they are very private) - and the life of Tom, and the bully Flashman.

Great good all around great read! 10 times better than I expected!

"Tom Brown's Schooldays" by Thomas Hughes (1822 - 1896) was originally published in 1857, and clearly inspired other school novels for many years to come. One can see the impact it had on Wodehouse's school stories, as well as "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", and others as well. Add to that, the use of the character Flashman (the school bully in the first part of the book) by George MacDonald Fraser for his series of stories, and you begin to see just how much influence this book has had over the years. The novel centers on Tom Brown; from his childhood, through his attendance at Rugby, a public school and a bit beyond. The novel is divided into two books, the first deals with Tom's early life and days in school and he is headed down the wrong path at the end. The second book is where things turn around and Tom starts to find his way down the right path.

Book one is an odd mix, with the early chapters dealing with Tom's life before attending school. For me this was the most difficult part of the story to read, as it is the worst written part of the book, added to which I was adjusting to Thomas Hughes writing style, but these chapters help define Tom's character and so they are important to the story. It is in this period where Tom first attends a private school, but when a fever hits the school the students are sent home, and as a result, Tom is sent to Rugby. Chapter four covers Tom's journey to Rugby, including his building excitement of attending a public school.

Tom arrives and finds himself in very good circumstances; he is in School-house, the best of the houses; he is taken on as friend by East, who is the nephew of the friend of his family, and they become close friends. The house is led by Brooke, an older student who is admired by nearly everyone, and whose natural leadership abilities have united School-house like no other, and he keeps the bullying in check. Lastly, Tom arrives on the day that the School-house takes on all the others in football, and though not allowed a big part, Tom has one key play which catches the eye of Brooke.

Things change though, when Brooke moves on as do the other older boys who followed Brooke's example of behavior, and so the house loses its united spirit, and the bullies start to create havoc. Chief among the bullies is Flashman, who has a sadistic streak, but is actually a coward, like many bullies. Unfortunately, he decides to pick on Tom and East. Eventually Tom and East stand together and defeat Flashman, but even after that Flashman manages to keep Tom and East as outcasts due to his rumor spreading. Their being outcasts results in Tom and East pretty much doing what they please, and deciding that rules don't apply to them as they only can count on each other. This leads to a stern talking to by the headmaster, known as the Doctor just before the holiday, as he sees the two of them heading down the wrong path, and this is where book one ends.

Book two picks up with Tom and East's return from the holidays. In the break, it has been decided to try to separate the two for their own good, and the method is in the form of George Arthur, a boy whose father has passed away. Tom reflects quickly on what this means to his plans, but quickly sets those aside and takes on this new responsibility. Tom takes care of George, but in fact George teaches Tom far more. The second book develops the strength of this relationship, including Tom's continuing friendship with East, and the inclusion of Martin into their group of friends. Martin is known as "Madman" for his unusual behavior, involving a love a nature, which he passes on to George.

The other key events in book two include a fight between Tom and Williams, a boy from another house. The fight takes place because Tom defends George against a threat made by Williams. The narrator uses the fight to teach a lesson about fighting, but the chapter is a bit out-of-place for the most part. There is also a illness which nearly takes George Arthur's life, and which inspires Tom to be a better student, and he takes East along with him on that road. Tom says goodbye to Rugby with a cricket match. Sporting matches became a fixture for Wodehouse's school novels at the start of his career, and this is undoubtedly one source of inspiration for him. The closing chapter deals with a few years later, when Tom is at Oxford and learns of the death of his old Master and his return to Rugby to pay his respects, and reflect back on all he learned there.

The reader takes a long journey with this novel, both in terms of the story told, as well as the impression one has of the book itself. One starts with the difficulty of trying to deal with the poorly written early chapters, to enjoying the free-spirit adventures of Tom and East at Rugby, and then on into experiencing the growth of responsibility and maturity as they develop in Tom and his friends. Overall, it is a great experience, and though flawed, it is not too surprising that this novel survives on reading lists, as well as influences so many other works.

Reading this book, one rapidly understands why it became so popular. Firstly, there's the beauty of the story in itself, and the vivid way in which the most important characters of the book are depicted. You can easily identify with Tom Brown whatever your age, and in every Flashman and East you will see people you have known in younger years, and relive those days.
In addition, there's the beautiful ethical message and the solid Christian faith; you don't find them often in modern fiction, so you enjoy them even more. Thirdly there is, from our perspective, the beautiful contrast with a world not asphyxiated by health and safety concerns and in many ways rougher than ours, but probably more authentic.
One clearly understands the message that becoming a man is a process which requires trials, defeats, and perseverance and truly wonders whether the present day society is not overprotective.

Thomas Hughes is unashamedly Christian, almost shockingly so by today's standards. And this is good, very good. His approach to life is, in my Penguin book, called "muscular Christianity". I find this remark very appropriate, and the approach certainly every bit as good today as it was in Hughes' times.

The fame of this book seems to have faded a bit since the Victorian heydays. Still, it remains a glorious book, its message valid beyond time.

This is a wonderful book for kids and teens. It's a fantastic coming of age story that's entertained young people for over 150 years. It's a classic tale about young boys coming into their own. The main character is Tom Brown, a good but rowdy boy. His nemesis is Flashman who ruthlessly bullies him to the point where he can't take it anymore and strikes back hard. I cheered when he vanquished Flashman. The book also has some very good moral lessons that I think are lacking in modern children's literature. All around it's an excellent book that I believe today's kids will enjoy just as much the kids who rode to school in horse drawn wagons did.

This is a great coming of age tale for boys. It takes place in Victorian England and reveals a lot about the society and the attitudes regarding class at that time. The theme of the story is timeless though. The trials and tribulations of growing up are something that every generation experiences, and even though times change, it never gets easier. Every generation faces its bullies, has its mentors, makes its friends, and gets into trouble.

This book is very well written, and the character development is wonderful. We get to see Tom grow to become a better person as the book goes on. The characters are very memorable with the bully, Flashman, becoming famous, so much so that his character inspired an entire series of new novels devoted to him that became very popular.
In this story Tom Brown is a good yet bold and stubborn boy who gets transferred to a new school, the Rugby School for boys. There he meets the bane of his young existence, the bully, Flashman. As Flashman becomes more and more aggressive towards Tom and his friend, they decide they must do something to stop him.

I highly recommend this book. It's great for boys, and also contains a lot of action and sports. This is the book that made rugby famous after all. Not only that, the book teaches some excellent lessons through its main character becoming a better and better person as the book goes along. We learn his lessons along with him as we go through his trials and his victories with him.

One way to classify much English-language fiction is by setting or background theme, and one of these is the coming-of-age novel, about the human process of growing up. A sub-genre in Britain focuses on the protagonist's educational experiences and the transformative effect they have on his (or her) development -- most often in the context of a private or boarding school (which in Britain are called "public schools"). Thomas Hughes more or less invented this species of story a century and a half ago and it's been with up ever since (though it peaked in the early 20th century with Angela Brazil's books), through STALKY & CO., MR. CHIIPS, THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, and right up to Harry Potter's adventures at Hogwarts. It's a less common theme in American fiction, but we do have THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, THE RECTOR OF JUSTIN, A SEPARATE PEACE, and PREP. And school life is also prominent in Japanese manga. The main point in this sort of novel is that the school itself, with its traditions and almost foreign, non-home milieu, becomes a character in itself. The emphasis in the plot and among the characters most often is on personal honor and loyalty and the inculcation of other moral values, resistance to bullying, developing friendships, challenging and learning to deal with the adult world (and fitting oneself into a profoundly conservative society). Because most such schools are single-sex, there's usually an unrealistic absence of sexual activity, but it's there subliminally. And it all started right here, with Tom Brown, son of the squire in a village in the Vale of the White Horse, who (by internal evidence) goes off to Rugby in 1833 at the age of eleven. Of course, this is precisely the period during which the author was himself a pupil at Rugby and the character of Tom is heavily, almost wistfully, autobiographical. (Literary critics also have attempted ever since to identify the real individuals behind such characters as Harry East and George Arthur.) While most "new boys" probably would flounder about at first and suffer from homesickness, Tom acquires a friend and mentor almost before he enters the school gates for the first time. He's determined to do his best and to make his parents proud of him, but he soon slips from the straight-and-narrow, becoming a dare-taker and making adventurous night-time excursions in violation of the headmaster's rules. Eventually, of course, his better nature wins out and his natural leadership asserts itself, though he'll never be a scholar. The master, who is referred to only as "The Doctor" (up until the final chapter, when Tom returns from Oxford on learning of the master's death) is Dr. Thomas Arnold, whose during his tenure at Rugby almost singlehandedly revolutionized the world of the British public school. For modern readers, the class-ridden world in which Tom and his companions operate is extremely alien. Even when the townspeople catch the boys from the school engaging in some outlaw activity, a couple of shillings generally smoothes things over. The boys are "gentlemen," after all, and the locals know their place. One has to wonder, too, what exactly Rugby is teaching its pupils, since lessons seem to consist entirely of memorizing, translating, and "construing" some many lines of the Latin and Greek classics every day. (This ability appears to be the only real requirement for progression to university, too.) It is said of young Martin, a talented and self-taught natural scientist, that he should never have come to Rugby but be "trained" elsewhere. Actually, Tom and the others are mostly being taught how to be gentlemen, which means they don't really have to know how to do anything except to command the lower orders. And play cricket, of course. East, for instance, becomes an army officer in India, for which his years at the school appear to have entirely prepared him. To properly appreciate the story, the 21st-century reader must become a time traveler, willing to forget the modern world exists, or a social archaeologist. The interesting thing is, there are still plenty of gentlemen on the 19th century model, the products of Britain's public schools, who still are attempting to run the country -- and that includes nearly all the prime ministers of the past century. Hughes writes a lively, self-deprecating prose, filled with quiet humor -- not at all like Thackeray or Dickens, for instance -- and observing Tom Brown's progress through adolescence is a fascinating experience.