When placing the book in context, it would be very helpful to to remember that Twain did not write in two different periods. Therefore, Tom Sawyer is not a Romantic novel in any sense, but a Naturalistic/Realistic one. This means that the actions of the characters, and the consequences of those actions, along with the dialect and culture are as true to life as Twain could make them.
This is not a review, but instead a response to liuraymond and Leah's comments on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The novel was written during the Romantic Period, so of course the characters and situations are idealistic--to romanticize love and reality was the essence of this literary period. If reality is more of what you are looking for, read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where Romanticism (represented by Tom's character) is beautifully contrasted with the emergence of Realism during the Victorian Period (represented by Huck's character).
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