On Nov 21,  5:19pm, Carolyn L. Richey wrote:
> I am currently teaching Tom Sawyer and my students brought up a question
> that I have been unable to answer.  We know from the text that Mary and
> Tom and Sid are cousins and that Sid and Tom are half brothers and sons
> of Aunt Polly's dead sister.  But whose child is Mary?   I've looked and
> looked and have not come up with an answer.  There probably isn't one . .
> . but I told my students I'd ask.

Carolyn,

You can tell your students that they know about as much as anyone else on this
issue which is examined in_M.T. A-Z_.

My personal belief is Twain was simply sloppy on some details; he's also vague
about Tom and Mary's ages.

larry marshburne         [log in to unmask]