The Adventures of Tom Sawyer of Mark Twain (1876), novel that recounts the childhood occurrences of Tom Sawyer, a boy who lives on the banks of the Mississippi River in the southern United States. The story is set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, which is inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where the author of the novel, Mark Twain lived. Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid. In a street fight, Tom dirty clothes and is forced to paint the fence the next day as punishment. Tom cleverly convinces his friends to be exchanged little treasures for the privilege of doing their job. Tom then negotiates small treasures for Sunday School tickets are received, usually when Bible verses memorized. Tom exchanged tickets for a Bible, to the surprise and bewilderment superintendent who thought that "it was simply preposterous that this boy would have stored two thousand sheaves of Scriptural wisdom on its head - while a mere dozen, no doubt force in extreme capacity. " Tom falls in love with Rebecca Thatcher (Becky), a new girl in town, and convinces her to "engage" with him, kissing him. But their romance collapses when Becky learns that Tom is "committed" before Amy Lawrence. Shortly after Becky clearance, Tom accompanies Huckleberry Finn to the cemetery at night, where they witness the murder of Dr. Robinson.