SATURDAY morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young the music issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The locust–trees were in bloom and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air. Cardiff Hill, beyond the village and above it, was green with vegetation and it lay just far enough away to seem a Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting.
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long–handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high. Life to him seemed hollow, and existence but a burden. Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the topmost plank; repeated the operation; did it again; compared the insignificant whitewashed streak with the far–reaching continent of unwhitewashed fence, and sat down on a tree–box discouraged. Jim came skipping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing Buffalo Gals. Bringing water from the town pump had always been hateful work in Tom's eyes, before, but now it did not strike him so. He remembered that there was company at the pump. White, mulatto, and negro boys and girls were always there waiting their turns, resting, trading playthings, quarrelling, fighting, skylarking. And he remembered that although the pump was only a hundred and fifty yards off, Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour—and even then somebody generally had to go after him. Tom said:
"Say, Jim, I'll fetch the water if you'll whitewash some."
Jim shook his head and said:
"Can't, Mars Tom. Ole missis, she tole me I got to go an' git dis water an' not stop foolin' roun' wid anybody. She say she spec' Mars Tom gwine to ax me to whitewash, an' so she tole me go 'long an' 'tend to my own business—she 'lowed SHE'D 'tend to de whitewashin'."
"Oh, never you mind what she said, Jim. That's the way she always talks. Gimme the bucket—I won't be gone only a a minute. SHE won't ever know."
"Oh, I dasn't, Mars Tom. Ole missis she'd take an' tar de head off'n me. 'Deed she would."
"SHE! She never licks anybody—whacks 'em over the head with her thimble—and who cares for that, I'd like to know. She talks awful, but talk don't hurt—anyways it don't if she don't cry. Jim, I'll give you a marvel. I'll give you a white alley!"
Jim began to waver.
"White alley, Jim! And it's a bully taw."
"My! Dat's a mighty gay marvel, I tell you! But Mars Tom I's powerful 'fraid ole missis—"
"And besides, if you will I'll show you my sore toe."
Jim was only human—this attraction was too much for him. He put down his pail, took the white alley, and bent over the toe with absorbing interest while the bandage was being unwound. In another moment he was flying down the street with his pail and a tingling rear, Tom was whitewashing with vigor, and Aunt Polly was retiring from the field with a slipper in her hand and triumph in her eye.
But Tom's energy did not last. He began to think of the fun he had planned for this day, and his sorrows multiplied. Soon the free boys would come tripping along on all sorts of delicious expeditions, and they would make a world of fun of him for having to work—the very thought of it burnt him like fire. He got out his worldly wealth and examined it—bits of toys, marbles, and trash; enough to buy an exchange of WORK, maybe, but not half enough to buy so much as half an hour of pure freedom. So he returned his straitened means to his pocket, and gave up the idea of trying to buy the boys. At this dark and hopeless moment an inspiration burst upon him! Nothing less than a great, magnificent inspiration.
He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work. Ben Rogers hove in sight presently—the very boy, of all boys, whose ridicule he had been dreading. Ben's gait was the hop–skip–and–jump—proof enough that his heart was light and his anticipations high. He was eating an apple, and giving a long, melodious whoop, at intervals, followed by a deep–toned ding–dong–dong, ding–dong–dong, for he was personating a steamboat. As he drew near, he slackened speed, took the middle of the street, leaned far over to starboard and rounded to ponderously and with laborious pomp and circumstance—for he was personating the Big Missouri, and considered himself to be drawing nine feet of water. He was boat and captain and engine–bells combined, so he had to imagine himself standing on his own hurricane–deck giving the orders and executing them:
"Stop her, sir! Ting–a–ling–ling!" The headway ran almost out, and he drew up slowly toward the sidewalk.
"Ship up to back! Ting–a–ling–ling!" His arms straightened and stiffened down his sides.
"Set her back on the stabboard! Ting–a–ling–ling! Chow! ch–chow–wow! Chow!" His right hand, meantime, describing stately circles—for it was representing a forty–foot wheel.
"Let her go back on the labboard! Ting–a–lingling! Chow–ch–chow–chow!" The left hand began to describe circles.
"Stop the stabboard! Ting–a–ling–ling! Stop the labboard! Come ahead on the stabboard! Stop her! Let your outside turn over slow! Ting–a–ling–ling! Chow–ow–ow! Get out that head–line! LIVELY now! Come—out with your spring–line—what're you about there! Take a turn round that stump with the bight of it! Stand by that stage, now—let her go! Done with the engines, sir! Ting–a–ling–ling! SH'T! S'H'T! SH'T!" (trying the gauge–cocks).
Tom went on whitewashing—paid no attention to the steamboat. Ben stared a moment and then said: "Hi–YI! YOU'RE up a stump, ain't you!"
No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist, then he gave his brush another gentle sweep and surveyed the result, as before. Ben ranged up alongside of him. Tom's mouth watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said:
"Hello, old chap, you got to work, hey?"
Tom wheeled suddenly and said:
"Why, it's you, Ben! I warn't noticing."
"Say—I'm going in a–swimming, I am. Don't you wish you could? But of course you'd druther WORK—wouldn't you? Course you would!"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said:
"What do you call work?"
"Why, ain't THAT work?"
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and answered carelessly:
"Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain't. All I know, is, it suits Tom Sawyer."
"Oh come, now, you don't mean to let on that you LIKE it?"
The brush continued to move.
"Like it? Well, I don't see why I oughtn't to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?"
That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth—stepped back to note the effect—added a touch here and there—criticised the effect again—Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said:
"Say, Tom, let ME whitewash a little."
Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind:
"No—no—I reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful particular about this fence—right here on the street, you know —but if it was the back fence I wouldn't mind and SHE wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular about this fence; it's got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain't one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it's got to be done."
"No—is that so? Oh come, now—lemme just try. Only just a little—I'd let YOU, if you was me, Tom."
"Ben, I'd like to, honest injun; but Aunt Polly—well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn't let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn't let Sid. Now don't you see how I'm fixed? If you was to tackle this fence and anything was to happen to it—"
"Oh, shucks, I'll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say—I'll give you the core of my apple."
"Well, here—No, Ben, now don't. I'm afeard—"
"I'll give you ALL of it!"
Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer Big Missouri worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of more innocents. There was no lack of material; boys happened along every little while; they came to jeer, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was fagged out, Tom had traded the next chance to Billy Fisher for a kite, in good repair; and when he played out, Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat and a string to swing it with—and so on, and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor poverty–stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had besides the things before mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jews–harp, a piece of blue bottle–glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six fire–crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass doorknob, a dog–collar—but no dog—the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange–peel, and a dilapidated old window sash.
He had had a nice, good, idle time all the while—plenty of company —and the fence had three coats of whitewash on it! If he hadn't run out of whitewash he would have bankrupted every boy in the village.
Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. And this would help him to understand why constructing artificial flowers or performing on a tread–mill is work, while rolling ten–pins or climbing Mont Blanc is only amusement. There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four–horse passenger–coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work and then they would resign.
The boy mused awhile over the substantial change which had taken place in his worldly circumstances, and then wended toward headquarters to report.
FAQs
What happens in Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? ›
Tom tries to make a game out of everything; Aunt Polly's slave, Jim, is fascinated with Tom's sore toe; and Ben Rogers arrives pretending that he is a steamboat on the Missouri River. The wealth or loot the boys offer to Tom is ludicrous and silly and of no worth except to boys of their age.
Who did Tom see in the new boy's garden? ›In this chapter, Tom first sees Becky Thatcher, although he does not know her name yet.
How old is Tom Sawyer? ›Thomas "Tom" Sawyer, based on the young Samuel Clemens, is a cunning and playful boy of about 12 years of age, and the protagonist of the story.
How did Tom trick Ben to paint the fence? ›Tom convinced Ben to whitewash the fence by showing him that he loved his work and it was very interesting and entertaining. Tom also made the work more desirable and hard to get so that Ben would want it even more.
What did Tom do to Myrtle in Chapter 2? ›○ It is almost midnight and Nick overhears Tom and Myrtle fighting about whether she has any right to say Daisy's name. Myrtle says she will say Daisy's name any time she wants, so Tom slaps her across the face and breaks her nose.
What did Tom do at the end of Chapter 2? ›It only makes her start shouting: “Daisy!” over and over again. In one quick movement, Tom hits Myrtle and breaks her nose. It brings a loud party to an end. Nick leaves with Mr.
Why did Tom fight with the boy? ›Why does Tom pick a fight with the new boy? Tom picks a fight with him to show the new boy that he is "the boss" in the town. This might be because Tom was feeling threatened by the new boy and also slightly jealous of his fancy clothes.
What does Tom admit when he wakes up? ›Tom wakes and gleefully details how they set Jim free. Horrified to learn that Jim is now in chains, Tom explains that Miss Watson died two months ago and that her will stipulated that Jim should be set free. The old woman regretted ever having considered selling Jim down the river.
What kind of boy was Tom? ›Tom is a mischievous boy with an active imagination who spends most of the novel getting himself, and often his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite his mischief, Tom has a good heart and a strong moral conscience.
Does Tom Sawyer have a girlfriend? ›Becky Thatcher, the leading lady in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is the wealthy young love interest of Tom Sawyer.
Is Tom Sawyer a kid? ›
Tom Sawyer is an orphan who lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, sometime in the 1840s. A fun-loving boy, he frequently skips school to play or go swimming.
Who did Tom Sawyer have a crush on? ›Becky Thatcher is Tom's crush, who is portrayed as a naive young girl at the beginning of the story, but she soon develops a strategy to serve Tom his own medicine.
Why did Ben make fun of Tom? ›Ans. Ben sneered r at Tom because he was working on a Saturday.
What did the two boys want to give Tom? ›What did the boys want to give Tom ? Ans- The boys wanted to give some marbles and a kite to Tom.
What did Tom do while Ben was whitewashing? ›Tom sat there watching and eating an apple given by Ben.
Is Tom in love with Myrtle? ›Myrtle seems to believe Tom genuinely loves her, and would marry her if only Daisy would divorce him. Nick knows that Tom would never marry Myrtle, and the lopsidedness of the relationship makes Myrtle a more sympathetic character than she would be otherwise.
Why does Tom cheat with Myrtle? ›Tom is involved with Myrtle because he is bored, and their affair offers him an exciting break from his normal life. He likes the idea of having a secret. As a member of the upper class, he is supposed to comport himself with decorum and restraint.
Does Tom know who killed Myrtle? ›Tom confesses that George first came to Tom's house that night. There, Tom told him that the yellow car was Gatsby's and insinuated that Gatsby was the one who killed Myrtle and the one who was sleeping with her (9.143). George Wilson proves the old action movie adage: never take your eyes off the guy with the gun.
How does Tom act in Chapter 2? ›Tom emerges in this section as a boorish bully who uses his social status and physical strength to dominate those around him—he subtly taunts Wilson while having an affair with his wife, experiences no guilt for his immoral behavior, and does not hesitate to lash out violently in order to preserve his authority over ...
Where does Tom take Nick in Chapter 2? ›Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York City, to the Morningside Heights apartment he keeps for his affair. Here they have an impromptu party with Myrtle's sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee.
Whose nose did Tom break in Chapter 2? ›
She starts to talk about Daisy. Tom cautions Myrtle not to use Daisy's name, but she mocks him by chanting her name. He strikes Myrtle in the face, breaking her nose.
Who punished Tom and why? ›Tom was a naughty boy. Aunt Polly looked after him after her sister's death. She did not want him to grow up lazy and wicked. He had stolen jam so she decided to punish him.
Why did Daisy turn to Tom? ›Answer: In "The Great Gatsby," Daisy chooses Tom over Gatsby because Tom represents stability and security to her. Although she is in love with Gatsby, he is seen as a risky choice, and she ultimately decides to stay with Tom, who represents the status quo.
Is Tom a villain or a hero? ›Both Tom and Jerry, while usually and generally on the good side, can be classified as anti-heroes as both are abusive, cruel, and villainous at times despite being the main protagonists of the series as they typically antagonize each other.
What lie did Tom tell? ›Three of the main characters, Tom and Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, tell a string of lies that conceal their identity. Tom lies about having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, Gatsby lies about how he became the man that he is, and all three of them lie about who really killed Myrtle Wilson.
What did Tom do to Jim? ›Tom wants to tie Jim up, but the more practical Huck objects, so Tom settles for simply playing a trick by putting Jim's hat on a tree branch over Jim's head.
How did Tom get out of his punishment? ›What was Tom's Saturday job for punishment? How did he escape doing it? What did he do instead? He had to whitewash the fence, he escaped doing it by trading the job with other kids for their stuff.
Is Tom Sawyer Based on a true story? ›The author published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, saying the character was based on three boys. He later said that he himself was the inspiration behind the character, and that Tom Sawyer "was not the real name … of any person I ever knew, so far as I can remember".
Is Tom afraid of Aunt Polly? ›Answer: Tom Sawyer is indeed afraid of Aunt Polly, though that still doesn't stop him from getting up to all kinds of mischief. She's quite a formidable woman, and in common with most adults of the time, she thinks it acceptable to use physical punishment to enforce discipline.
Why was Aunt Polly angry with Tom? ›Answer. Answer: Aunty polly was angry with Tom because he refused to go to school and lied that he has a tooth pain.
How old was Tom Sawyer when he died? ›
He was 77. His wife, Joyce (Handler) Sawyer, said the cause was Parkinson's disease.
What is Tom Sawyer real name? ›Thomas Sawyer (/ˈsɔːjər/) is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894), and Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896).
How did Tom Sawyer end? ›At the end of the book, Injun Joe is out of the picture. Tom and Huck are hometown heroes. Huck has saved the Widow Douglas's life, and Tom has managed to escape from the caves with Becky. The boys have even managed to strike it rich.
Is Tom Sawyer appropriate for 10 year olds? ›It's clear to me that “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is not for 9- and 10-year-olds, even though Twain, writing in the 1870s, lovingly describes in rich detail life in a particular small town. Son saw himself in those boys but he's too young for the book.
What grade is Tom Sawyer? ›| Interest Level | Grade 5 - Grade 12 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 8 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Brand | First Avenue Classics ™ |
| Imprint | First Avenue Editions ™ |
He has no parents, but has a loving, parent figure. And he is mischievous but good-natured.
Who does Sawyer date? ›Pepper and Sawyer is the Romantic and Friendship Pairing of Sawyer Huggins and Pepper Silverstein. They have crushes on each other, but in "That's Some Gossip, Girl", Pepper was babbling her questions to Bella if someone on the team likes her.
Does Tom Sawyer kiss Becky? ›During lunch, Tom and Becky sit in the empty schoolroom together, and Tom persuades her to “get engaged” to him—an agreement they render solemn by saying “I love you” and kissing.
How does Tom win over his girl Becky? ›Tom's act of self-sacrifice breaks the cycle and enables the pair to reunite. By taking Becky's whipping and winning her back, Tom also brings his pirate adventure to its full conclusion, since it begins with Becky's rejection of him.
What did Tom pretend to Aunt Polly? ›Tom pretended that he had a sore toe. Sid was fast asleep and snored on. Mary got all the thing that Aunt Polly told her to bring to extract Tom's tooth.
What breed is Ben from Talking Tom? ›
Ben is a brown/tan dog, specifically a Canis fabulatus, with brown eyes. Like most non-human characters in the series, Ben did not wear clothes in the first three seasons.
What does Ben give Tom? ›Soon Ben wants to try his hand and offers Tom his apple.
What was Tom's reward? ›TOMS Rewards is the official loyalty program of the footwear-producing company. The rewards program is based on a points system. For every purchase made on TOMS.com, customers earn points and gain access to certain exclusive perks.
Why did Ben want to do the whitewashing? ›Answer: Tom convinced Ben to whitewash the fence by showing him that he loved his work and it was very interesting and entertaining. Tom also made the work more desirable and hard to get so that Ben would want it even more.
Who was the first boy to help Tom? ›Ben was the first boy to take over Tom's painting.
Aunt Polly asked Tom to whitewash the whole fence bit he wanted to do the fishing and have fun around. As he was trying to pain the fence, Ben showed up and Tom thought it was good to give Ben his task.
In this chapter, Tom reveals his basic knowledge of human psychology; that is, that a person most desires what cannot be easily attained. Tom is also a fine actor, and he cleverly uses this ability in handling his friends.
Why did he refuse to allow Ben at first to whitewash? ›(vi) Why did he refuse to allow Ben at first to whitewash ? He refused to allow Ben at first to whitewash to make him more interested in the work.
Is Ben Tom's friend? ›Talking Ben (also called Ben) – A brown dog and Tom's best friend who is described in the Talking Ben app as "a grumpy dog and a chemistry professor". He enjoys inventing and doing things involving science and technology.
Where does Tom go in Chapter 2? ›Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York City, to the Morningside Heights apartment he keeps for his affair. Here they have an impromptu party with Myrtle's sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee.
How did Tom and Myrtle meet Chapter 2? ›Nick keeps trying and failing to leave the party. Myrtle tells him the story of how she first met Tom on the train. He picked her up by pressing himself against her when they got out on the platform. Later that night, Myrtle and Tom have an argument about Daisy and Tom hits her so hard that he breaks her nose.
What happens in Chapters 2 of Huckleberry Finn? ›
Summary: Chapter 2
Tom wants to tie Jim up, but the more practical Huck objects, so Tom settles for simply playing a trick by putting Jim's hat on a tree branch over Jim's head. Tom also takes candles from the kitchen, despite Huck's objections that they will risk getting caught.
Summary and Analysis Chapter 2. As Huck and Tom sneak off from the Widow Douglas' house, Huck trips, and the noise alerts Miss Watson's slave, Jim. Jim tries to find what made the noise and almost discovers the boys, but after a while he falls asleep.
What do we learn about Nick in chapter 2? ›What we learned about Nick in this chapter is he that does whatever he is told to do. He does not really think for himself whenever it comes to making decisions. Nick is different from the people he spends his time with because he does not go to a lot of parties.
Whose nose did Tom break in chapter 2? ›Chapter 2 is mostly about a party that Nick attends. It is hosted at the apartment which Tom rents for secret meetings with his mistress, Myrtle. Myrtle invites her neighbors and sister, and the group gets drunk and converses. Tom and Myrtle have an argument, and Tom breaks Myrtle's nose.
Who does Tom punch in chapter 2? ›By ten that evening the party scene turns ugly, as Tom and his mistress get into an argument over whether or not Myrtle “had any right to mention Daisy's name” (41). When she starts shouting “Daisy!” repeatedly, Tom quickly punches Myrtle, breaking her nose.
Why does Tom slap Myrtle in Chapter 2? ›Tom hits Myrtle because she refused to obey him, but also in defense of Daisy; he feels strongly about both women. Tom's outburst therefore shows that he has difficulty handling complex emotions. He responds with violence to maintain control.
What does Myrtle wear in Chapter 2? ›Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crêpe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty, but there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering.
Was Tom in love with Myrtle? ›Myrtle seems to believe Tom genuinely loves her, and would marry her if only Daisy would divorce him. Nick knows that Tom would never marry Myrtle, and the lopsidedness of the relationship makes Myrtle a more sympathetic character than she would be otherwise.
What chapter does Huck fake his death? ›Chapter 7 of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins with Huck still in the cabin with his father, who has just woken up after a drunken night. During this chapter Huck uses a dead pig to fake his own death and then takes off in a canoe he found and hid at the beginning of the chapter.
Who kept Huckleberry Finn's money? ›Judge Thatcher — Judge Thatcher is the local judge who helps keep the money that Huck and Tom found safe during The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He keeps the money away from Huck's father, Pap.
What chapter did Huck meet Jim? ›
Analysis: Chapters 7–10
Huck and Jim's meeting on the island begins the main story arc of the novel.
Since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told from Huck's point of view, most of the lies we see are his. Most of these are done for a purpose. He lies to get himself out of danger, to keep himself or Jim from being detected, and sometimes he lies for a good cause.
Where did Jim get his hairball? ›Jim has a hairball from the stomach of an ox, and he claims he can do magic with it. Huck asks Jim what his Pap will do now that he's back.
What happens in Huck Finn Chapter 3? ›In Chapter 3, the practical Huck again struggles to understand religion. When Miss Watson tells Huck he can receive anything he wants through prayer, the literal Huck believes he can receive fishing gear.