Week 9 - Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer is quite a quotable little book, even from the little that we have read of it so far. Though there exists a plethora of possible blog-able quotes, there was one passage in particular that I felt was worth noting. Right after Tom escapes from Aunt Polly, on page 402 Charles Dickens comes out of the text to tell us that "he was not the Model Boy of the village. He knew the model boy very well though -- and loathed him."

Stopping there, that quote seems largely out of context with the previous dialogue. Out of a rather comical scene featuring one of Tom's many boyish pranks, suddenly he is juxtaposed against some seemingly perfect imaginary being and we are made aware of how strongly he resents this comparison. This passage gives us a brief glimpse inside Tom's head, but is at first seemingly out of context. However we are soon given more insight into these puzzling words upon the entrance of the "citified" boy with an "air about him that ate into Tom's vitals. The more Tom stared at the splendid marvel, the higher he turned up his nose at his finery and the shabbier and shabbier his own outfit seemed to him to grow" (403). This city boy becomes the personification of this "model boy," and we can see that Tom dislikes him instantly because he represents everything that Tom is not. The city boy is wealthy, well-dressed, and well-spoken. He wears shoes on the weekday, and a necktie, whereas Tom does not. Being a confident young lad, Tom takes an instant dislike of the boy probably because his finery throws into stark relief Tom's own ratty clothes and makes him feel self-conscious. Being also proud, having someone make him feel self-conscious cause him to become angry and pick a fight with the boy. It is most likely a move designed to show that boy that he is not better than Tom in all areas, despite the city boys' bragging. 

Tom resents this "model boy." Loathes him even. Not only for the reasons as represented by his encounter with the city boy, but also because the model boy represents a part of the population he doesn't ever see himself resembling. Tom is lazy, he tricks people, lies to his aunt, and gets into a host of other mischief. He wants the glory that comes with being the model boy (such as winning a Bible and impressing the new girl) but doesn't want to work for it. He doesn't think he has the capacity to even be the model boy, so he doesn't try, and just simply lives life his way. Why should he try to fit the image of what everybody else thinks he should be when his tricks and his cleverness win him the same things with less effort? Being crafty is what he is good at, and I know if I were him I would resent being told I have to act a certain way too. To a 12-year-old boy, it must be next to insufferable.