When Ben wants to try his hand at whitewashing, Tom pretends to be reluctant until Ben offers him first the core of the apple and then the entire apple. Other boys show up--boys who "came to jeer, but remained to whitewash," and by the middle of the afternoon, the fence is whitewashed by the other boys , and Tom finds himself a rich man, having collected marbles, a part of a Jew's harp, a kite, and many other items as payment from the boys doing the work.
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. Thus, Tom is able to use this basic understanding of human nature to get others to do his work for him and to pay for the privilege of doing it. Instead of being able to join the others at the town center, he brings the center of the town to him, has others do his work for him, and he ends up with all sorts of treasures.
Summary Chapters 1—3. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3. Next page Chapters 1—3 page 2. Test your knowledge Take the Chapters Quick Quiz. Popular pages: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Take a Study Break. 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:. 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.
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.
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 star-board 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.
Category: books and literature travel books. How Tom Sawyer whitewash the fence summary? What made Ben Rogers whitewash the fence? What did Tom Sawyer get for whitewashing the fence?
What things did Tom collected by the end of the day? What does whitewashing a fence mean? What happened when Jim started to whitewash the fence?
What did Tom get from his friends for let them whitewash? Who whitewashed the fence? Tom Sawyer. What is the message of Tom Sawyer? Why did whitewashing seem painful to Tom?
What is it about the new boy that bugs Tom so much? How did Tom Sawyer get out of the cave? What is the problem in Tom Sawyer? What happens in chapter 6 of Tom Sawyer? Why was it necessary to punish Tom How did Aunt Polly punish him?
0コメント