“It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause, that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.” – Thomas Paine
Tom Sawyer is a young boy of late-1800s America, growing up in St. Petersburg, Missouri. Throughout the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom slowly but surely is growing from a mischievous little boy to a more mature one. On one occasion, Tom is entering the schoolhouse during lunch. Inside is Becky Thatcher – the object of Tom’s affections ever since she entered the town. Unfortunately, she does not see Tom until he is very close; then, she is so startled that she shoves the book she was looking at into the teacher’s desk. In doing so, the first page …show more content…
When the teacher discovers that his book has been ripped, he will be furious with the guilty party. Since he assumes this to be Becky, she will be punished once by the teacher, and more than likely again by her parents when they discover what she has done. Becky, hurt in more ways than one, will then be enraged at Tom if he does not do something about her situation, as he promised he would. Tom must take action to avoid Becky’s anger himself, and so that Becky can avoid the anger of others.
Thirdly, Tom should defend Becky because of threatened love. Becky is frequently referred to as ‘the adored unknown’, and Tom has been striving to gain her liking. He has brought her presents, sat with her at lunch, and even hoped to die with her pansy in his hands. With such actions as these, how can Tom possibly refuse Becky her request? It will surely make Becky like Tom again. In fact, Tom has been getting into trouble because Becky no longer likes him – feeding painkiller to a cat is just one example. If Tom ever wants to reestablish Becky’s liking for him, he must defend her from the …show more content…
They argue that since Tom will already be in trouble because Becky poured ink on his book, he should not get himself into more. However, this statement employs faulty logic – at least, in the mind of a boy Tom’s age. Tom assured Becky personally that a whipping ‘wasn’t anything’ – he is punished frequently, and one whipping more or less will certainly not physically or psychologically bother him.
The negative side also argues that since the tear was Becky’s fault, she should be the one to accept the consequences and be punished. Nonetheless, the ripped page was technically an accident – Becky was looking at the book out of curiosity, Tom startled her, and her sudden movement caused the page to tear. In fact, from a certain point of view, Tom could be considered the cause of the page tearing, instead of Becky.
In conclusion, Tom should defend Becky because of accidental actions, impending anger, and threatened love. This decision could be one of Tom’s first steps into growing from a mischievous young boy to a more mature young man. Aunt Polly, Tom’s guardian, would wish him to protect Becky – it will prove to her that Tom’s head is not simply full of mischief, but that he also has the capacity to care about someone else’s wellbeing. It will show her that he is growing up, against all odds. And it will confirm that Tom is not a selfish, purposefully disobedient boy who likes seeing someone in trouble, but instead a boy who, although
Tom Sawyer is a young boy of late-1800s America, growing up in St. Petersburg, Missouri. Throughout the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom slowly but surely is growing from a mischievous little boy to a more mature one. On one occasion, Tom is entering the schoolhouse during lunch. Inside is Becky Thatcher – the object of Tom’s affections ever since she entered the town. Unfortunately, she does not see Tom until he is very close; then, she is so startled that she shoves the book she was looking at into the teacher’s desk. In doing so, the first page …show more content…
When the teacher discovers that his book has been ripped, he will be furious with the guilty party. Since he assumes this to be Becky, she will be punished once by the teacher, and more than likely again by her parents when they discover what she has done. Becky, hurt in more ways than one, will then be enraged at Tom if he does not do something about her situation, as he promised he would. Tom must take action to avoid Becky’s anger himself, and so that Becky can avoid the anger of others.
Thirdly, Tom should defend Becky because of threatened love. Becky is frequently referred to as ‘the adored unknown’, and Tom has been striving to gain her liking. He has brought her presents, sat with her at lunch, and even hoped to die with her pansy in his hands. With such actions as these, how can Tom possibly refuse Becky her request? It will surely make Becky like Tom again. In fact, Tom has been getting into trouble because Becky no longer likes him – feeding painkiller to a cat is just one example. If Tom ever wants to reestablish Becky’s liking for him, he must defend her from the …show more content…
They argue that since Tom will already be in trouble because Becky poured ink on his book, he should not get himself into more. However, this statement employs faulty logic – at least, in the mind of a boy Tom’s age. Tom assured Becky personally that a whipping ‘wasn’t anything’ – he is punished frequently, and one whipping more or less will certainly not physically or psychologically bother him.
The negative side also argues that since the tear was Becky’s fault, she should be the one to accept the consequences and be punished. Nonetheless, the ripped page was technically an accident – Becky was looking at the book out of curiosity, Tom startled her, and her sudden movement caused the page to tear. In fact, from a certain point of view, Tom could be considered the cause of the page tearing, instead of Becky.
In conclusion, Tom should defend Becky because of accidental actions, impending anger, and threatened love. This decision could be one of Tom’s first steps into growing from a mischievous young boy to a more mature young man. Aunt Polly, Tom’s guardian, would wish him to protect Becky – it will prove to her that Tom’s head is not simply full of mischief, but that he also has the capacity to care about someone else’s wellbeing. It will show her that he is growing up, against all odds. And it will confirm that Tom is not a selfish, purposefully disobedient boy who likes seeing someone in trouble, but instead a boy who, although