Tom Sawyer and today’s children: Same behavior, different treatment
August 10th, 2010
Everyone remembers the whitewashing scene in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” But how many recall the scene that precedes it? Having escaped from Aunt Polly, Tom is “playing hooky” and teaching himself to whistle when he spies a “newcomer” in his village — a newcomer with “a citified air.” Their conversation unfolds like this:
“I can lick you!”
“I’d like to see you try it.”
“Well, I can do it.”
“No you can’t, either.”
After that, the encounter deteriorates further (“Can! Can’t!”) until finally the two boys are wrestling in the dirt. Tom wins the battle — the citified newcomer is made to shout “Nuff!” — but returns home late and is thus commanded to whitewash the famous fence.