Tom Sawyer

In my posting this week I would like to address the difference in city vs. country, and weather or not Tom could make it in a city.We have read in Ragged Dick that the city is a exciting and a wonderful place, but one must work hard in order to survive in the streets. As we saw with how hard Dick worked just to have a decent amount of money to support himself. Tom on the other hand is far from ever being a diligent worker, " having to work-the very thought of it burnt him like fire." (Twain. P. 411) We see Tom does not have the ambition to be a dedicated worker. Tom also broke the perception that children who are raised in the country are behaved better. As we see with the amounts of trouble he causes his aunt and when he cheats and lies to get the bible. Which I believe would translate into Tom gambling,smoking, and mimicking the same wild side as Dick. But their is one thing that I feel that Tom posses that will allow him to thrive in the streets and that is his savvyness and ability to manipulate people.

The passage I would like to focus on is right after Tom gets most of the boys in town to whitewash the fence, "He had discovered a great law of human action, that in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain." (Twain. P.414-415) I feel that Tom doing this is using his knowledge/manipulative ability to his advantage in order to get what he wants. This to me would translate into what I like to call "street smarts" and would allow Tom to find a way of surviving in the city. I also feel that this passage reflects just the type of person Tom is and that is always doing what is best for him. Which to me is an important quality to have in order to be independent and thrive in a city.