Essay On Johnny Tremain

Johnny Tremain Essay

“So a man can stand up”. These were the words that Esther Forbes wanted to explain to the readers about in the book Johnny Tremain, a historical fiction. The setting takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, and begins in July of 1770. This book show how Johnny goes from a snotty brat to a kind and brave person. One tragic day, Johnny burnt his hand while making a sugar basin and it became unusable. Johnny has to find any type of work he could do. While looking for work, he met a nice young man named Rab. Johnny admired him because is was very smart and they became best friends. Because of his pride, he didn't want to do a“low life” job. He ended up working as a rider boy to deliver messages for the Boston Observer. During

that time, Britain was taxing the colonies and everyone was getting upset. Because of this, Johnny changes from being a normal person and becomes a revolutionary and fights against the British.
To begin, Johnny was an apprentice to Ephraim Lapham, a master silversmith. The Lapham family consists of Mrs. Lapham and her four girls, Dorcas Lapham, Madge Lapham, Priscilla Lapham, and Isannah Lapham. Johnny is one of the best silversmith and is well respected by the Laphams. He has two lazy fellow apprentices, Dove and Dusty, who never listen to him. Everything started falling apart for him when John Hancock, a rich merchant, ordered them to make a silver basin for him. Johnny worked diligently on it for a long time, but he couldn’t match his perfection. This causes him to seek out the famous Samuel Adams, for advance. ¨Don’t you see that your winged woman looks coarse in comparison?¨”Then too, your curve is wrong. The basin is so much bigger you cannot use the same curve.(Forbes,33) Johnny got the help he needed but, he was so mean to Dove that Mr. Lapham told him that he could not work anymore that day because . ¨You are the stupidest animal God ever made-if He made you, which I doubt. Why your mother didn't drown you when you were a pup, I can't imagine.” (Forbes,37) Johnny now didn’t have any time to finish the silver basin. Mrs. Lapham really wanted Johnny to finish it so he had to work on a Sunday, the day of rest. ¨Johnny how many more work-hours will you need?” ¨Seven-maby. I can get two Monday morning.¨ ¨You shall have them. Sabbath or no Sabbath, that sugar basin is going to be done on time. I’m not letting any old-fashioned, fussy notions upset the best order we’ve had for ten years.¨(Forbes,39) On Sunday, Johnny needed a lot of help to finish the sugar basin. He asked Dove to fetch him a crucible. Dove gave Johnny a broken one because he wanted to see him fail. When Johnny poured the melted silver into the broken crucible, it cracked and silver spilled on the furnace. Johnny’s extra wax models were melting and he slipped on it and burnt his hand on the silver. Mrs. Lapham thought Johnny had no value anymore so she was mean to him and told him to find work somewhere else. Johnny’s old life was gone and he had to start a new one.
After Johnny burnt his hand, he had to find some work he could do.

He went around town to see if anyone would hire him but most people wanted “whole boys” so Johnny was turned down most of the time. Johnny was still very prideful and he didn’t want to do “low life” jobs.”Yes. I wouldn’t mind so much being a clockmaker or instrument maker. But I can’t and I won”t be a butcher nor a soap-boiler.”(Forbes,61) He went to a printing shop and met a boy named Rab. He liked Rab because he was a nice and intelligent young man. He talked with Rab and they became nice friends. Johnny was offered a job but didn’t want to do it. He went out and decided to go to the rich merchants to look for work. He went to John Hancock’s estate to search for a job. He would have been accepted but Johnny couldn’t write with his left hand and was turned down.”Run away, boy, run away. You knew you could not do the work and yet you came and took up my valuable time and...”(Forbes,72) When he left the estate, a slave of John Hancock handed Johnny a bag full of silver coins. Johnny felt so happy that he treated himself to a feast and went to the market to buy Issannah and Cilla gifts. He went back to the Lapham’s household and presented the gifts to the two girls. When Johnny touched Isannah with his burnt hand, she screamed and told Johnny to go away.”Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me with that dreadful hand!” Johnny felt so sad that he ran to his mother’s grave and wept until he fell asleep. When he slept,

he remembered that his mother told him that if he had nothing left, he was to show Mr.Lyte, a rich merchant, a cup that will prove that he was a part of their family. Early that morning, he took the cup to the Lyte family. They approved that this cup was a part of their family set. They also said that this was the very cup that was stolen from them. “In fact, I declare this to be the very cup which was stolen from me by thieves.”(Forbes,94) Johnny was then arrested and taken to court. In court, Isannah, Cilla, Rab, and James Otis, a whig lawyer, defended Johnny. Johnny was proven not guilty and the cup was given back to him. The only thing Johnny had now was the cup. He went to the Lytes to sell it to them because it was part of their set. Mr.Lyte wanted him to give it back to him and tried to capture him and ship him out to sea. Johnny escaped with nothing and went to Rab’s area to ask for work. He was offered to be a rider boy and that was his new job. Johnny’s new life was finally falling into place.
After Johnny loses everything, he became a rider boy for the Boston Observer.

During that week, Johnny learned how to ride a horse named Goblin. Since Johnny lived with Rab’s family, the Lornes, he was involved in meetings that were at the Observer. These meetings were for important whig figureheads such as Dr. Warren. James Otis, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams. Johnny was more involved in politics and learned more about the British and what they were doing to the colonies. During the Fall of 1773, the British taxed the tea that was going to be imported. The Boston Observer held a meeting and decided to dump all the tea off of the three ships if they did not leave the harbor. And that is what they did. On December 16, 1773, various apprentices dressed up as Mohawk Indians dumped all the tea off the ships. This made the British very angry and they sent troops into Boston and closed down their harbors. Since the British were invading the colonists territory and taking their rights away, Rab went out to Lexington to be trained as a minuteman, a soldier that would be ready at a minute notice. Johnny found out that Dove, his former apprentice, was a stable boy to an important British general. Due to Dove’s stupidity and laziness, Johnny found out about British plans. The most important thing Johnny found about was that the British was going to attack Lexington and Concord. He alerted Dr.Warren and then he got some

rest.

To end with, Johnny changed from being a jerk and became a brave man that would stand up for his country. When Johnny woke, he found out that the fighting was done and eight boys died in Lexington. Johnny was very worried about Rab and wondering if he died in the first volley of bullets. Johnny set out for Lexington and saw many wounded soldiers going to hospitals for treatment. When he arrived in Lexington, he found out that Rab didn’t die, but was wounded. When he saw Rab, he was sitting on a chair and he was all pale. Johnny knew that Rab would die soon and felt bad for his best friend. Rab gave Johnny his gun so he could fight against the British. Dr.Warren saw Johnny and inspected his hand closer and found out that it could be fixed. Johnny agreed to get his hand fixed and fight against the British. Johnny felt that it was important to fight for his rights because others died “So a man can stand up...”.