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

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,

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