| Johnny Tremain | |
|---|---|
.jpg) First London edition, 1944 |
|
| Author | Esther Forbes |
| Illustrator | Lynd Ward |
| Cover artist | Lester Ivy (US); Trekkie Ritchie (UK) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Publication date | September 9, 1943 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-440-44250-8 |
| OCLC Number | 21002210 |
| LC Classification | MLCS 2006/43879 (P) |
Johnny Tremain, a 1943 children's novel by Esther Forbes, retells in narrative form events in Boston prior to and during the outbreak of the American Revolution. The novel's themes include apprenticeship, courtship, sacrifice, human rights, and the growing tension between Whigs and Tories as conflict nears.
Events described in the novel include the Boston Tea Party, the British blockade of the Port of Boston, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The book won the 1944 Newbery Medal and is the 16th bestselling children's book as of the year 2000 [1] in the United States, according to Publishers Weekly.
A film adaptation, also called Johnny Tremain, was made in 1957 by Walt Disney Pictures.
Contents |
Plot summary
The novel opens in the colonial Boston silversmith shop of Ephraim Lapham, where protagonist Johnny Tremain is a promising young apprentice, betrothed to Ephraim's daughter Priscilla ("Cilla"). The Lapham shop soon receives a challenging silver order from prominent merchant John Hancock. While preparing Hancock's order, Johnny badly burns his hand, crippling it beyond use. With only one good hand, Johnny can no longer work as a silversmith. His betrothal to Cilla is canceled and he is forced to find a living elsewhere.
After a series of unfortunate false starts and a failed appeal to wealthy relatives, Johnny settles into a job delivering a newspaper, the Boston Observer. The Observer is a Whig publication, and under its employ Johnny is introduced to the larger world of pre-revolutionary Boston politics. As months go by and tension between Whigs and Tories rises, Johnny evolves to become a dedicated Whig himself, and soon befriends important historical figures such Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. As war draws near between the colonies and Britain, Johnny matures and reevaluates many personal relationships, including that with Cilla, who becomes a trusted friend and fellow Whig.
The novel reaches its climax with the outbreak and immediate aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Johnny does not participate in the battles directly, but is a key member of the Patriot military intelligence operation, and is instrumental in the success of Paul Revere's famous ride to warn the Minutemen.
The novel concludes on a note of hopefulness for the future. Although the beginning of the war has wrought great death and destruction, American Patriots have defeated the British army and surrounded Boston, a doctor has mended Johnny's hand, and Cilla and Johnny have exchanged their first kiss.
Characters
The novel features both fictional and historical characters.
Johnny Tremain - The protagonist. Johnny is the teenaged prize apprentice of Boston silversmith Ephraim Lapham. Johnny is a talented craftsman, but he is also arrogant, rash, cocky, and slightly cruel; he gains pleasure tormenting the two other apprentices, Dusty and Dove, by touting his superiority. When Johnny’s hand is disfigured in an accident, he can no longer work as a silversmith, and his sense of self is imperiled. As the rebellious colonists begin to bicker with Britain over the question of American freedom, Johnny finds a new life among the leaders of the Boston Whig party and is transformed from a selfish youth into a patriotic young man. In the end of the book he accepts himself as one of the relatives of the wealthy and well known family, the Lytes, after Lavinia Lyte (his mother's cousin) tells him that her father (Johnny's granduncle) would give him the remains of the Lyte estate in Boston after the war. He is also in love with Cilla.
Rab Silsbee - Johnny’s best friend. With his quiet, unassuming confidence, Rab becomes Johnny’s role model and guide as Johnny struggles to find a new identity. Rab introduces Johnny to the world of revolutionary politics. Rab meets his fate at the battle of Lexington-Concord, where he mortally wounded by the British. He treats Cilla kindly, but it is not made clear whether his feelings for her are romantic or platonic.
Priscilla Lapham - "Cilla" is the same age as Johnny. She is the third oldest daughter of Mrs. Lapham. Cilla is loyal, selfless, and caring. Although her primary devotion is to her younger sister, Isannah, Cilla’s feelings for Johnny help him to develop into a warm, patient, honest young man. At first Cilla is betrothed to marry Johnny, but this betrothal is canceled and over time Cilla and Johnny develop genuine love for each other.
Isannah Lapham - "Izzy." The youngest daughter of Mrs. Lapham. Isannah is a sickly girl and must be cared for at all times, but is physically beautiful. Isannah is selfish and vain, and beloved by Cilla. Isannah’s golden-haired, ethereal beauty attracts a great deal of attention, most significantly from Lavinia Lyte. Lavinia takes Isannah into her care and introduces her to high society, separating her from her family and their working-class way of life.
Ephraim Lapham - A Boston silversmith. Mr. Lapham is a pious and kind man who acts as Johnny’s master before Johnny's hand is accidentally disfigured. Mr. Lapham attempts to teach Johnny humility by referring to the Bible and reminding him of the dangers of pride and arrogance, but Johnny pays little attention to these warnings.
Mr. Tweedie - A 40 year old silversmith from Baltimore, Maryland who becomes Mr. Lapham’s business partner after Johnny’s accident. Tweedie is a "queer" man, unliked by many. Johnny calls him a "squeak pig." After the death of Mr. Lapham, Mrs. Lapham marries Tweedie in order to ensure that the silver shop stays in the Lapham family.
Mrs. Lapham-Tweedie - Ephraim Lapham's daughter-in-law. Mrs. Lapham is a dedicated, hardworking mother and a no-nonsense taskmaster to the apprentices. She works as the housekeeper in Mr. Lapham’s house and shop. Mrs. Lapham does not appreciate uselessness or laziness, and is difficult on family members whom she feels do not contribute adequately. Near the book's end, she marries Mr. Tweedie to keep the silversmith shop in the Lapham family.
Dorcas Lapham - Mrs. Lapham’s second daughter. Although Dorcas longs to be elegant and sophisticated, she falls in love with the poverty-stricken Frizel, Jr., and elopes to avoid marrying Mr. Tweedie.
Madge Lapham - Mrs. Lapham’s oldest daughter. Like Mrs. Lapham, Madge is tough and capable. She falls in love and elopes with Sergeant Gale, a British soldier.
Dove - An apprentice in the Lapham shop and rival of Johnny. Dove is lazy, dishonest and stupid. He is responsible for Johnny’s hand injury, although he did not intend it to be serious. Later in the book Dove takes a job caring for British officers' horses during Boston's occupation. Dove both hates and looks up to Johnny.
Dusty Miller - Mr. Lapham’s youngest apprentice. Before Johnny's accident, Dusty idolized him. After Johnny leaves the silversmith shop, Dusty runs away to sea.
Mr. Lorne - Rab’s uncle and master. Mr. Lorne owns the print shop that publishes the Boston Observer, a rebellious Whig (Patriot) newspaper.
Mrs. Jennifer Lorne - Mr. Lorne’s wife and Rab's aunt. Mrs. Lorne sees through Johnny’s arrogant exterior to treat him as a lonely boy. She becomes a second mother to him.
Jonathan Lyte - A wealthy Boston merchant and Johnny's great-uncle. Crooked and cruel, Lyte tries to make a profit by making friends on both sides of the colonial struggle, the Loyalists and the Patriots but as tensions mount in Boston, Lyte is exposed as a Tory (Loyalist). On the eve of war, Lyte and his family depart for London.
Lavinia Lyte - Jonathan Lyte’s beautiful, arrogant, and regal daughter. Lavinia is the most desirable socialite in Boston. Enchanted by Isannah’s ethereal beauty, Lavinia Lyte takes the child away from her family to live amidst the wealth of the Lyte household as a sort of pet. She is also Johnny's cousin, which she reveals at the end of the book.
Mrs. Bessie - The Lyte's cook and Cilla’s only friend in the Lyte household. Mrs. Bessie is an ardent Whig and a confidante of Samuel Adams, but she nonetheless remains loyal to her Tory employers. When the Lytes leave Boston, Bessie and Cilla look after their house.
Lavinia Lyte Tremain - Johnny’s mother. Lavinia Lyte Tremain defied her wealthy family’s wishes when she married Charles Tremain, a French prisoner of war being held in Boston. When her husband died, she supported herself and Johnny by taking in sewing. Upon her deathbed, she revealed her wealthy origins and gave Johnny a silver cup with the Lyte family crest.
Charles Tremain - Johnny’s father. Charles Tremain, known in Boston as Charles Latour, was a French soldier and military surgeon taken as a British prisoner during the French and Indian War. While he was held as a prisoner in Boston he met and wooed Johnny’s mother. After they married, Johnny’s parents traveled to France, where Charles died of cholera.
Lydia - The African washerwoman at the Afric Queen, a tavern where many British officers sleep. Lydia is a rebel sympathizer who, because of her connection to the British soldiers, gathers information for the rebel forces.
Sewall - A poor relative of the Lytes who works as a clerk in Jonathan Lyte’s office. Sewall is kind and brave; he runs off to join the Minute Men.
Pumpkin - A British soldier stationed in Boston. Pumpkin's dream is to own a piece of land and homestead a farm. Because he is poor, he can only achieve his dream in America. Johnny helps him desert from the army, but Pumpkin is captured and executed.
Sergeant Gale - A British officer who marries Madge Lapham, Mrs. Lapham's eldest daughter. He is noted to be short but tough.
Lieutenant Stranger - A friendly but often arrogant British officer stationed in Boston. He develops a strained friendship with Johnny.
Historical
Samuel Adams - Political leader of the Whigs in Boston. Samuel Adams was considered the greatest creator of propaganda for the rebel cause. He wrote numerous pamphlets inciting and inspiring the revolution.
John Hancock - One of the wealthiest men in Boston and a leader of the Whigs. Johnny disfigures his hand while making a silver basin for him.
Doctor Joseph Warren - One of the leaders of the Whigs in Boston. He fixes Johnny’s disfigured hand at the end of the novel.
Paul Revere - The finest silversmith in Boston and an important Whig, known to history for his midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British soldiers. Early in the novel, Johnny seeks out advice from Revere regarding a silver order. Later they work together for the Whig cause.
Governor Thomas Hutchinson - The governor of Massachusetts prior to the occupation by the British army.
Thomas Gage - British General and military governor of Boston during the occupation.
John Pitcairn and Francis Smith - British commanding officers at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
In Popular Culture
The novel is mentioned in The Simpsons episode "Whacking Day". Bart Simpson is forced to read it by his mother/teacher, Marge. After being told the gist of the story, he insists the title should be Johnny Deformed. In the episode "Skinner's Sense of Snow," during a snowstorm in which the children are trapped in the school, Bart throws a copy of the novel on a bonfire in the library, declaring "So long Johnny Tremain! Your Newbery award won't save you now!"
The novel is also mentioned in the Family Guy episode "The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire". Peter cuts to a flashback which reveals that he read Johnny Tremain while intoxicated in a library.
References
- ^ Infoplease — Top 150 Bestselling Children's Books
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Adam of the Road |
Newbery Medal recipient 1944 |
Succeeded by Rabbit Hill |
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