Chapter XVIII
Tom's feelings investigated • Wonderful dream • Becky thatcher overshadowed • Tom becomes jealous • black revenge
SummaryThe morning after Tom returns from the island, Aunt Polly is disappointed in him for having made her suffer so much by not giving her a hint that he was not dead. Tom then argues this would have spoil the whole plan, but he does that he "dreamed" about Aunt Polly. Telling her his "dream," Tom repeats everything he saw and overhears when he sneaked into the house a few nights earlier. Aunt Polly was amazed by the power of Tom's dream and forgave him for not visiting her. Meanwhile, Sid is suspicious about how Tom's dream could be so detailed and exact.
At school, Tom is declared a hero and basks in the glory given from his peers. He decides to ignore Becky and instead pays attention to Amy Lawrence again. When Becky realizes that he was ignoring her, she gets within earshot and begins giving out verbal invitations to a picnic. She then asks the whole class to come except Tom and Amy, but the two go off together, leaving Becky to soak in her jealousy. At recess, however, Becky manages to turn the tables by agreeing to look at a picture book with Alfred Temple, the new city boy whom Tom fights in chapter one. Tom's jealousy grows and he becomes bored with Amy. With a great sense of relief, he gets rid of her and heads alone for lunch. Once Tom is gone, Becky leaves Alfred, who, when he realizes why she left him, pours ink on Tom's spelling book to get him in trouble. Becky sees Alfred do this and considers warning Tom in the hopes of fixing their troubles. Overcome by embarrassment and anger, because of Tom's recent cruelness, she decides that Tom deserves a whipping and that she will hate him forever. |
Analysis |
Now back from the island, Tom returns to his manipulative ways, trying to convince Aunt Polly of his love for her, instead of telling the truth. Then, at school, Tom and Becky's similar, selfish personalities, that are full of jealousy, clash in a battle of pain and emotions.
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Questions to think about |
What will Aunt Polly do if she finds out the truth of the dream?
How will Tom learn to care more for others emotions? Will Becky and Tom's head strong personalities ever work together? |
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