Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Johnny Tremain, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Pride vs. Humility
Patriotism and the Revolutionary War
Violence
Moral Integrity and Class
Summary
Analysis
1. The hot July week wears on. Johnny regularly lets Mr. Lapham sleep for an hour after dinner, then he wakes him up and makes him work. Johnny continues to work on the wax model of the handle, but he’s not pleased with it. So, on Friday evening, Johnny takes the pitcher and his model to Paul Revere, one of the best craftsmen in Boston. Mr. Revere already knows Johnny’s name and ushers him into his shop. When Johnny offers Mr. Revere his wax model and tells him that Mr. Lapham thinks it’s fine, Mr. Revere says that Johnny is correct: the handle is wrong. Mr. Revere sketches out how to remedy it. Then, he offers to buy the rest of Johnny’s apprenticeship from Mr. Lapham. Johnny refuses; the Laphams would starve without him.
Right now, a lot of Johnny’s pride and arrogance shows up as pride in his work. He desperately wants to do a good job on this sugar basin, both for the satisfaction of a job well done and because it’ll make him look good. Paul Revere immediately seems like a better craftsman than Mr. Lapham, since he sees instantly what’s wrong with Johnny’s handle. It’s also notable that Mr. Revere is so kind and generous to Johnny, a boy he doesn’t have to even acknowledge—something that prideful Johnny likely wouldn’t do in Revere’s situation. However, Johnny shows that he's nevertheless loyal to the Laphams when he insists on staying with them.
Themes
2. Johnny has finished perfect wax models for the sugar basin’s two handles by noon on Saturday. He must finish the basin soon; it’s illegal to work on Sunday. After Saturday dinner, Mr. Lapham stretches out in the shop’s armchair as Johnny insults Dove and Dusty. Dove announces that there’s no charcoal—he didn’t say anything earlier because he knows Johnny likes to keep track of that himself. Despite Johnny’s demand that Dove hurry, Dove fetches charcoal at a leisurely pace. What’s more, the charcoal is poor quality. Johnny spits that Dove’s mother should’ve drowned him.
Dove is clearly doing whatever he can to make Johnny’s life difficult—however, given how Johnny treats Dove, it’s perhaps not surprising that Dove behaves like this. Still, Johnny saying that Dove’s mother should’ve drowned him is extremely mean-spirited and highlights just how arrogant Johnny is. The narration has implied several times now that Johnny could have Dove’s loyalty if he was kind to him, and yet, Johnny chooses to be cruel.
Themes
At this, Mr. Lapham stirs and sends Dove outside so he can speak to Johnny. Johnny is so determined to finish the sugar basin that he barely listens as Mr. Lapham scolds Johnny for being cruel to Dove and for being prideful. Then, Mr. Lapham says that work is over for the day, since he wants to revive the old custom of observing the Sabbath beginning at sundown on Saturday. Mr. Lapham insists that God won’t care if Mr. Hancock doesn’t get his silver on time. Shaking, Johnny goes into the kitchen where Mrs. Lapham, Dorcas, Cilla, and Isannah are cooking. Johnny shares what happened. In a whisper, Mrs. Lapham says that Johnny will finish the order on time. Tomorrow afternoon, when Mr. Lapham is at a deacons’ meeting, Johnny can finish—it’s against the law and against Johnny’s religious upbringing, but he agrees anyway.
Finally, Mr. Lapham takes a stand and shuts down Johnny’s bullying. He believes it’s more important to force Johnny into changing his ways than it is to keep his wealthy customer happy. However, both Johnny and Mrs. Lapham realize that there will be consequences for Mr. Lapham refusing to let Johnny work—the basin won’t be done in time, and Mr. Hancock will be displeased. So, the only option seems to be working sneakily on a Sunday. Already there’s a sense of foreboding surrounding this plan. Johnny is prideful and arrogant, but he still believes it’s wrong to work on Sunday. And yet, he plans to do it anyway.
Themes
3. Things are going well on Sunday afternoon. Johnny prepares to cast his handles with Dove and Mrs. Lapham’s help. When asked, Dove fetches a crucible—but he grabs one that’s cracked. It’d serve Johnny right if it cracks and spills hot silver everywhere. Johnny doesn’t notice the crack, and he doesn’t notice Dove and Dusty snickering in a corner. And Johnny is in such a hurry that he neglects to clean up some melted beeswax. As the crucible cracks and the molten silver runs, Johnny reaches toward it—and his feet go out from under him. His right hand comes down on the silver on top of the furnace. It coats his palm, but Johnny doesn’t even feel it. Johnny blacks out and wakes up in the house. Mrs. Lapham tells Cilla to fetch the midwife, Gran’ Hopper, rather than the doctor; doctors can’t know they broke the Sabbath.
Dove, for his part, seems to simply want to get back at Johnny for being so mean to him; he doesn’t want to hurt Johnny. Still though, all of Johnny’s actions as he prepares to pour the silver suggest that he’s being overly prideful, and that he’s in a hurry. Burning his hand is a consequence of Johnny not being careful, checking his materials, or cleaning up after himself. It’s also, perhaps, divine punishment for being so prideful and treating Dove and Dusty so cruelly. Immediately, Mrs. Lapham’s concern is making sure that as few people know what happened as possible, as she doesn’t want to get in more trouble than she’s likely already in.
Themes
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4. Johnny lays in the “birth and death room,” a closet off the kitchen. It’s been two days since his accident, and his whole arm still throbs. Gran’ Hopper, the midwife, might’ve been hanged for witchcraft not too long ago, but she has years of experience—though not with burns. On the fourth day, after allowing Johnny’s hand to turn in, she begins dosing Johnny with laudanum and does so until his fever breaks. Then, she comes to unwrap and see what remains of Johnny’s hand. Johnny’s thumb and palm have grown together. Dorcas screeches in horror, while Mrs. Lapham says that it’s a shame Johnny is “ruined.” Leaping up, Johnny jams his hand into his pocket and announces that he’s going out. He snarls at Cilla and Isannah on his way out.
It creates tension when the narration notes that Gran’ Hopper doesn’t have experience with burns, and the implication is that she should not have allowed Johnny’s hand to turn in. However, keep in mind that Johnny ends up in Gran’ Hopper’s care only because he sustained this burn on a Sunday—this subpar medical treatment is further punishment for his pride and for breaking the Sabbath. Then, when the novel reveals that Johnny is “ruined,” it seems like Johnny’s life is over. He no longer has his skills to carry him through, as he can’t use his right hand.
Themes
5. Slamming the door of the Lapham house, Johnny marches onto Fish Street and walks all over Boston. When he returns, Cilla and Isannah try to apologize and offer their condolences, but Johnny angrily says he’ll leave for good if they even mention he has a hand. With this, he goes to the shop. Dove is at Johnny’s bench, using Johnny’s tools. This makes sense, given that Johnny has been out for a month. But Johnny is enraged. He finally tells Dove to hold his crimping iron differently, but Dove innocently asks Johnny to show him how. Knowing he can’t and never will show someone how to hold a crimping iron, Johnny walks out—though this time, he doesn’t slam the door.
Suddenly, Johnny finds he has almost no power. All he can do is yell at people with less power, like Cilla and Isannah—but when it comes to his former targets like Dove, Johnny no longer has any way to fight back. Dove has two working hands, so even if he’s a poor silversmith, he’s still more useful than Johnny is. Johnny is likely feeling intense grief for the future he’s lost, and fear for his now uncertain future. His grief and fear, though, come out as rage.
Themes
Johnny strolls along the wharf and notices John Hancock. He never did get his sugar basin; when Mr. Lapham found out that Johnny broke the Sabbath, he melted the basin, returned the cream pitcher, and said he couldn’t make the sugar basin. Up until now, Johnny has been used to working 12 to 14-hour days. He’s never had a day off, and he’s dreamed of strolling along the wharf. But he’s sure his friends are talking about his hand and pitying him. At the end of the wharf, Johnny undresses and dives into the water. He feels cut off from normal life. But it’s nice to discover that while swimming, his hands work exactly the same.
Mr. Lapham shows how morally upstanding he is when, on principle, he refuses to finish the seemingly cursed sugar basin. Johnny, however, feels like he has nothing right now. Indeed, he suspects that the whole world is talking about him and feels bad for him—something he emphatically doesn’t want. This contributes to his feeling “cut off from normal life.” He’s no longer one of the apprentices, so he’s lost his place in the world.
Themes
5. At first, Mrs. Lapham humors Johnny and lets him stay in the birth and death room. The only problem is that since he’s just off the kitchen, Mrs. Lapham wakes Johnny first thing in the morning to run errands for her. Soon, she’s scolding Johnny using the same cruel names Johnny always used for Dove and Dusty. Since Johnny is the least useful apprentice, it’s now his job to fetch water, sweep, and carry charcoal. Madge even makes Johnny hold yarn for her while she winds a ball, though he throws the yarn at her head when she mentions his hand.
Now, Johnny is getting a taste of his own medicine. Because he can no longer work silver, it’s up to him to do menial chores—and it seems like in the Lapham house, whoever performs those chores gets called nasty names. The only way Johnny knows to fight back is with rage, as when he throws the ball of yarn at Madge for mentioning his hand.
Themes
One day, Mr. Lapham leads Johnny to a bench outside. He’s said nothing about Johnny’s Sabbath-breaking. But today, he reminds Johnny that he struck a contract with Johnny’s mother, and since she’s dead, the contract is now between him and Johnny. Mr. Lapham says he can’t keep his bargain anymore, since he can’t teach a “cripple-handed boy” to work silver. Mrs. Lapham, he continues, thinks it’s ridiculous to keep Johnny when the family is so poor, but he won’t turn Johnny out. Johnny’s job now is to start looking for a trade he can do; then, Mr. Lapham will give the rest of Johnny’s time away to his new master. Only two months ago, Mr. Revere promised to pay extra for Johnny’s time.
Though Johnny has looked down on Mr. Lapham previously, Mr. Lapham reads as extremely generous here. He levels with Johnny like Johnny is an adult, laying out the facts, offering Johnny support, and telling Johnny what must happen next. In contrast, Mrs. Lapham shows that she’s far more interested in looking out for the family’s welfare, as she sees Johnny as a drag on the family’s finances. All of this, though, is awful for Johnny to hear: he was once a sought-after apprentice, but now, he’s worthless.
Themes
Mr. Lapham continues that Johnny is welcome to keep loitering and swimming, as long as he does his chores and finds a new trade. And Johnny must forgive Dove, who gave Johnny the cracked crucible to try to humiliate him. Mr. Lapham explains that Dove wanted to teach Johnny a lesson for breaking the sabbath. Johnny vows to get Dove, but he thanks Mr. Lapham for his kindness. Then he walks past the shop window, where Dove and Dusty are hanging out. They ask if Johnny would quickly fetch them drinking water. They love seeing Johnny brought so low.
Particularly when Mr. Lapham tells Johnny to keep killing time doing fun things, he seems attuned and sympathetic to Johnny’s emotional turmoil. However, he makes things more difficult for Johnny by revealing that Dove intended to humiliate Johnny. Now, Johnny has someone at which to direct his ire—Dove. And yet, Dove is a more useful apprentice, so Johnny can’t get back at him in the way he’d like to.
Themes
