Marcus Chen
In Mark Twain's 1876 novel, *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer*, Tom Sawyer tricks his friends into painting a fence for him. Tom is tasked by his Aunt Polly to whitewash their fence as a punishment for his mischief. Tom, being young and adventurous, would rather be playing than painting. When his friend Ben Rogers sees him painting the fence, he tries to ridicule Tom. However, Tom Sawyer turns the situation around and makes painting the fence look desirable. He convinces Ben that it is an enviable activity and soon, Ben is asking if he can paint too. Tom withholds, and Ben offers him his apple in exchange for doing the chore. Tom repeats this trick with other boys and earns a nice haul of goods in return for letting them do his tedious chore.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Task | Whitewashing a fence |
| Fence size | 30 yards by 9 feet |
| Fence location | In front of Tom's house |
| Fence condition | In need of whitewashing |
| Tom's feelings about the task | Miserable, wished he could play instead |
| Tom's trick | Made the task look desirable, pretended it was fun |
| Result | His friends begged to do the task, Tom received goods in return |
| Goods received | A kite, a dead rat and string, a key, tadpoles, firecrackers, a one-eyed kitten, a dog collar, etc. |
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What You'll Learn
- Tom Sawyer's friends paid him to paint the fence
- Tom Sawyer made painting the fence look desirable
- Tom Sawyer's friend, Ben Rogers, was the first to be tricked
- Tom Sawyer tricked his friends into painting the fence using reverse psychology
- Tom Sawyer tricked his friends into painting the fence so he could play
Tom Sawyer's friends paid him to paint the fence
In Mark Twain's 1876 novel, *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer*, Tom Sawyer tricks his friends into painting a fence for him. Tom is a mischievous young boy who is tasked by his Aunt Polly with whitewashing their fence as a punishment. Tom would rather be playing on this beautiful summer day, and when his friend Ben Rogers sees him and begins to ridicule him, Tom Sawyer comes up with a plan.
He makes painting the fence look like a desirable activity, pretending that he is having too much fun to share the work with anyone else. Tom's trickery makes Ben believe that painting the fence is an enviable and rare opportunity. Sawyer's reverse psychology works, and Ben soon offers him his apple if he can take over the chore. Tom repeats this trick with other boys and, in the end, a dozen boys end up painting the fence for him. In exchange for letting others do his work, Tom receives a nice haul of goods, including a kite, a dead rat, a kitten with one eye, and a dog collar.
This scene is one of the most prominent in the book, showcasing Tom's wit and cunning as he bamboozles his friends into not only doing his chore but also paying him for the privilege. It is an example of what psychotherapists call a "paradoxical intervention", and it is a trick that every kid eventually discovers.
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![The Adventures of Tom Sawyer #2: The Best Fence Painter by Twain, Mark [Sterling, 2006] Paperback [Paperback]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21az5mS8MOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Tom Sawyer made painting the fence look desirable
In Mark Twain's 1876 novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer is tasked by his Aunt Polly to whitewash their fence as a punishment for his mischief. Tom, being adventurous and fun-loving, would rather be out playing on a beautiful summer day than performing this tedious chore.
Tom's friend Ben Rogers sees him painting the fence and begins to ridicule him. Tom Sawyer, however, turns the situation around and makes painting the fence look desirable. He pretends to be enjoying the task so much that he is reluctant to let anyone else share the work. Ben soon offers him his apple in exchange for the privilege of taking over the chore. Tom repeats this trick with other boys, accumulating a nice haul of goods in return for letting others do his work.
Tom Sawyer's ability to make fence-painting seem enjoyable and exclusive is a clever use of reverse psychology, or what psychotherapists call a "paradoxical intervention." By the end of the day, a dozen boys are painting the fence while Tom plays to his heart's content. This famous \"fence scene\" is one of the most prominent scenes in the book, showcasing the mischievous and witty nature of the titular character.
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Tom Sawyer's friend, Ben Rogers, was the first to be tricked
Ben came into view, eating an apple and pretending to be a steamboat. Tom convinced Ben that whitewashing a fence was an enjoyable and enviable activity. Tom told Ben that it was not every day that he got to paint a fence and that it was a task that not just anybody could do. Ben soon asked if he could paint too. Tom pretended to withhold, and Ben offered him the rest of his apple for the privilege of doing the chore.
Tom's trick worked, and Ben became the first of Tom's friends to paint the fence for him. Tom then repeated this trick with other boys, accumulating a nice haul of goods in exchange for letting others do his odious job for him. By the middle of the afternoon, Tom had gone from being a poor, poverty-stricken boy in the morning to literally rolling in wealth.
This famous scene from Mark Twain's 1876 novel, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," is a great example of reverse psychology, where Tom lit upon the idea of bamboozling his friends to not only paint the fence for him but also to pay for the privilege.
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Tom Sawyer tricked his friends into painting the fence using reverse psychology
Tom Sawyer, a mischievous young boy, was tasked by his Aunt Polly to whitewash their fence as a punishment. On a beautiful summer day, Tom wished to play instead of working. When his friend Ben Rogers saw him and ridiculed him for his chore, Tom Sawyer spun the situation around. He tricked Ben into thinking that painting the fence was a desirable activity, and soon Ben was asking if he could paint too. Tom pretended to withhold, and Ben offered him his apple in exchange for doing the chore.
Tom repeated this trick with other boys, accumulating a nice haul of goods in exchange for letting others do his work. By the middle of the afternoon, Tom had gone from being a poor boy in the morning to literally rolling in wealth. He had traded the chance to paint the fence for a kite, a dead rat and a string to swing it with, a one-eyed kitten, a dog collar, and many other things.
Tom Sawyer's trick is a classic example of reverse psychology, where he made a tedious chore look fun and desirable. This scene from Mark Twain's ""The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"" published in 1876, is one of the most prominent scenes in the book, showcasing the mischievous and clever nature of the titular character.
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Tom Sawyer tricked his friends into painting the fence so he could play
Tom Sawyer is a fictional character created by Mark Twain and featured in his 1876 novel, 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. Tom is a mischievous young boy who is full of wit and cunning. In one of the most famous scenes from the novel, Tom is tasked by his Aunt Polly with whitewashing their fence as a punishment. Tom, being adventurous and fun-loving, would much rather be playing on this beautiful summer day.
Tom's friend Ben Rogers comes along, eating an apple and pretending to be a steamboat. Ben attempts to ridicule Tom for having to do this tedious chore. However, Tom Sawyer is not one to back down so easily. He turns the situation around by pretending that painting the fence is a highly enjoyable activity. Tom acts as if it is a privilege to be able to paint the fence, and that it is not a task just anyone can do.
Ben soon becomes intrigued and offers Tom his apple in exchange for the chance to paint the fence. Tom accepts, and thus tricks Ben into doing his work for him. Not only that, but Tom has also managed to acquire a tasty treat to enjoy while he relaxes and watches his friend work. This is an example of a psychological tactic known as "reverse psychology", where one pretends to desire the opposite of what is truly desired.
Tom repeats this trick with other boys, accumulating a variety of goods in exchange for the chance to paint the fence. By the end of the day, a dozen boys have painted the fence for him while Tom enjoys his well-earned playtime. This scene showcases Tom Sawyer's quick thinking, charm, and persuasive abilities, as he cleverly manipulates his friends into doing his work for him.
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Frequently asked questions
Tom Sawyer tricked his friends into painting a fence.
Tom Sawyer was tasked by his Aunt Polly to whitewash their fence as a punishment. Tom Sawyer, being young and mischievous, wished he could play instead. He then had the idea to trick his friends into painting the fence for him. Tom pretended he was having too much fun and made whitewashing a fence, a tedious chore, look desirable. His friends ended up paying him for the chance to do his work.
By getting other kids to pay to work, Tom soon accumulated a kite, a dead rat and a string to swing it with, a key that wouldn’t unlock anything, a couple of tadpoles, six firecrackers, a one-eyed kitten, a dog collar, and more.
