The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
What is Tom's opinion about honesty?
Chapter 12-20
Chapter 12-20
I think you asked this before, or at least it is very similar to one of your prior questions. Try to check that you do not repeat questions. I'll post what I noted before,
Tom's feelings and change about honesty:
Tom does change towards the end of the novel. In the early stages Tom shows his cleverness for manipulation (the whole fence painting thing) He is never malicious but creative trickery was part of his persona as a clever and tough kid. By the end of the novel we see changes. Tom is concerned about the welfare of Muff Porter. He does save the widow's money and he does not seem too concerned about his reward. Tom even tries to set his friend Huck on the straight and narrow until they can embark on another adventure. Tom's honesty extends to his feelings as well. He had always appreciated his aunt Polly but, like many boys, rebuked her at every step. By the end of the novel he is more honest with his feelings; Tom kisses her on the cheek instead of making a quick joke or running away.
But how does he feel ABOUT honesty?
Honesty is not that important to him in the beginning of the novel. We must, however, consider there are various levels to honesty. Tom is content to bend the truth or lie if he feels it does not really hurt anybody. A good example of this is when he gets other kids to paint his fence. Tom, however, has an internal moral code. If deceit ever becomes malicious, he is more inclined to tell the truth and do the right thing (ex. Muff Porter) I hope this helps a little.
Thanks... sorry if that sounded mean...