Johnny Tremain
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Johnny Tremain, a 1944 children's novel by Esther Forbes, retells in narrative form the final years in Boston, Massachusetts prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. The novel's themes include the apprenticeship system, the conflicts in Boston between Sons of Liberty and Loyalists as the war approaches, and the reasons why each character in the novel chooses one side or the other.
Events described in the novel include the Boston Massacre, 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 of all time.[Infoplease] — Top 150 Bestselling Children's Books A movie version was made in 1957 by Walt Disney Pictures.
Plot summary
Johnny Tremain, the title protagonist of the novel, is depicted as an apprentice silversmith. Originally skillful at his trade, Johnny is forced to give up his apprenticeship after an industrial accident. The combination of cruelty and condescending kindness that Johnny faces after this mishap is one of the most vividly drawn sections of the novel.After descending into psychological depression, Johnny is rescued by a kindly family that owns a hand-operated printing press, where they do job printing and publish a newspaper, the Boston Observer. Young Tremain joins this household. From this vantage point he and the novel's readers can look on as the unfolding events of the American Revolution move forward. Along the way Johnny befriends several historical giants including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and Joseph Warren.
The novel was written during the Neo-Regionalist period of American fiction, and includes many examples of local color in Boston during the 1770s. The novel was also written during World War II, and includes an oration by one of the principal characters on why some warriors have to die so that their friends and survivors can live in freedom.
The novel concludes during and immediately after the battles at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, and the battles are treated as the climax and catharsis of the themes of the novel.
Notes
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