RebeccaJohnny Tremain is a young apprentice in the town of Boston. He works for Mr. Lapham and is very proud to be working for one of the finest silversmiths in the entire town. Johnny is one of the finest apprentices he has, and there are plans for the future for Johnny to eventually take over the shop. But the one flaw that Johnny has is that he very sure of his skill, and he does not lack in the knowing, or telling the other apprentice boys about it. As time goes forward, the other two boys, Dove and Dusty, both admire and envy Johnny. Mr. Lapham does his best to reign in the temperance of Johnny, but it does no good. When Mr Hancock comes to the shop, Johnny is overjoyed at the prospect of working on such a piece. But he knows that he will have to get his master and the other two to work along side him, and they must hurry if they are to get the piece done on time. When time runs short, Johnny makes a daring move, working on Sunday, which is strictly forbidden. But work he does, and then comes a terrible accident. He is handed a cracked crucible, and instead of just scaring him a little, it burns his hand horribly. The entire household is horrified, and Johnny is put to bed to await the older woman to come and see him.
As time moves forward, Johnny knows that he cannot ever work with silver again. He is finished. All his dreams and hopes for the future have been destroyed. As he wanders through the town in search of another job, he is unsure of where to even start looking. No one wants a boy with a crippled hand. When he meets Rab in the printers shop, they strike up an easy friendship. Rab recognizes the boys hunger, and without asking, just shares his lunch with him, which in turn Johnny blurts out the entire story. Rab says that if he cannot find another job, he is welcome to work in the shop there, but it would not be skilled work. Johnny promises to return if he finds nothing else. All his prospects turn into nothing.
When he remembers the cup that his mother gave him, he takes it and goes to the home of Mr. Lyte. He was told to never go there unless he had no other prospects. At the end of his luck, he decides that he must. But instead of being welcomed into the home, he is accused of being a thief and arrested by the sheriff. Rab comes to visit him in prison, and promises to help the young boy out. Johnny is grateful, but scared at the same time. What if his story is not believed?
This week we are reading Chapters 1-4
Questions:
- Johnny is very sure of his gift in the silver-smithing business. Should he have been more humble in his attitude?
- When his accident makes his pretty much useless, do you think he learned his lesson?
- Johnny is accused of being a thief by one of the more prominent members in town. Why do you think he accused him instead of believing his story?
