Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes Book Analysis

When people undergo change sometimes it is for the better. The novel Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes illustrates this idea. This story is set in Boston during the late 1700s. Johnny Tremain, the protagonist, is a prideful and arrogant silversmith's apprentice. One day Johnny burns his hand and his life changes. He has to find new work. And that is when he meets Rab. Rab points out Johnny’s actions and he starts becoming more mature and humble. Throughout that story Johnny changes from a prideful and arrogant boy to a humble and mature man. 

In the beginning of the novel Johnny is prideful and arrogant. He acts like he is in charge by telling Dove and Dusty what to do. Johnny could have chosen to be kind to them but he chose to be rude. For example, “He could have easily made friends with stupid Dove for Dove was lonely and admired Johnny as well as envied him. Johnny preferred to bully him”(Forbes 5). This illustrates that Johnny prefers to bully him than be his friend. He thought he was superior to Dove; he would just rather be mean to him. When people say pleasant things about Johnny his pride is boosted. In addition, “Johnny worth-his-weight-in-gold Tremain. If you don't think he is wonderful- ask him Isanah, Oh, just how wonderful are you Johnny? Johnny said nothing, stood there and grinned. The two youngest Laphams were always insulting him, not only about how smart he was, but how smart he thought he was”(Forbes 6).  This indicates that Johnny likes to hear people say pleasant things about him. This illustrates that Johnny is prideful and arrogant. 

As the novel progresses Johnny learns to be more humble. He learns that he is not as. As a result of meeting Rab, Johnny realized he needed to think before he spoke. According to the text, “Everybody along Long Wharf knows you called him a gallows bird. He’s not used to it. Was it fun he wondered- going about letting everybody in your way have it? After that Johnny began to watch himself. For the first time he learned to think before he spoke”(Forbes 116-117). This shows that Johnny is trying not to lash out his anger on people even if they do something wrong. Johnny is carefully choosing his words and not being rude to anyone for no reason. Johnny is trying to be more like Rab. Rab usually keeps most of his thoughts to himself. For Instance, “This praise went to Johnny’s head, but patterning his manners on Rab’s he tried not to show it”(Forbes 109). Johnny is trying to become more like Rab. Rab is his role model and Johnny wants to be more like him. Johnny wants to prove to Rab that he can act more mature than he did in the beginning of the story. He no longer acts arrogant and prideful like he does in the beginning of the story.  

At the end of the story Johnny is a mature man. He is no longer the prideful and arrogant boy from the beginning of the story.  For example, “And in a way he had died in that room, at least something had happened in the bright little silversmith's apprentice was no more”(Forbes 175). Johnny was not the same person that he was in the beginning of the story. He went through a lot of change after he burnt his hand. He is no longer the prideful and arrogant boy from the beginning of the story.  Additionally, “They shook hands silently. Johnny knew that Warren was always conscious of the fact that he had a crippled hand. Everybody else had accepted and forgotten it”(Forbes 259).Johnny and other people forget that he has a crippled hand. He just accepts it and tries not to think about it anymore. He put it in the past and is not ashamed of his hand.

It is evident that Johnny changes a lot throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel he is prideful and arrogant. After he burns his hand and meets Rab everything changes. He transforms into a humble man who thinks before he speaks and no longer thinks he is the best at everything.