Johnny Tremain Pride Quotes

Question One

In the novel, Johnny Tremain, by Lois Lowry, the main character, Johnny, was a highly skilled silversmiths apprentice. He was young, handsome, and intelligent, and by proxy has a very large ego. He burned and mutilated his hand at the age of 14 however, and became crippled, as a result of his inflated pride, and lost near everything, but retained his predominant aspects. Arrogance and pride. It often insults others, but also exudes the illusion of someone who knows what he's doing, and how to do it. Though his pride is typically ostracizing and can have adverse social and mental effects, it also presents unique opportunities, most apparent as he evolves throughout the median chapters.

The start to Johnny’s decline and emotional

But as his mentality sank, his pride swam. It began to have merit as people noticed his strong disposition and intense character of pride. He seemed to almost charm his way into a job with his demeanor alone, as displayed by the fact Mr. Hancock almost took him in, with his impressing aura and uninterested manor, he carried and air of experience, of importance, of expertise. As shown here, “He was attracted by the quality of the boy's voice, for, although Johnny ofter spoke on the rougher, slurring manner of Hancock’s Wharf, in reading he reverted to the cleaner speech his mother had taught him” (63). In every quality, Johnny managed to attract attention. He even managed to land a job as a cabin boy (100), before it was revealed he needed to play for equipment himself. With such a permissive air to him, he could have gotten any job on Hancock’s Wharf without his hand, and he even managed two with, a testament to his indomitable

The other boys on the Wharf pitied him, for he was no longer the envy of all the masters and silversmiths (43). The markets women counted their pats of butter as he walked by to ensure he hadnt nabbed a block (116). Mrs. Lapham scolded him and called him a “‘worthless limb of satan’”(44) and chastised him for his pride despite his lack of ability to back himself. However Rab perceived his pride as evidence to his gumption and talent, willing to give him a chance when noone else would, and when his Uncle asked if Johnny was fit for the job, said “‘Johnny Tremain is a bold fellow. I knew he could learn–if he didnt get killed first. It was sink or swim for him–and happens hes swimming”’(109). His pride was generally perceived in a two-dimensional manner before Rab, with him being phenomenal and the envy of Hancock’s Wharf before the burn, and an imp of hell afterwards. Generally however, his pride isnt received too kindly, and is mistaken for him being untrustworthy and sinful, making others treat him with caution and a general cautious dislike, one of the reasons Johnnys so drawn to Rab, as Rab treats him like a human