Trickery and cons in Tom Sawyer

Tom Sawyer: Con Man in the Making

The opening chapter in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer reveals details about Tom's family life that help us conclude how he has come to master the role of being the con man so quickly. His aunt Polly is the disciplinarian but at the same time, has given him unspoken permissions to be the troublemaker or the con man. The dynamic between the two is realistic; Tom is allowed to get away with his shenanigans because his aunt feels a certain amount of sympathy toward him. We also know that Tom is clever enough to outsmart Polly. She understands the need for discipline but she also recognizes the importance of allowing a child to be a child. Tom understands this as well. He may not comprehend how he is able to outsmart his aunt but he knows he can. This is all that matters to him, as this is Tom's character -- the con man. Tom experiences an incredible amount of freedom as the result of Polly's lax discipline. Gary Lindberg explores this characteristic in "The Confidence Man in American Literature."

Aunt Polly is implementing what Lindberg means when he states the con man "clarifies tension between stated ethics and tolerated practices" (4). Her actions verify how we, in American society, have "official pieties" (3) and an "unofficial reward system" (3). Polly knows how Tom should act and she knows she should punish him when he misbehaves but she does not. She admits she is not "doing her duty" (Twain 3) by Tom but he is her nephew and "Every time I let him off, my conscience does hurt me so, and every time I hit him my old heart most breaks" (3). She even admits that she must punish in some form or fashion or she will be the "ruination of the child" (3). Polly knows what is right and yet she does exactly the opposite of what she knows she must do. She does this partially because Tom is her nephew. However, Tom being her nephew does not negate the fact that she knows how to punish a child for bad behavior. She tolerates more from Tom because he is family, regardless of her moral code. This action gives Tom freedom to do as he pleases, thus encouraging his con game. Tom is smart enough to realize what he is doing and he allows his aunt to wallow in pity for him because it allows him to play his game. It should be noted, however, that while Polly's behavior is a factor in Tom's behavior, she is acting on her own free will. At any moment, she could stop letting him get away with making trouble, but she chooses not to do so.

Tom's role in this relationship is significant because it demonstrates Lindberg's point that the definition of con man has a compound definition attached to it -- one that includes "admiration, amusement, and connivance" (Lindberg 4). Tom is a likable character from the first pages of the book and this is another concept Lindberg explores. He writes that con men appear in literature for a reason and, according to Lindberg, they do so because of their complex appeal. They have infiltrated the "very centers of American values and works of literature" (4), according to Lindberg, and have "radically entangled with the myth of the "new World'" (4). He also points out that our understanding of him emerges through the "characteristic situation in which he appears" (7). In the case of Tom Sawyer, we completely understand what is happening and how he is a con man. Tom succeeds because of Polly and this aspect of the story becomes a point for Lindberg, as he point out that those around con men "believes in some larger promise" (7). Clearly, Polly believes in a larger promise that Tom's good nature will prevail and he will manage to keep himself out of trouble. She wants to believe this because it makes life easier for her. Anything more difficult would force her to become more harsh with Tom and we or she is not certain this is possible at this point in the story. Polly's behavior is just what Tom needs to continue misbehaving. As long as Polly believes in this larger, nebulous promise, Tom is a free boy. Lindberg asserts this type of behavior assures the manipulator that if he is successful, the "larger ends will take care of themselves" (7). This reciprocal environment creates an atmosphere of faith, according to Lindberg, which only makes things easier for the con man. The confidence man is a "manipulator of contriver who creates an inner effect, an impression, an experience of confidence, that surpasses the grounds for it . . . A confidence man makes belief" (7). This is certainly true of Tom. While he is not completely responsible for his aunt's mindset, he is good enough of an actor to know just how to manipulate her. He knows how far to push her and when to hold back. He is making her believe in something that is not completely there, nor does Tom ever intend for it to be there. Tom is a young con man and with his experience, we can only imagine what kind of man he would grow up to be.