The Adventures of Tom Sawyer · Chapter
The Pinch-Bug and His Prey explained
Tom attends Sunday church service with his family, enduring the long prayer and sermon.
What happens
Tom attends Sunday church service with his family, enduring the long prayer and sermon. He releases a pinch-bug that causes a commotion when a poodle plays with it, leading to laughter and disruption.
Themes in this chapter
Childhood vs. Adulthood
Tom's restlessness and mischief contrast with the solemnity expected of adults in church.
Morality and Conscience
Tom refrains from grabbing a fly during prayer due to fear of damnation, showing his internal moral struggle.
Characters to notice
- Tom Sawyer
Restless during the sermon, he releases a pinch-bug and enjoys the ensuing chaos.
- Aunt Polly
Sits with Tom, Sid, and Mary in church, supervising Tom.
- Sid
Sits with Aunt Polly and Tom in church.
- Widow Douglas
Described as fair, smart, and forty, a generous and well-to-do widow attending church.
- Willie Mufferson
The Model Boy, who brings his mother to church and is hated by the other boys.
Key passages
“Tom counted the pages of the sermon; after church he always knew how many pages there had been, but he seldom knew anything else about the discourse.”
Tom kept track of the sermon's length but paid no attention to its content.
Highlights Tom's disinterest in religious instruction.
“By this time the whole church was red-faced and suffocating with suppressed laughter, and the sermon had come to a dead standstill.”
The congregation struggled to contain their laughter, interrupting the sermon entirely.
Shows the disruptive effect of Tom's pinch-bug on the service.