Summary
Tom joins the Cadets of Temperance, attracted by their fancy uniforms, and promises to give up smoking, chewing, and swearing. Immediately, he discovers a universal truth: promising not to do something makes you desperately want to do it. He stays in the group only hoping to march in his red sash at a public funeral, pinning his hopes on Judge Frazer who seems to be dying. When the Judge recovers, Tom quits in disgust—only to have the Judge die that very night. The irony stings, but Tom is free again. Yet he discovers something surprising: now that he can smoke and swear, he doesn't want to anymore. Summer vacation stretches endlessly before him. He tries keeping a diary but abandons it after three boring days. A minstrel show, circus, and various entertainers come to town, providing brief excitement before leaving everything duller than before. Becky is away for the summer, removing even that bright spot. Then measles strikes, leaving Tom bedridden for two weeks. When he finally recovers, he discovers the whole town has experienced a religious revival during his illness. Every friend he seeks out has 'got religion'—even Huckleberry Finn greets him with Scripture. Tom feels utterly alone and damned. That night, a terrible thunderstorm convinces him God is coming for him personally. When he survives, he briefly considers reforming, then relapses into illness for three more weeks. Upon his final recovery, he's relieved to discover his friends have also 'relapsed' back to their old ways.
Coming Up in Chapter 23
The sleepy town atmosphere is about to explode into chaos. The murder trial is finally beginning, and it will consume everyone's attention—including Tom's, whether he wants it to or not.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Tom joined the new order of Cadets of Temperance, being attracted by the showy character of their “regalia.” He promised to abstain from smoking, chewing, and profanity as long as he remained a member. Now he found out a new thing—namely, that to promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing. Tom soon found himself tormented with a desire to drink and swear; the desire grew to be so intense that nothing but the hope of a chance to display himself in his red sash kept him from withdrawing from the order. Fourth of July was coming; but he soon gave that up—gave it up before he had worn his shackles over forty-eight hours—and fixed his hopes upon old Judge Frazer, justice of the peace, who was apparently on his deathbed and would have a big public funeral, since he was so high an official. During three days Tom was deeply concerned about the Judge’s condition and hungry for news of it. Sometimes his hopes ran high—so high that he would venture to get out his regalia and practise before the looking-glass. But the Judge had a most discouraging way of fluctuating. At last he was pronounced upon the mend—and then convalescent. Tom was disgusted; and felt a sense of injury, too. He handed in his resignation at once—and that night the Judge suffered a relapse and died. Tom resolved that he would never trust a man like that again. The funeral was a fine thing. The Cadets paraded in a style calculated to kill the late member with envy. Tom was a free boy again, however—there was something in that. He could drink and swear, now—but found to his surprise that he did not want to. The simple fact that he could, took the desire away, and the charm of it. Tom presently wondered to find that his coveted vacation was beginning to hang a little heavily on his hands. He attempted a diary—but nothing happened during three days, and so he abandoned it. The first of all the negro minstrel shows came to town, and made a sensation. Tom and Joe Harper got up a band of performers and were happy for two days. Even the Glorious Fourth was in some sense a failure, for it rained hard, there was no procession in consequence, and the greatest man in the world (as Tom supposed), Mr. Benton, an actual United States Senator, proved an overwhelming disappointment—for he was not twenty-five feet high, nor even anywhere in the neighborhood of it. A circus came. The boys played circus for three days afterward in tents made of rag carpeting—admission, three pins for boys, two for girls—and then circusing was abandoned. A phrenologist and a mesmerizer came—and went again and left the village duller and drearier than ever. There were some boys-and-girls’ parties, but they were so few and so delightful that they only made...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Forbidden Fruit - Why Restrictions Create Desire
Restrictions and prohibitions create artificial desire for things we didn't particularly want before they were forbidden.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to distinguish between genuine wants and desires created by restrictions.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you suddenly crave something right after being told you can't have it—pause and ask if you wanted it before the restriction.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Cadets of Temperance
A youth organization that promoted abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and profanity. Members wore fancy uniforms and marched in parades. These groups were popular in the 1800s as part of the temperance movement.
Modern Usage:
Like joining a gym or diet program mainly for the gear and social status, not the actual commitment.
Regalia
Special ceremonial clothing or decorations worn by members of an organization. Tom is attracted to the Cadets mainly because of their showy red sash and uniform.
Modern Usage:
Think of people who join clubs or buy expensive workout clothes mainly to look the part.
Justice of the Peace
A local judge who handles minor legal matters and ceremonies like marriages. Judge Frazer holds this respected position in the community, which is why his funeral would be a big public event.
Modern Usage:
Similar to a local magistrate or JP who performs weddings and handles small legal issues.
Minstrel Show
A popular but racist form of entertainment in the 1800s where performers (often white people in blackface) performed songs and comedy. These shows were considered normal entertainment then but are now recognized as deeply offensive.
Modern Usage:
Represents how entertainment that seems normal in one era can later be seen as completely unacceptable.
Religious Revival
A period of intense religious enthusiasm that sweeps through a community. People become very focused on religion, attending church more, and changing their behavior to be more 'godly.'
Modern Usage:
Like when a whole friend group gets obsessed with the same new lifestyle trend - fitness, meditation, or diet culture.
Convalescent
Someone who is recovering from illness but not yet fully healthy. Judge Frazer goes from dying to convalescent, ruining Tom's hopes for a funeral parade.
Modern Usage:
When someone is getting better but still taking it easy - like recovering from surgery or a bad flu.
Relapse
When someone gets sick again after seeming to recover, or when they return to old bad habits after trying to change. Both Judge Frazer and Tom's friends experience relapses.
Modern Usage:
Going back to old patterns after trying to change - like starting smoking again after quitting or returning to an ex.
Characters in This Chapter
Tom Sawyer
Protagonist
Tom joins the Cadets for the wrong reasons and discovers that forbidden things become more tempting. He experiences the loneliness of being the only one not caught up in the town's religious fever.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who joins things for appearances but struggles with actual commitment
Judge Frazer
Minor character
The dying judge whose recovery and subsequent death creates dramatic irony. His illness and death represent how Tom's plans are always disrupted by forces beyond his control.
Modern Equivalent:
The important person whose schedule everyone else has to work around
Huckleberry Finn
Tom's friend
Even the town's most rebellious boy has gotten religion during Tom's illness, making Tom feel completely isolated and damned. His transformation shows how peer pressure works both ways.
Modern Equivalent:
The friend who gets really into whatever trend is happening while you're out of the loop
Key Quotes & Analysis
"He found out a new thing—namely, that to promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing."
Context: After Tom joins the Cadets and promises to give up smoking, chewing, and swearing
This captures a fundamental truth about human psychology - forbidden fruit is always sweeter. Tom discovers that restriction creates desire, not discipline.
In Today's Words:
Tell someone they can't have something, and suddenly that's all they want.
"Tom was disgusted; and felt a sense of injury, too."
Context: When Judge Frazer recovers instead of dying, ruining Tom's chance to march in the funeral
Tom's reaction shows his self-centered worldview - he's actually angry that someone didn't die on schedule. It reveals both his immaturity and his inability to see beyond his own wants.
In Today's Words:
Tom was pissed off and felt like the universe was personally screwing him over.
"Now that he could smoke and swear, he found that he did not want to."
Context: After Tom quits the Cadets and is free to indulge in forbidden behaviors again
This perfectly illustrates how desire often depends on restriction. Once the prohibition is removed, the appeal disappears. Tom learns that wanting something and actually enjoying it are different things.
In Today's Words:
As soon as he was allowed to do the bad stuff again, he didn't even want to anymore.
Thematic Threads
Social Performance
In This Chapter
Tom joins the Cadets purely for the fancy uniform and chance to march publicly, not for any genuine commitment to temperance
Development
Builds on earlier chapters where Tom performs for attention (showing off for Becky, dramatic return from island)
In Your Life:
You might find yourself joining groups or making commitments more for how they look to others than for personal conviction
Irony
In This Chapter
Judge Frazer dies the very night Tom quits the Cadets, and Tom loses interest in vices once he's free to indulge them
Development
Twain's ironic voice strengthens, showing how life rarely unfolds as we expect
In Your Life:
You might notice that the things you desperately want often lose their appeal once you can have them freely
Isolation
In This Chapter
Tom feels completely alone when all his friends get religion during his illness, believing he's the only sinner left
Development
Deepens Tom's recurring fear of being different or left out from earlier social anxieties
In Your Life:
You might feel uniquely flawed when everyone around you seems to be making changes you're not ready for
Cycles
In This Chapter
The religious revival proves temporary—everyone relapses back to their old ways, including Tom's friends
Development
Introduces the theme of how dramatic changes often don't stick permanently
In Your Life:
You might observe that major life changes in your community or family often fade back to familiar patterns over time
Boredom
In This Chapter
Summer vacation becomes tedious despite being exactly what Tom thought he wanted—freedom from school and responsibility
Development
New theme showing how getting what we want doesn't always bring satisfaction
In Your Life:
You might find that periods of complete freedom or rest become surprisingly unsatisfying without some structure or challenge
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What happens to Tom's desire to smoke and swear the moment he promises to give them up?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Tom lose interest in smoking once he's free to do it again?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this 'forbidden fruit' pattern in workplaces, schools, or families today?
application • medium - 4
If you had to set boundaries for someone (child, employee, patient), how would you avoid triggering this rebellion effect?
application • deep - 5
What does Tom's experience reveal about the difference between genuine self-control and forced compliance?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Forbidden Fruit Moments
Think of three times in your life when being told you couldn't do something made you want it more - maybe a restricted food during a diet, a forbidden relationship, or a banned activity at work. Write down what happened before, during, and after the restriction. Look for the pattern: did you actually want these things before they were forbidden?
Consider:
- •Notice whether your desire was genuine or just rebellion against control
- •Consider how the restriction affected your relationship with the person who set it
- •Think about whether you found ways around the rule or waited it out
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to set boundaries for someone else. How did they react? Knowing what you know now about psychological reactance, how might you handle it differently?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 23: The Weight of Truth
What lies ahead teaches us guilt and moral conflict create internal pressure that demands resolution, and shows us standing up for others requires courage even when it puts you at risk. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.