Showing Off Theme Analysis

Tom wishes at all times to be the center of attention, and is pained to share the spotlight with anyone. This desire motivates many of his actions, from picking fights with other boys, to conniving to win the honorary Bible at Sunday school, to winning Becky Thatcher's heart. At the novel's start he is frequently shortsighted in his maneuvers to gain the spotlight, which results in his ending up looking foolish, offering onlookers (and the reader) further entertainment. By its end, Tom's more mature self has become capable of greater sophistication, and he earns the spotlight through less clownish behavior. His final discovery of buried treasure, for example, makes him the envy of everyone in town, with many villagers even seeing him as a model for their own behavior as they set off to hunt for buried treasure in haunted houses. Notably, they want to be able to boast their wealth, just like him, so he is hardly alone in his vanity. At its worst, his showing off reveals a selfish strain in Tom's character. Yet Twain depicts the need for attention as just a minor vice, because it is based in a social instinct for connecting to others in the community. Even the teachers at the Sunday school yearn to be recognized as they try to impress Judge Thatcher when he visits their classroom. The only character who begrudges Tom his dramatic flair is Sid, who is mean-spirited and a loner.