Something that really got me thinking this week about Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, was the comment made comparing Aunt Polly and Nan Grant as parents. Throughout the semester we have seen varying roles of parenting in the nineteenth century. And interestingly enough, in most of the novels we have read, the parenting was the responsibility of adults other than the parents. For Ellen it was Aunt Fortune, for Capitola she was taken in by Ira Warfield, and Gerty’s caregiver was Nan Grant. Tom is no exception. His primary caregiver is his Aunt Polly.
I enjoyed the conversation comparing and contrasting Nan Grant and Aunt Polly in class and I wanted to continue the discussion. Nan Grant was not the ideal “mother figure,” “pulling the child into the house, amidst blows, threats, and profane and brutal language.” (Pg 81). Gerty was “scolded, beaten, and deprived…” (Pg 81). This physical abuse proved Nan Grant to be an evil character. As the reader we might have been able to see some kind of emotional attachment if we were privileged with the internal workings of her character, but they were absent from our pages. Aunt Polly provides us with a contrast to the parental role. Though Aunt Polly is upset with Tom and constantly having to investigate his activities and mischief she still has love in her heart for him (an emotion lacking completely from Nan Grant). Aunt Polly even after being tricked again by Tom says, “poor thing, and I ain’t got the heart to lash him, somehow. Every time I let him off, my conscience does hurt me so, and every time I hit him my old heart most breaks.” (Pg 399). Later in the text as she is about to strike Tom for stealing the sugar “her conscience reproached her, and she yearned to say something kind and loving…” (Pg 421). Aunt Polly showed remorse when she caused Tom pain and in these actions we see her love towards him.
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It's true that we don't get to hear Nan Grant's thoughts or learn about her past or anything, so we could possibly like her better if we did, but I honestly don't think I would still. Actions speak louder than words and Nan Grant is a flat out terrible person for treating Gerty the way she does. Aunt Polly, in contrast, is a likable characters and we understand that her strict parenting style might not be ideal but her actions are out of love and she is trying hard to raise her nephew right.
ReplyDeleteAllie-
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I love Aunt Polly (and actually have one of my own) and she is so much kinder and more compasionate than Nan Grant. Twain is making a very strong argument by portraying her as a woman of action, as opposed to a cruel-worded old-hag (what comes to mind when I think of Nan Grant). Good post.
Tripp