Question

The written conversation between two or more characters in a story is called dialogue. Analyze the dialogue between Tom and Ben that occurs in lines 53-94. What leads Ben to change his attitude about whitewashing the fence!

Answer 1

Answer: Tom pretends that whitewashing is fun, which makes Ben interested in doing it himself.

Explanation:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel written by Mark Twain. The story is about a boy called Tom, who grows up by the Mississippi River.

On one occasion, Tom was punished by his aunt and had to whitewash the  garden fence. Tom, of course, did not want to do it, but pretended that this is a rather interesting activity. When Ben passed by the fence and mocked him for having to paint the fence, Tom convinced him that this job is a unique opportunity:

"Like it? Well, I don't see why I oughtn't to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?"

Tom pretended that whitewashing is fun, which increased Ben's interest for it:

"Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little."

Tom even made Ben give him an apple as a reward for letting him accompany him in this interesting activity.