Johnny Tremain Themes

Johnny Tremain follows its titular protagonist as he matures from age 14 to 16 on the eve of the Revolutionary War. At the beginning of the novel, Johnny is apprenticed to an elderly silversmith, Mr. Lapham. As the best and cleverest apprentice in the shop, Johnny figures he has his life laid out for him—until the day he burns his hand on molten silver, rendering him unable to use silversmithing tools and throwing his…

Much of Johnny’s development over the course of the novel happens as Johnny gradually sheds his prideful, selfish nature and learns to be humble and serve others. Being humble and serving others, the novel suggests, is one of the most successful ways to become part of one’s community and find one’s place in the world. In the beginning of the novel, though Johnny is well-liked, he’s also extremely cruel: he purposefully bullies and alienates…

As a war novel, Johnny Tremain contains its fair share of violence—however, the novel goes to great lengths to show that while violence is an expected part of war and can be noble, it’s still ugly and undesirable. Though Johnny fully believes in the rebel cause and understands that only a war will free American colonists from British tyranny, violence disturbs him—even when the victims are his enemies. For instance, one night he hears Whig…

Teenaged Johnny is an orphan; his beloved mother died about two years before the novel begins, about the time that Johnny began his silversmith apprenticeship with Mr. Lapham. However, the novel’s major subplot has to do with Johnny attempting to figure out where he fits into his family. His mother always told him that they’re part of the wealthy, powerful Lyte family—and Johnny has a silver cup with the family crest on it to…