Tom's role in this relationship is significant because it demonstrates Lindberg's point that the definition of con man has a compound definition attached to it -- one that includes "admiration, amusement, and connivance" (Lindberg 4). Tom is a likable character from the first pages of the book and this is another concept Lindberg explores. He writes that con men appear in literature for a reason and, according to Lindberg, they do so because of their complex appeal. They have infiltrated the "very centers of American values and works of literature" (4), according to Lindberg, and have "radically entangled with the myth of the "new World'" (4). He also points out that our understanding of him emerges through the "characteristic situation in which he appears" (7). In the case of Tom Sawyer, we completely understand what is happening and how he is a con man. Tom succeeds because of Polly and this aspect of the story becomes a point for Lindberg, as he point out that those around con men "believes in some larger promise" (7). Clearly, Polly believes in a larger promise that Tom's good nature will prevail and he will manage to keep himself out of trouble. She wants to believe this because it makes life easier for her. Anything more difficult would force her to become more harsh with Tom and we or she is not certain this is possible at this point in the story. Polly's behavior...
As long as Polly believes in this larger, nebulous promise, Tom is a free boy. Lindberg asserts this type of behavior assures the manipulator that if he is successful, the "larger ends will take care of themselves" (7). This reciprocal environment creates an
atmosphere of
faith, according to Lindberg, which only makes things easier for the con man. The confidence man is a "manipulator of contriver who creates an inner effect, an impression, an experience of confidence, that surpasses the grounds for it . . . A confidence man makes belief" (7). This is certainly true of Tom. While he is not completely responsible for his aunt's mindset, he is good enough of an
actor to know just how to manipulate her. He knows how far to push her and when to hold back. He is making her believe in something that is not completely there, nor does Tom ever intend for it to be there. Tom is a young con man and with his experience, we can only imagine what kind of man he would grow up to be.
Works Cited
Lindberg, Gary. The Confidence Man in American Literature. New York: Oxford University
Press. 1982. Print.
Twain, Mark.…
