The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ~CH4

"Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had... twelve marbles, part of a jew's harp, a piece of blue bottle glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six firecrackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass doorknob, a dogcollar-but no dog- the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange peel, and a dilapidated old window sash."
-Pg 13

Tom learned that "In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain," and this is how he collected his treasure. He gave the other boys a price for doing a chore and it made them more willing to do it. "Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not abliged to do." With this concept in mind, Tom turns the Work of painting the fence into a Play, by making other boys who were not obliged to paint the fence, paint the fence.
Tom's treasure box seems to me, like it is full of junk; trash; things i would find in a garbage can. What made these stuff valuable was Tom's depth of creative imagination. What would you do with a handle of a knife or four pieces of orange peel?
Tom had fun turning work into play, but what makes play so much fun? Why is it that people behave when there are no rules to follow, but when rules are set, they are eager to break them? Why is it that when we have to do something, we don't want to, but when we don't have to do it, we want to? Tom's friends had fun doing his work, but could he have had fun painting the fence himself? Does it work to pretend not to be obliged?
With the power to make others do what he wants for a price, what will Tom grow up to be like in the future??

This page (pg13) has lead me to think of many questions.

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