Chapter+17+Summary

Chapter 17 Summary

The Saturday after Tom and Huck went missing, everyone was mourning. Becky Thatcher moped around the schoolyard sorrowing that she had nothing to remember Tom by. She regretted saying what she said to him. Many school children stood around remembering when "Tom did this" and "Joe did that", and recreating those memories.

The next day, the bell began to toll instead of ring. Soon villagers gathered at the church for mourning. Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, and the Harpers entered in all black, with people rising as they walked. The minister read prayers and the congregation sung hymns. Many people regretted having seen onlt the boys' faults.

Soon, Tom, Joe, and Huck walked in. Everyone was amazed. They boys had been listening to their own funeral sermon. Aunt Polly, Mary, and the Harpers threw themsleves upon Tom and Joe and smothered them with kisses and joy. Huck stood awkwardly nearby. The minister shouted for everyone to sing and rejoice. Tom thought that this would be the proudest moment of his life. Tom got more kisses that day than he had gotten in year.

Promt: Would you ever put people you loved through agony just to get the glory like Tom did? Why or why not? How far would you go to get glory?