It Ain't Regular
In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we find the classic character of Tom Sawyer steering our imaginations to get all fixed in some mischief. There are a few priceless moments in Huck Finn when Tom Sawyer lays down the "law" of the matter. For Tom, there's thieving the right way, and thieving the wrong way. "Tom's got his principles", as Huck says.
In perhaps one of my favorite lines in the book, after being pressed on why Tom's gang have to rob in a certain way, he simply states in a hilarious childlike way..."I've seen it in books; and so of course that's what we've got to do."
Later on in the classic when Huck and Tom reunite further down the Mississippi River, they hatch a plan to spring Jim, the black slave and friend of Huck. While they could have simply helped Jim escape by distracting the guard and pushing Jim out the front door, it wasn't "regular" enough. You see Tom's read books. He knows that when prisoners escape it takes them years, digging with case knives, and scrawling messages in blood on cell walls. So of course, this is how it should be done, because if it's not done in this great manner, there's no glory. And why would you want to escape if no one would talk about it anyways?
When Huck asks Tom about giving Jim a feather quill to write his messages on the wall, Tom snaps back with his correction:
"Prisoners don't have geese running around the donjonkeep to pull pens out of, you muggins. They always make their pens out of the hardest, toughest, troublesomest piece of old brass candlestick or something like that they can get their hands on; and it takes them weeks and weeks, and months and months to file it out, too, because they've got to do it by rubbing it on the wall. They wouldn't use a goose quill if they had it. It ain't regular."
Sometimes things happen in life where we know for sure there has to be an easier way. There has to be a sure fire, flash in the pan answer to every stinkin' sitiation.
But come on...
There's a process, a way to do things...
What would Tom Sawyer say anyway if you weren't lookin' for the adventure!?
"...It ain't regular"
In perhaps one of my favorite lines in the book, after being pressed on why Tom's gang have to rob in a certain way, he simply states in a hilarious childlike way..."I've seen it in books; and so of course that's what we've got to do."
Later on in the classic when Huck and Tom reunite further down the Mississippi River, they hatch a plan to spring Jim, the black slave and friend of Huck. While they could have simply helped Jim escape by distracting the guard and pushing Jim out the front door, it wasn't "regular" enough. You see Tom's read books. He knows that when prisoners escape it takes them years, digging with case knives, and scrawling messages in blood on cell walls. So of course, this is how it should be done, because if it's not done in this great manner, there's no glory. And why would you want to escape if no one would talk about it anyways?
When Huck asks Tom about giving Jim a feather quill to write his messages on the wall, Tom snaps back with his correction:
"Prisoners don't have geese running around the donjonkeep to pull pens out of, you muggins. They always make their pens out of the hardest, toughest, troublesomest piece of old brass candlestick or something like that they can get their hands on; and it takes them weeks and weeks, and months and months to file it out, too, because they've got to do it by rubbing it on the wall. They wouldn't use a goose quill if they had it. It ain't regular."
Sometimes things happen in life where we know for sure there has to be an easier way. There has to be a sure fire, flash in the pan answer to every stinkin' sitiation.
But come on...
There's a process, a way to do things...
What would Tom Sawyer say anyway if you weren't lookin' for the adventure!?
"...It ain't regular"
posted by Philip Letizia at
6:03 PM
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