Johnny Tremain: Chapters 1–2

by Esther Forbes
The year is 1773, and fourteen-year-old Johnny is an apprentice silversmith in Boston. When a terrible accident threatens his future, Johnny must quickly adapt — just as the American colonists join forces to break free from British rule.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–12
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. revel
    take delight in
    He knew his power and reveled in it.
  2. crucible
    a vessel used for high temperature chemical reactions
    ‘So get out a crucible. ’Soon as Dusty’s got the furnace going, you melt it down and try again.’
  3. venerable
    impressive by reason of age
    Mr. Lapham, as befitted his venerable years and his dignity as master of the house, sat in an armchair at the head of the table.
  4. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
    He was a deacon at the Cockerel Church and very pious.
  5. genteel
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
    Mrs. Lapham was a great manager, but she cared nothing for genteel manners and was the first to laugh at Dorcas’s ‘If it please you, Mother—just a touch more maple syrup for me.’
  6. trencher
    a wooden board or platter on which food is served or carved
    Mrs. Lapham was already scraping the trenchers clean, getting on with her work.
  7. patron
    a regular customer
    If a patron ordered a sauceboat, he would get a fine one—perhaps a month after it had been promised.
    A patron can also be "someone who supports or champions something." This definition does not apply here, but it can be seen in the following example sentence: "Isannah, very good and quiet, was snuggled close to her, her hand in that of her patroness." Miss Lyte becomes Isannah's patron when she takes the little beauty from the Laphams with the intention of supporting her training as an actress.
  8. reverie
    absentminded dreaming while awake
    ‘Johnny!’ It was Madge’s voice that pulled him out of his reverie.
  9. affluence
    abundant wealth
    He was the richest man in New England. Such a wealthy patron might lift the Laphams from poverty to affluence.
  10. tyranny
    dominance through threat of punishment and violence
    Perhaps Johnny’s tyranny during the week had irritated the old gentleman—who never believed it made the least difference to anyone when anything was finished.
    Compare this to the description of church bells tolling "with bronze rage at tyranny," where "tyranny" means "government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator." Old Mr. Lapham is irritated by Johnny's tyranny over him and the other apprentices (to do their work), but he is not concerned about the tyranny of King George III because "English rule ain’t always perfect, but it’s good enough for me."
  11. insufferable
    extremely unpleasant or annoying
    Both he and Dove thought it would just about serve Johnny Tremain right—after the insufferable way he had been bossing everybody—if the crucible gave way and the hot silver did spill all over the top of the furnace.
  12. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
    Mrs. Lapham had plunged the burned hand into a panful of flour and was yelling at Madge to hurry with her bread poultice.
  13. reprove
    reprimand, scold, or express dissatisfaction with
    No one reproved him because he had disobeyed Mrs. Lapham.
  14. mete out
    distribute or bestow
    When Mr. Lapham had discovered the evil that had gone on in his absence and the terrible punishment God had meted out to Johnny Tremain, he had ordered the whole thing melted down and he himself had gone over to Mr. Hancock, returned the cream pitcher, and merely said he had found it impossible to make a sugar basin.
  15. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    The old man had never once berated him for Sabbath-breaking, never reminded him how often he had pointed out that pride goeth before a fall.
Created on 一月 14, 2016 (updated 四月 3, 2026)

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