Johnny Tremain - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

The story begins in the Boston, Massachusetts silversmith shop of Ephraim Lapham, where protagonist Johnny Tremain is a promising apprentice. The Lapham shop soon receives a challenging order from prominent merchant John Hancock. While preparing Hancock's order, Johnny's hand is badly burned because of Dove, another apprentice under the same roof, who gives him a cracked crucible during the order - working on a Sunday, his hand is crippled beyond use. With only one good hand, Johnny can no longer be a silversmith. He is forced to find a living elsewhere.

After a series of rejected jobs, Johnny turns to Mr. Lyte, a successful businessman. After explaining that his mother told him that he and Mr. Lyte were related, Johnny is asked to prove this relationship by showing Lyte the silver family cup with the family's coat of arms. The next day, Johnny brings the cup, but Lyte claims it to be stolen from him; Johnny is arrested. Eventually, Johnny is freed by the court's decision. Finally, Johnny settles into a job with a newspaper, the Boston Observer. The Observer is a Whig publication, and under its employment Johnny is introduced to the larger world of pre-revolutionary Boston politics. As months go by and tension between Whigs and Tories rises, Johnny evolves to become a dedicated Whig himself. Johnny matures and reevaluates many personal relationships, including that with Cilla, who becomes a trusted friend and fellow Whig.

The novel reaches its climax with the outbreak and immediate aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

The novel concludes on a note of hopefulness for the future. Although the beginning of the war has brought great death and destruction, American Patriots have defeated the British army and surrounded Boston, a doctor will have mended Johnny's hand, and Cilla and Johnny have exchanged their first kiss.