Getting Paid to NOT do Your Chores?

"'Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.'

Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind:

'No--no--I reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You see Aunt Polly's awful particular about this fence--right here on the street, you know--but if it was the back fence I wouldn't mind and she wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular about this fence; it's got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain't one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it's got to be done.'

'No--is that so? OH come, now--lemme just try. Only just a little--I'd let you, if you was me, Tom.'

'Ben, I'd like to, honest injun; but Aunt Polly--well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn't let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn't let Sid. Now don't you see how I'm fixed? If you was to tack this fence and anything was to happen to it--'

'Oh, shucks, I'll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say--I'll give you the core of my apple.'

'Well, here-- No, Ben, now don't I'm afeard--'

'I'l give you all of it!'

Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer Big Missouri worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of more innocents." (Twain 413-414)

This scene just cracks me up. Here we see Tom turn into a little con-artist. He makes his job seem SO important to Ben. Ben is practically begging Tom to let him do his chores and ends up giving his apple up so Tom will "let" him whitewash. Once Ben is toiling in the sun, Tom takes a nice breather in the shade and starts thinking of who else he can pawn his chores off on.

I feel as if Twain is sending a message about American society. Some people work and work and get very little in return, while others don't hardly do anything and get a great reward. Kind of like slavery in the south. Sort of. Not completely. But who does all the work for no reward? They may not be begging to do the work, or offering up apples to do it, but there is definitely someone sitting in the shade reaping the benefits of their labor in the sun.