Tom and the boys in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer covet bugs as the possibly the best play thing. Tom’s pinch bug reeks minor wreaks havoc during a Sunday sermon. He and his best friend Joe conceive of a game around a wood tick and a slate board. Tom calls upon a doodle bug in a boyish incantation for missing marbles. I thought of these three pretty quickly off the top of my head. Tom has many boyish treasures, but bugs do seem to offer him the most entertainment.

Tom uses bugs to pass the time when quiet reflection is expected during church and school. Tom is clearly not wired for quiet reflection, so a bug-friend offers him distraction that is engaging, easy to hide, and as an added bonus likely repelling to girls. Bugs are also a valuable commodity in Tom’s trades. The little wood tick is worth enough for him to trade his recently lost tooth. Twain offers the reader an authentic trait of young boys and they’re attraction to little creepy-crawly things.