Alfred Temple
Alfred Temple is a minor but consequential figure in Tom Sawyer's world, a well-dressed boy from St. Louis whose arrival in the village of St. Petersburg immediately marks him as an outsider and a rival. He first appears as the object of Tom's jealousy when Becky Thatcher, in a calculated act of revenge, sits with him and shares a picture-book behind the schoolhouse, a sight that sends Tom into a rage. Alfred is not a native of the village; he is a visitor, and his citified air—his fine clothes, his necktie, his shoes on a weekday—makes him a natural target for Tom's hostility. He is described as a "Saint Louis smarty" who "thinks he dresses so fine and is aristocracy," a perception that fuels Tom's resentment and his determination to thrash him again, as he had done on the first day Alfred arrived in town.
Role in the Schoolyard Rivalry
Alfred Temple's primary function in the story is as a foil to Tom in the romantic rivalry over Becky Thatcher. After Tom deliberately flirts with Amy Lawrence to make Becky jealous, Becky retaliates by cozying up to Alfred during the noon recess, sitting with him on a bench behind the schoolhouse and looking at a picture-book. The two are so absorbed, their heads close together, that they seem oblivious to the world. Tom, watching from a distance, is consumed with jealousy, and his hatred for Alfred intensifies. Alfred, for his part, is initially unaware that he is being used as a pawn; he is simply enjoying the attention of a pretty girl. But when Becky, realizing Tom is not coming to suffer, grows miserable and bursts into tears, she tells Alfred to go away and that she hates him. Alfred, humiliated and angry, easily guesses the truth: Becky had only used him to spite Tom Sawyer.
The Spelling-Book Revenge
Humiliated and angry, Alfred Temple seeks revenge against Tom. As he muses in the deserted schoolhouse, he sees Tom's spelling-book and seizes the opportunity. He opens the book to the lesson for the afternoon and pours ink upon the page, framing Tom for the damage. This act of petty malice is witnessed by Becky Thatcher, who glances in at a window behind him and sees the whole thing. She initially intends to tell Tom, hoping it will heal their rift, but her pride and lingering anger at Tom's earlier treatment of her cause her to change her mind. She resolves to let Tom get whipped for the damaged book and to hate him forever. Alfred's scheme thus succeeds in causing Tom a whipping, though it also sets in motion the chain of events that leads to Tom's noblest act: taking the blame for Becky when she tears the teacher's anatomy book. Alfred himself disappears from the narrative after this incident, his role as a minor antagonist complete. His character serves to illustrate the petty cruelties of childhood social dynamics and to provide a catalyst for Tom's moral growth, as Tom's decision to protect Becky from punishment stands in stark contrast to Alfred's vindictive scheming.
