# Becky Thatcher — The Adventures of Tom Sawyer character guide > Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Becky, Rebecca Thatcher, Thatcher **First appearance:** 0007-vi-tom-meets-becky ## Snapshot The judge's pretty daughter, new to town and quick to flare, whose proud temper and Tom's careless cruelty spark a feud neither quite knows how to end. ## Who they are Becky Thatcher arrives in St. Petersburg as the admired new girl, and Tom's clumsy courtship — showing off, then ignoring her — turns her affection into wounded fury. Proud and thin-skinned, she gives as good as she gets, and one impulsive moment with the schoolmaster's locked book leaves her terrified of exposure and desperate to see Tom punished. Her quarrel with Tom matters because it forces both of them to learn something about loyalty, and because it sets her on the path toward the adventure that will test her nerve. ## Relationships ### [Tom Sawyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/tom_sawyer) _romantic_ Tom pursues Becky with dramatic affection, and they share a childhood romance marked by jealousy, reconciliation, and mutual admiration. ### [Alfred Temple](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/alfred_temple) _social_ Alfred is a well-dressed new boy in town who briefly courts Becky, causing jealousy in Tom. ### [Aunt Polly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/aunt_polly) _social_ Aunt Polly knows Becky as Tom's love interest and treats her with friendly, maternal interest. ### [Tom Sawyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/tom_sawyer) _romantic_ Tom pursues Becky with dramatic affection, and they share a childhood romance marked by jealousy, reconciliation, and mutual admiration. ### [Tom Sawyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/tom_sawyer) _romantic_ Tom pursues Becky with dramatic affection, and they share a childhood romance marked by jealousy, reconciliation, and mutual admiration. ### [Aunt Polly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/aunt_polly) _social_ Aunt Polly knows Becky as Tom's love interest and treats her with friendly, maternal interest. ### [Alfred Temple](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/alfred_temple) _social_ Alfred is a well-dressed new boy in town who briefly courts Becky, causing jealousy in Tom. ### [Aunt Polly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/aunt_polly) _social_ Aunt Polly knows Becky as Tom's love interest and treats her with friendly, maternal interest. ## In the story ### [Busy at War and Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/iii-busy-at-war-and-love) New girl in town; Tom falls in love with her at first sight; she tosses him a pansy. ### [Showing Off in Sunday School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/iv-showing-off-in-sunday-school) New girl in town who captivates Tom and inspires his showing off. ### [Tom Meets Becky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/vi-tom-meets-becky) New girl at school who captures Tom's attention and receives his declaration of love. ### [Tick-Running and a Heartbreak](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/vii-tick-running-and-a-heartbreak) Tom's love interest; she plays with him, gets engaged, but is heartbroken when Tom reveals his past engagement to Amy Lawrence. ### [The Cat and the Painkiller](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xii-the-cat-and-the-painkiller) Becky has stopped coming to school, causing Tom great distress. She eventually returns but snubs Tom, calling him a show-off. ### [Pirates at Their Own Funeral](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xvii-pirates-at-their-own-funeral) Mopes around the schoolhouse yard, grieving Tom and regretting their last quarrel. ### [Tom Reveals His Dream Secret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xviii-tom-reveals-his-dream-secret) Uses Alfred Temple to make Tom jealous; later sees Alfred ink Tom's spelling book but decides not to tell. ### [Tom Takes Becky’s Punishment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xx-tom-takes-becky-s-punishment) Rejects Tom's apology, accidentally tears Mr. Dobbins's book, and is saved by Tom's false confession. ### [Huck Finn Quotes Scriptures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xxii-huck-finn-quotes-scriptures) Is away visiting her parents in Constantinople during vacation, leaving Tom without a bright side to life. ### [XXIX: Huck Saves the Widow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xxix-huck-saves-the-widow) Returns to town; plays with Tom and agrees to the picnic and the plan to stay at Widow Douglas's. ### [Found and Lost Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xxxi-found-and-lost-again) Becky grows increasingly weak and despairing as they remain lost in the cave. ### [Turn Out! They're Found!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xxxii-turn-out-they-re-found) Becky is rescued from the cave and remains bedridden, looking ill and worn from the ordeal. ### [Respectable Huck Joins the Gang](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/xxxv-respectable-huck-joins-the-gang) Tells her father about Tom taking her whipping, leading the Judge to praise Tom's lie as noble. ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/chapters/conclusion) One of the younger characters who may be revisited in a future story. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters/becky_thatcher - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tom_sawyer_se/characters