The Story of “Little Johnny Brown”
Cultural and Historical Meaning
Though small in stature, Little Johnny Brown felt big and important because he was so good at picking cotton. When his boss said Johnny’s bag weighed only 20 pounds, Johnny knew it weighed much more. Johnny decided that if the boss was going to cheat him, he would cheat the boss back. So he began putting bricks, stones, dead animals, and whatever else he found into his sack.
When Johnny’s mother heard of his scheme, she told him to lay his blanket on the ground and pour the contents of his sack onto the blanket so she could have a look at it. She explained to Johnny that while the boss might cheat him out of money, no one could cheat him out of his soul. If he stayed honest, he would grow up to be a better man than the boss who stole.