Shel Silverstein's Poem Analysis 2

Ticklish Tom

By Shel Silverstein

From the very beginning, the reader notices the many details describing the places and the different noises which make this poem become a detailed story of a ticklish boy called Tom. No matter where Tom goes, he always laughs and has fun and all the people and things around him contribute to this fabulous state.

It is quite clear to me that the main purpose of the poet is to make us, the readers, feel the same excitement and start laughing, just like the character in the poem, Tom. And I believe he successfully achieves his task by using alive, wisely chosen words and phrases. These name concrete and familiar things and we can easily relate to them: floor, door, school, stool, cop, town, toad, plain, etc.

But just as we were having as much fun as Tom, the ending comes as a surprise and states that the young boy, once “rolled on the railroad track”, ceased to feel ticklish. The unexpected turn abruptly puts an end to all the great fun and the railroad track can be seen as a barrier between the happy, joyful childhood and maturity.

I greatly enjoyed reading this “ticklish” poem as it reminded me how good it is to laugh from time to time, wherever you are and whatever you do. It is a message telling us that having fun keeps us alive and that is why I recommend it to everyone.