Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Prince and the Pauper, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Appearances vs. Reality
Wealth, Poverty, and Morality
Justice
Nature vs. Nurture
Summary
Analysis
The next day, hungry and miserable, Tom sets out to beg, mindlessly wandering through the crowd until he realizes that he’s farther away from his house than he’s ever been before. Tom stops for a rest in a village called Charing and he looks around before idling down the road that leads past stately manors and palaces, including Westminster. Tom approaches the gates of Westminster hoping to catch sight of a real prince. Sure enough, inside is a handsome young boy wearing fine clothes and jewels. As if in a trance, Tom ignores the guards and presses his face against the gates to get a closer look. Suddenly the guards grab Tom and toss him back, yelling. The prince sprints over and chastises the guards for being rough with Tom. The guards obediently stand down, and Edward leads Tom into the palace and orders the servants to bring some food.
Tom ends up in the very place he mentally escapes to in his dreams or when he listens to Father Andrew’s stories. Tom believes that just getting close to royalty will be a form of escapism for him, as it will make his life in the slums easier to bear because it will at least give him something to think about. Furthermore, if Tom sees a prince then he might learn more about how to act like a prince himself and thus further avoid following in his father’s footsteps.
Themes
Inside the palace, Edward asks Tom about his life and he is horrified when Tom tells him how Grammer and John beat him, and that Nan and Bet don’t have servants to help them get dressed in the one outfit they each own. In turn, Edward tells Tom about his sisters, Lady Elizabeth and Lady Mary, and his cousin Lady Jane Grey. Edward asks what Tom does for fun in Offal Court and Tom tells him about going to see performing monkeys, using cudgels to duel with the other boys, racing, and dancing around the maypole. Edward often interjects to express how much he wishes he could do these things, ultimately saying it’d almost be worth giving up the crown to be able to play and swim with the other boys. Tom replies that he wishes he could wear fine clothes like Edward’s just once, so Edward proposes they trade clothes for just a moment.
Edward invites Tom inside to eat, which would have been unheard of at the time—royals generally did not intermingle with commoners in Tudor England. This testifies to Edward’s sense of compassion and his genuine desire to make other people happy. Furthermore, like Tom, Edward dreams of how the other half lives, free from the restraints of palace life and the pressure of living up to everyone’s expectations. Both boys see this meeting as an opportunity to learn more about the lives they might have had if they were born into different circumstances.
Themes
After changing clothes, Edward and Tom stand in front of a mirror and stare in wonder at their reflections—they don’t just resemble each other, they are identical. Even the ways they talk, walk, and stand are exactly the same. Edward comments on this and then he notices a bruise on Tom’s hand. Furious at the guard who hurt Tom, Edward tells Tom to stay there, grabs an object off the table to put it away, and then runs out to the gates. He calls the guards over and orders them to open the gate. They comply, but as soon as Edward runs out, the guard that hurt Tom boxes Edward’s ears. Enraged, Edward threatens to have the guard hung, which elicits riotous laughter and mockery from the guards and the crowd. Edward tries to say he’s the prince, but the crowd chases him down the road, mocking him the whole way.
Edward’s snap decision to run outside and scold the guards while he’s wearing a beggar’s clothes reveals how easily he loses himself in the pursuit of justice but also how confident he is that everyone will recognize him as the Prince of Wales even if he isn’t dressing the part. Until this moment, Edward doesn’t totally grasp the importance of clothes in how people perceive others. Without his fine clothes, Edward doesn’t command the same respect and awe as he does with them. In this way, clothes represent how arbitrary and meaningless class divisions (like the divide between Tom and Edward) really are—the only thing that’s changed about Edward is his clothing, yet he’s treated like an entirely different person who’s unworthy of respect.
Themes
Literary Devices
