Appearances vs. Reality
The events in Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper all center on the trouble that arises when people try to determine what’s real and what’s not based entirely on appearances or the way someone or something looks. The two protagonists, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor, look physically identical despite their very different lives. Tom is an impoverished beggar who entertains himself by daydreaming of either meeting or becoming a prince. Edward is a…
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Wealth, Poverty, and Morality
In Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper there is a clear disconnect between the extremely wealthy and the extremely poor. From wealthy people’s lofty positions in fine estates far away from the dirt, noise, and misery in London’s slums, they place no real value on the lives of the poor. On the other hand, England’s poor see royalty—and particularly King Henry VIII—as morally bankrupt, corrupt, and unnecessarily cruel. In fact, some say King…
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Justice
One of the most moving events in Mark Twain’s satirical work The Prince and the Pauper is when Edward Tudor—the beloved only son of King Henry VIII and heir to the English throne—lands himself in a common jail, surrounded by people who, according to his father’s laws, are immoral criminals. Although Edward complains about the situation, once he starts listening to people’s stories, he realizes that there is a profound injustice being done. Men…
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Nature vs. Nurture
Mark Twain had an avid interest in human nature and how people become who they are. Above all, Twain believed that a person’s environment—their home life, social status, relationships, and so on—do more to determine a person’s character than mere biology or genetics. Twain’s satirical novel The Prince and the Pauper features a colorful cast of characters ranging from alcoholics to optimistic street urchins to royalty to criminals. Many of them, including Tom Canty (a…
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