The Prince and the Pauper

“The house which Tom’s father lived in was up a foul little pocket called Offal Court, out of Pudding Lane. It was small, decayed, and rickety, but it was packed full of wretchedly poor families.”

This description of Offal Court provides insight into the dire conditions of the poor in London. With Offal Court as the basis, the grandeur of royal buildings that will later be seen shows how unfair the divide is between rich and poor in London.

“And still his desire to look just once upon a real prince, in the flesh, grew upon him, day by day, and week by week, until at last it absorbed all other desires, and became the one passion of his life.”

Tom’s desire to see a prince is the cause of the story’s inciting incident. His strong imagination and the effect it has on him is shown here and will continue to appear throughout the novel.

“Poor little Tom, in his rags, approached […]. […] Within was a comely boy, tanned and brown with sturdy outdoor sports and exercises, whose clothing was all of lovely silks and satins, shining with jewels.”

Tom’s rags and Edward’s silk robes mark their respective social classes. As the book will show, these clothes are all that marks them as different, as both are equally kind and observant once they switch roles.

“‘They? Oh, dost think, sir, that they have servants?’

The little prince contemplated the little pauper gravely a moment, then said—

‘And prithee, why not? Who helpeth them undress at night? Who attireth them when they rise?’”

Edward’s questioning of Tom reveals the extent of his ignorance of life outside the palace, exemplified by his belief that everyone has servants to dress them. This sets up the worldview that Edward will change after his experiences as a pauper.

“Then will I utter it. Thou hast the same hair, the same eyes, the same voice and manner, the same form and stature, the same face and countenance that I bear. Fared we forth naked, there is none could say which was you, and which the Prince of Wales. And, now that I am clothed as thou wert clothed, it seemeth I should be able the more nearly to feel as thou didst when the brute soldier.”

The revelation that Edward and Tom are identical begins the plot’s main action and allows for their swap. Thematically, their equivalence highlights the fundamentally arbitrary nature of class divides in the face of human diversity.

“Take that, thou beggar’s spawn, for what thou got’st me from his Highness!”

After leaving the royal palace in Tom’s rags, Edward is immediately hit by a guard who identifies him solely by his apparent social class. Twain emphasizes the inadequacy of this method of judgment throughout the novel.

“Then followed such a thing as England had never seen before—the sacred person of the heir to the throne rudely buffeted by plebeian hands, and set upon and torn by dogs.”

As a pauper, Edward experiences violence from which his social position previously protected him. The novelty of this experience, not only for Edward but for anyone from his class, underscores the extent of differences between the lives of people from different backgrounds.

“Warn my Parliament to bring me Norfolk’s doom before the sun rise again, else shall they answer for it grievously.”

Henry VIII’s insistence on the Duke of Norfolk’s execution symbolizes his rule of England at large. Brutal laws marked his reign, and these laws are what Edward and Tom combat during the novel.

“Alas! there was no Hereditary Scratcher.”

Tom’s surprise by the various customs of the court provides a consistent source of humor while satirizing the pretensions of royal protocol. His asking whether an official was appointed to scratch his nose originates from the use of a servant for almost all other tasks he would normally be expected to do.

“Tom Canty, born in a hovel, bred in the gutters of London, familiar with rags and dirt and misery, what a spectacle is this!”

The difference between the extreme poverty of Tom’s early life and the ostentation that surrounds him during the River Pageant highlights the surrealness of Tom’s experience as king. Edward’s experience as a pauper is equally unimaginable to him. This shows that no matter how extreme one’s situation, it becomes normalized with repetition. Tom has grown accustomed to beatings and rags while Edward has grown accustomed to praise and authority. Eventually, Tom begins to relax into his role as king, but it is unclear whether Edward would ever acclimate to life as a beggar.

“A sounding blow upon the Prince’s shoulder from Canty’s broad palm sent him staggering into goodwife Canty’s arms, who clasped him to her breast, and sheltered him from a pelting rain of cuffs and slaps by interposing her own person.”

As John Canty tries to abuse Edward (whom he thinks is Tom), Mother Canty intercedes, taking the blows herself. This act shows her selflessness and love for Tom, even if it is Edward she is protecting. Her kindness will be rewarded by the end of the novel as Edward rewards the members of the Canty family who helped him.

“The speaker was a sort of Don Caesar de Bazan in dress, aspect, and bearing. He was tall, trim-built, muscular. His doublet and trunks were of rich material, but faded and threadbare, and their gold-lace adornments were sadly tarnished; his ruff was rumpled and damaged; the plume in his slouched hat was broken and had a bedraggled and disreputable look; at his side he wore a long rapier in a rusty iron sheath.”

The first description of Miles Hendon is an excellent example of Twain’s use of clothes as a method of describing social standing. Hendon wears clothes of rich material that have become worn and faded, and his sword’s sheath is rusted. This implies Hendon is a nobleman but one who has been removed from his station and comforts for a long time.

“Then shall the king’s law be law of mercy, from this day, and never more be law of blood! Up from thy knees and away! To the Tower, and say the King decrees the Duke of Norfolk shall not die!”

Tom’s first official act as king is one of mercy. His pardoning of the Duke of Norfolk sets the stage for the rest of his tenure as king, which is defined by the mercy he shows to the English people.

“I will teach him; I will cure his malady; yea, I will be his elder brother, and care for him and watch over him; and whoso would shame him or do him hurt may order his shroud, for though I be burnt for it he shall need it!”

Miles Hendon abides by his oath to protect Edward for the rest of the novel. While this is a noble act, it also shows Miles’s snobbery. He believes Edward is a boy he can teach and cultivate, turning him from a beggar into a proper young Englishman. At the novel’s end, Miles is mortified that he once believed himself superior to Edward, which is another lesson about the danger of assuming someone’s social class.

“A low buzz of admiration swept through the assemblage. It was not admiration of the decree that had been delivered by Tom, for the propriety or expediency of pardoning a convicted poisoner was a thing which few there would have felt justified in either admitting or admiring—no, the admiration was for the intelligence and spirit which Tom had displayed.”

After pardoning the first prisoners, Tom begins to gain the crowd’s support. Crucially, it is his innate compassion that brings him support rather than his pretense of acting like royalty. Tom’s identity shines through the superficial expectations of what a king should be.

“The morning’s experiences had wonderfully built up his confidence.”

Tom quickly adapts to his new social position, and after achieving this, he exits the narrative and reappears in the final chapters. Leaving him on this high note implies that Tom’s suitability as a king will continue to grow and potentially provoke conflict between himself and Edward as to who is the rightful ruler.

“A slave! Do you understand that word? An English slave!”

Yokel’s complaint that he has been forced into slavery is emotionally resonant for Edward. He feels that the English people should be above slavery and promises to revoke the laws. While this is a noble action, it may be noted that historically, shortly after the reign of Edward VI, the enslavement of African people began in the British Empire. Thus, it is not necessarily slavery that is hated, but the fact that the enslaved are English.

“Moreover, I owe you thanks for a good omen; for when a king has fallen so low that the very rats do make a bed of him, it surely meaneth that his fortunes be upon the turn, since it is plain he can no lower go.”

Edward shows his resilience and optimism by taking the rat as a good sign rather than lamenting his misfortune. This scene demonstrates that he has gained some perspective along his journey and will continue to do so throughout the novel.

“[F]or he began humanely with saving the old Duke of Norfolk’s life, and now is he bent on destroying the cruellest of the laws that harry and oppress the people.”

Tom’s return to the narrative shows that he is evolving in his role as king. The novel’s intention in mentioning the Duke of Norfolk first is to show that Tom not only extends justice to nobles, as other aristocrats might, but also plans to extend justice to the common people. The concept is revolutionary at this point in history and is the result of Twain grafting modern democratic ideals—that everyone is equal under the law—onto a time that has very different beliefs about whom the law should protect.

“[T]he laws that have dishonoured thee, and shamed the English name, shall be swept from the statute books. The world is made wrong; kings should go to school to their own laws, at times, and so learn mercy.”

Edward’s revelation that a ruler must learn how his subjects live so he can rule with mercy is a key moment in the novel and the purpose of his character arc. Having learnt about the common peoples’ struggles, Edward has changed from a sheltered prince into a king who will rule according to the best interests of his subjects.

“‘Kings cannot ennoble thee, thou good, great soul, for One who is higher than kings hath done that for thee; but a king can confirm thy nobility to men.’ He picked up the scourge from the ground, touched Hendon’s bleeding shoulders lightly with it, and whispered, ‘Edward of England dubs thee Earl!’”

Edward conferring the title of earl on Miles Hendon is an important statement on the difference between true identity and social class. Edward confirms the nobility of Miles’s spirit, which he recognizes cannot come from a title; it must be God-given. He can only make Miles noble in society’s eyes by granting him social status.

“Tom Canty gazed abroad over the surging sea of eager faces, and his heart swelled with exultation; and he felt that the one thing worth living for in this world was to be a king, and a nation’s idol.”

This moment is the high point of Tom’s experience as king. He now embodies the role he could only dream about and living as a king has somewhat altered Tom’s self-concept. This high point is followed by the lowest point in his character arc, his denial of his mother shortly afterward.

“His grandeurs were stricken valueless: they seemed to fall away from him like rotten rags.”

Here the consequences of Tom’s attachment to his role as king come to fruition. His denial of his mother has left him feeling so at odds with his identity that the benefits he previously saw in being king have evaporated. Comparing his kingship to rotten rags symbolizes that he cannot find happiness living someone else’s life.