The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper is a fish out of water story. One fish, Prince Edward, exchanges places with a pauper boy to whom he bares more than a little resemblance, Tom Canty. Tom is forced to beg for his living and suffers at the hands of an abusive father. Prince Edward is stifled by the demands and obligations of princedom. When Prince Edward and Tom are thrown together by circumstances, Prince Edward longs to "revel in the mud once," while Tom longs to wear the Prince's robes, "just once," (Twain, p. 1). In his "princely" robes, Tom learns the manners and mores of court, while Prince Edward is subjected to abuse and violence during his stint as a "pauper." In the end, Twain reveals that no ruler of the people is a good ruler of the people unless he knows the needs of his people and that even a prince and a pauper may share more in common than imagined.

Twain demonstrates human nature is often subject to error when it bases its perceptions on appearances. When Tom puts on Edward's robes, nobody believes him when he says "I was born a pauper. It is only by accident that I am here," (Twain, p. 2). It is easier for those at court to believe Prince Edward has gone "mad" than to believe a pauper is playing the role of a prince. Likewise, nobody believes Edward is the prince, because he is dressed in ragged clothes and is unclean. When Prince Edward insists he is the king's son, he is subjected to physical ab

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ark Twain wanted to use the contrast between Edward and his father to show the severity of rule under Henry VIII," (Prince, 2001, p. T-2). Another point about human nature made by Twain is the author's belief that a commoner embodies just as many noble qualities as a prince if given a chance to switch places. He also expresses the belief that in order for a ruler to be a wise and just ruler, he must understand what the people he serves endure on a daily basis. During his time as a member of Canty's band of thieves, Edward sees the hardships and suffering the people endure, primarily because of his father's harsh and insensitive rule. He becomes a better ruler than his father because of this experience, which shows him the value of all people. As one review of The Prince and the Pauper argues, "An ardent advocate of democracy, Twain shows that a poor boy can be as good a ruler as the son of a king and that a king rules better after living among the poor," (Magill, p. 1). This was quite a contrast to the perspective of those who were high born in England at the time. Another purpose of The Prince and the Pauper author is to demonstrate that humanity is a mass of all kinds of people. As there are low persons in high places,

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