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Posted by Christopher Waldrop
July 28, 2008 |
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In many ways The Prince And The Pauper is so different from anything else he wrote it’s surprising it’s one of Mark Twain’s novels. Twain’s characteristic sarcasm, which even pops up occasionally in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is entirely absent, as are his occasional asides, unless you read the explanatory notes at the back of the book. The Prince And The Pauper is steeped in English history; its major characters include Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey, and other historical figures. It’s the fictional Tom Canty of Offal Court, though, who’s the story’s pauper, and its catalyst. Rescued by Edward after he’s abused by a castle guard, Tom fascinates the young prince with stories of swimming and playing in mud. Edward says, with more than a little seriousness, that he’d give up his crown to try such things once. Be careful what you wish for. When the boys trade clothes and Edward discovers their exact resemblance (Tom, being a humble poor boy, doesn’t recognize it) he finds himself shut out of the castle and unable to get back.
The overall themes, though, are distinctly Twainian. The idea that a person is the product 
of his or her upbringing, that no one, by virtue of class (or, as he showed in other books, race) is superior to anyone else. And Twain would explore this even more poignantly, and with a more clearly satirical intent, in Pudd’nhead Wilson. The Prince and The Pauper is also Twain’s criticism of monarchy, although Edward, dressed as a pauper, is chased and harassed by jeering crowds, suggesting, ever so subtly, that mob rule isn’t necessarily better than a dictatorship. The themes aside, though The Prince and The Pauper is just fun because it’s an exciting adventure story, full of intrigue and suspense. Will Edward regain his position? Will Tom be crowned King of England? Ultimately for Twain it didn’t matter, since he believed a pauper’s just as fit to sit on the throne as a prince. But, important as his beliefs were, he never let them get in the way of a good story.
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