Mark Twain's The Prince And The Pauper

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In Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper the theme of the book is not to judge others too quickly. The story tells us of two young boys who lived completely different lifestyles. Tom Canty, who was a pauper, always dreamt of living like royalty. He was abused and lived a very poor lifestyle. Edward Tudor, who was a prince, lived a very luxurious lifestyle. Tom was beaten by the palace guard when seen wandering around the palace gates, “Hoping to see Edward, he sneaks into the palace compound. A guard beats him and the young prince, having seen this, takes pity on Tom and invites him to come into the palace and play with him.” When these two boys meet they realize their uncanny resemblance and decide to switch clothes. Once the two boys dressed …show more content…
Edward did not live a good moral life but later converted. As Edward wandered around the streets dressed as Tom and noticed how poorly his people lived, he developed the three virtues of determination, humility, and compassion. Edward was shielded from the harsh realities of how his people truly lived. It wasn’t until he and Tom Canty traded places that he realized the harsh living situation of his people. He vowed to right the wrongs when he became king. Throughout Edward’s experience as a pauper he developed the three virtues of determination, humility, and …show more content…
He noticed how poorly he had treated his subjects and Tom, in particular. He treated them all as objects that he had full control over. When he noticed Tom being beaten by his guard, as a way of making himself look better, he invited Tom inside so that he would come off as compassionate. He thought that because he was the prince that he could do whatever he pleased and there would be no consequences. His experience as Pauper was very humbling for him as he learned that there is a value to human life. Edward left his prideful self behind and was humbled as he lived life as a
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