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Homework Help > The Prince and the Pauper
What are the moral lessons of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper?
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Asked on July 27, 2013 at 2:41 PM by user2742067

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literaturenerd | High School

Teacher | (Level 2) Educator Emeritus
Posted on July 27, 2013 at 6:17 PM
Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper tells
a story of Edward (Eddie) Tudor and Tom
Canty. During the story, the boys trade clothes
in order to escape from their own lives. Each
boy learns an important lesson during his life
as another person.

There are multiple lessons (or morals) which

can be learned by reading the novel. First, one
must never judge a book by its cover. Each
boy has his own thoughts about who the other
is. By walking in the shoes of the other, each
learn that their life is not what they made it out
to be.
Another moral lesson of the novel speaks to is
to never abuse one's power. Since the novel
possesses one point of view from the elite, the
novel illustrates that power should never be
abused.
One last moral of the novel illustrates the fact
that there are both good and bad in everyone's
life. "We" must accept our lives for what they
are and make the most of them. "We" cannot
allow our coveting of another to rule life.
Homework Help > The Prince and the Pauper

What lessons do Edward and Tom learn in the "Prince and the Pauper" by Mark
Twain?

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Asked on October 14, 2015 at 1:19 PM by user3474300

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beateach | Elementary School Teacher | (Level 3) Associate Educator

Posted on October 14, 2015 at 6:16 PM
In the Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, the boys learn universal life lessons.
Prince Edward VI, Eddie, rescues a pauper child named Tom Canty. The two boys
trade places in life when the Prince decides that he wants a taste of freedom. What
the Prince receives is a lesson on how his fathers subjects live when they are poor.
He learns how harsh the laws of the kingdom can be and how it is to live in poverty
with an abusive father.
On the other hand, Tom Canty learns how to live like a prince. At first, he does not
like his new situation since he is ignorant to the lifestyle, but he later changes his
mind. He learns that in time he would be able to influence lives by modifying laws.
Both boys learn to respect themselves and to show compassion for others from
different classes. In addition, they find to value their own situation. One might say
the moral is that the grass is not always green on the other side of the fence or
life is what you perceive it to be. The most important lesson is that social injustice
exists and it can be changed by working in a unified matter to procure change.

Tom Canty and Edward Tudor of The Prince

and the Pauper are physically identical but in

other ways they are exact opposites. Of

course their lives and circumstances are
completely opposite, the one is a street urchin
and thief, the other a crown prince being
reared to be king in a palace. The differences
go deeper, however, and their personal traits,
the traits that determine their place in the
world, are opposites.
Tom is mistreated, disrespected and unloved.
Edward is treated magnificently, his every wish
matters, and deeply respected and much
beloved, even by Henry VIII.
Tom has no personal voice: he can't say who
he is. Edward has a strong personal voice and
continually says who is is regardless of the
persecution that it brings his way. This trait
pertaining to voice corresponds to inner
personal integrity: Tom lacks it, Edward has it.

Because of these factors, Tom can't assert his

thoughts while Edward can assert his thoughts
and intentions; e.g., while Miles is in the
stocks, he asserts that Miles shall be an Earl.
This shows that Tom does not have a strong
mind of his own, whereas Edward does have a
strong mind of his own. Tom has never learned
respect for objects, while Edward values and
respects objects rightly. The boys, though
antithetically different, have one trait in
common. They are both able to see the reality
in new situations and to grow and develop in
them. Tom has the ability to rise to a nobler
state of mind and life. Edward has the ability to
learn compassion for outrages he has never
seen before.
Homework Help > The Prince and the Pauper
Did the main characters in The Prince and the Pauper try to lead a moral life?

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Asked on July 6, 2012 at 7:25 PM by amy-2014

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TOP ANSWER

Ashley Kannan | Middle School Teacher | (Level 3) Distinguished Educator

Posted on July 7, 2012 at 4:20 AM
I think that Twain is seeking to make the argument that in a political sense, morality is defined by
just rulers. In this sense, both Edward and Tom Canty do seek to lead moral lives. When Tom
assumes political leadership, he does not display corrupt virtues. He does not use the political
trust to make himself benefit. Rather, he rules in a just and politically moral way. When
confronted with the right thing to do, Tom does not conceal the truth. In this, he acts in both a
ethically moral manner as well as in a politically moral manner. In much the same way, Edward
recognizes the struggle of the common person. This is something that he lacked as he lived in
the Royal Confines. Edward's political morality compels him to not embrace a life of crime, but
rather comprehend the struggles of the people he knows he will eventually lead. Edward does
not succumb to the lure of vice, instead opting for a transcendent notion of the good where there
is understanding through suffering and not capitulation to it. In this, the Prince leads an ethically
moral life en route to a politically moral one. Twain seems to be convinced that political
morality consists of not violating the public trust, something both characters display in their
times as rulers. He als seems to be suggesting that individuals can be confronted with freedom
and not necessarily surrender to the more sinister elements of consciousness. While there might
have been a deception, it is not one done in immorality and depravity. Twain asks us to assess
morality in a more contextual manner, revealing complexity and intricacy to human
consciousness.

Plot of the story

Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper tells

the story of two identical young boys: a pauper
named Tom Canty and the son of King Henry
VIII, Prince Edward. The two boys meet when
Tom is caught by guards while exploring the
castle grounds and Edward stops them from
punishing him. The two boys spend time
talking and learning about each others' lives
and discover that not only do they look
physically identical, but they were also born on
the same day. They decide to switch places:
Edward leaves the palace in rags and faces
the violent abuse of Tom's father, while Tom
pretends to be the prince. During their time
acting as each other, Edward learns about the
cruelty of the judicial system, and Tom causes
the palace staff to fear the prince is losing his
memory. On the day of Tom's coronation as
King Edward VI, Edward reappears at the

palace and shows the Great Seal he had

stolen to prove his identity. The two switch
back to their original lives, with Edward
becoming King and naming Tom his ward.

Tom Canty, inspite of having enjoyed the great wealth which has
surrendered him, the sight of his mother and his horribly cruel rejection of
her cause Tom to long to be a pauper again. He truly wishes that it were
possible for him to put aside all of his new splendor and riches and rejoin
his family, becoming simple Tom Canty once again. His royal role is empty,
compared to the love he found with his mother and sisters.
King Edward exposure and his many and varied experiences among the
people of his realm have taught him valuable lessons in gratitude. King
Edward gained maturity as he was exposed to the very worse extremities
of life. Living as a pauper, despised and hated by most people, he learned
about justices and injustice. All these experiences made him become wise
and tolerant king and always just. , He learned how he should properly rule
a kingdom.