The pre 1914 novel I have chosen to write about is The Prince and thePauper by Mark Twain
Pre 1914 Coursework on ‘The Prince And The Pauper’
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The pre 1914 novel I have chosen to write about is ‘The Prince AndThe Pauper’ by Mark Twain. ‘The Prince And The Pauper’ was written in1882, it was set in the time of King Henry VIII. It is a commentary onthe social issues and relationships at that time. I have chosen towrite about this novel, because it describes many of the socialsituations that are still around today.
The story is about a poor boy who longed to live the life of a prince.All his life he had begged on the street. His father was a lazy manwho refused to work, and if the boys did not bring home money, hewould beat them. Tom had two other sisters, and his whole family hadto live in one room in an old house in the poorest part of London.Father Andrew was Tom’s father figure; he taught Tom how to read andspeak Latin. As it happened the son of King Edward longed for a lifeof freedom and normality. Tom Chanty met the prince, when a palaceguard pushed him down, the prince didn’t think that was how hissubjects should be treated and he was invited in. The prince decidedthat they should change roles, they realised that they looked alike,and that is how the story began.
They both had different experiences; Tom was astounded by the busylife and the grandeur at the palace. While Edward had no shoes, andhad to walk on the bare ground, people thought he was going crazy,because this poor beggar boy claimed to be prince.
‘Go to your teacher and tell him to come here. Tell him that PrinceEdward orders him to come.’
They laughed and called him mad boy; they picked him up and threw him…
…is the king of all people rich and poor.’
However when Tom told the Prince he lived in a one bedroom old house,he did not understand why.
‘There are hundreds of rooms in this palace. Why do you all live inone room?’
At last, the prince was confronted by Tom and the great lords askedeach of them questions to determine which the real prince was. Thefinal question was,
‘Where is the seal?’
The real prince told the lords, while tom said he had used it to cracknuts. The lords laughed. No one was brutal against the boy, and thepeople came to realise the importance of respect and not to class orjudge people by what they wear or how they look.
I have come to realise that ‘The Prince And The Pauper’ has so muchdepth and meaning. It relates so much to human society today, peoplecan change so easily due to the type of circumstance they are in.
