Summary Near dawn, on the same morning as the prince’s disappearance, Tom Canty awakens in his royal bed. After a few moments of confusion, he calls for his sisters to come to him so that he can tell them about his strange dream. The person who comes to Tom however, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 14-16Summary and Analysis Chapters 12-13
Summary As Miles Hendon takes Edward away from the Guildhall and toward London Bridge, they move quickly through the streets, the prince feeling the loss of his father keenly. Tears come to his eyes, especially when the crowd yells, “Long live King Edward the Sixth.” Despite his sorrow, however, Edward […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 12-13Summary and Analysis Chapters 10-11
Summary “We left John Canty dragging the rightful prince into Offal Court, with a noisy and delighted mob at his heels.” Twain aims for our compassion as the true prince struggles to get free, all the while raging against the cruel treatment by Tom Canty’s father. The old man is […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 10-11Summary and Analysis Chapters 6-9
Summary Conducted into the principal apartment of the royal suite, Tom begins to receive instructions on the actions appropriate to a prince. In spite of his reluctance to sit while the great men of the realm are standing, he is told that it is fit and proper that they stand […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 6-9Summary and Analysis Chapters 4-5
Summary The prince is finally left alone by the rabble that has harried him into London, and he wanders aimlessly about, not knowing where he is until he comes to Christ’s Hospital. There, he sees some children dressed as apprentices, playing in the yard. He talks to them and announces […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 4-5Summary and Analysis Chapters 2-3
Summary London is an ancient city; at the time of Twain’s story, it is fifteen hundred years old and filled with a hundred thousand people — or maybe twice that number. The streets are narrow, crooked, and dirty, and in the part of town where the Cantys live, the streets […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 2-3Summary and Analysis Chapter 1
Summary The scene is London; the time is an autumn day, sometime between 1525 and 1550. On this particular day, two boys are born, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. The Cantys are very poor and the baby is not wanted. The Tudors, on the other hand, are rich and powerful, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 1Character List
Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales The main character, the prince referred to in the title of the novel. Having spent his entire life in the confines of the royal apartments, he has daydreamed about the freedom experienced by boys such as Tom Canty. Tom Canty The other main character of […]
Read more Character ListAbout The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper, seemingly a simple novel, handles several divergent themes and ideas simultaneously. Foremost is the basic idea of the exchange of roles and lines between the prince and the pauper and the constant reference to their twin fates. Prior to meeting each other, both boys have […]
Read more About The Prince and the PauperBook Summary
The Prince and the Pauper tells the tale of two boys who trade clothing one afternoon and, as a result, they trade lives as well. After many adventures, matters are set right again, with one of the boys resuming his rightful, royal position and the other boy accepting a position […]
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