Book: The Prince and the Pauper by

The Prince and the Pauper

Author:

Genre: Adventure / Children's Literature / Historical Novels

Publishing Year: 1881

Language: English / Original Language: English

Original Title: The Prince and the Pauper

Description:

The Prince and the Pauper was originally intended for a children's audience, and Twain himself wanted to test the effectiveness of the manuscript by reading it to his daughters.

The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of Prince Edward, heir to the throne of Wales, and his unexpected encounter with Tom Canty, a young beggar from a poor family, while hanging around the palace. There, the two young men meet and are fascinated by each other's lives, as well as by the fact that they share an incredible physical resemblance. At that moment, the two decide to temporarily exchange clothes. However, when Prince Edward leaves the palace to take care of some business, he is thrown out by the guards, who mistake him for a beggar because he is dressed in Tom's clothes. This is how Prince Edward will begin a great adventure far from the safety of his palace.

And while the real prince learned humility and mercy among the miserable people, nobody believes that the beggar Tom is not the prince and they think he has gone mad, so he enjoys his new position of privilege.

In this exciting adventure both characters learn lessons that they would never have learned from their places of origin.

Despite being a novel written for children, in this work we can recognize some of the author's permanent concerns, such as the superiority of democracy over the old outdated regimes, or his obsession with resemblance and the split personality.

It is also a strong criticism of social inequality and the prejudices we have about others because of their appearance. Its main theme: mercy.