Summer Reading Essay The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper” definitely has a strong social and political foundation. Mark Twain sheds light on the corruption of England during the latter half of the sixteenth century. Some major issues that England was facing were; religious intolerance and superstition as well as poverty and cruelty between classes. Mark Twain also explores the idea of nature versus nurture. We are able to experience all of these ideas through the pauper, Tom Canty, and Prince Edward Tudor of England. The plot line of “The Prince and the Pauper,” is a relatively simple one. The two main characters, Prince Edward Tudor and the poor Tom Canty decide to change clothes and switch …show more content…
When King Henry VIII died, Tom Canty decided to act as a judge for a couple of trials. In one of the trials, the only evidence blaming a man for killing someone was because a witch said so. In a lower court, they thought that that was enough evidence and they sentenced this man to a hanging (101). In England especially, if you did not believe in the faith that the king believed in, you were punished. We learn of this when Prince Edward and his friend, Miles Hendon, are in jail. In the jail with them, are two women who were to be burned at the stake because they were Baptists …show more content…
Tom had a lot of sympathy for the people who were being tried in the courts, and assuming the role of king, he started to fix the punishments. Another example of courtly corruption in the book, was when a young man stole a pig from a woman. According to the judge, if the defendant stole more than thirteen pence from the plaintiff, he should be hung. After learning this, the woman dropped all charges (152). In our currency, thirteen pence is around thirty