M Twain the prince and the pauper are the main characters. Characteristics of the main characters in Twain's story “The Prince and the Pauper. Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary

After With The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain published another book about childhood, The Prince and the Pauper (1881). Historical in its content, it acquired the features of realistic authenticity not at the expense of the description of the historical events, and mainly due to the psychological motivation of the child’s behavior in certain conditions. This is, first of all, about the resourceful “Prince of Poverty” Tom Canty, who made his mark in the Tudor palace, and only then about England in the 16th century. That is why Twain emphasized in the dedication to the book his historical narrative with a fairy tale, legend, insisting on a generalized image of the European Middle Ages.

Ironically over conventional ideas about historical authenticity, the writer made excellent use of all the possibilities of his unusual plot. He made Prince Edward see the true life of the people and understand that the Tudor laws were cruel. The writer brought the street boy Tom Canty into the palace, showing that a representative of the people can become the head of state. Considering the Middle Ages an era of barbarism, Twain depicted the despotic arbitrariness of monarchical power and the church, convincingly arguing that under feudalism there was no place for social justice. As in his other stories about childhood, Twain poetizes friendship, contrasting the selflessness of friendship with the greed and corruption of people in power in the English state. The trust of two teenage twins who meet by chance stands up to insidious intrigue and suspicion. The little heroes of the story perceive life differently than adults. The main feature Their personality is love of freedom. This is why Prince Edward Tudor admires Tom so much. He would give the whole kingdom to walk barefoot, to be free. The fairytale story of two boys born in the same city, on the same day, according to Twain's plan, was supposed to be a disgrace to social laws that proclaim inequality.

While creating the book, Twain read it to his daughters, eight-year-old Susie and six-year-old Clara. His narrative not only corresponds to the perception of history at a certain age, but actively influences the development of the child’s consciousness and imagination, leaving great scope for comparisons and generalizations.

For Twain the satirist, as for any great artist, the versatility and significance of paintings and characteristics are important. In the story “The Prince and the Pauper,” Twain castigates the Middle Ages, especially sharply opposes the reactionary role of the church, denounces obscurantism, talks with angry indignation about medieval torture and jokingly asserts that hermits should be enlightened by arranging performances for them, like schoolchildren. It would be wrong to say that only the fascinating plot of Twain’s novel made his work accessible to children, that the deep social meaning of this work remains incomprehensible to them. Twain's outstanding merit lies precisely in the fact that he manages to awaken in the reader the desire to understand the social nature of various historical structures, to make his own judgment about what is fair and unfair.

This post was inspired by reading Mark Twain's historical novel The Prince and the Pauper.

Reference

Author: Mark Twain
Full title: The Prince and the Pauper
Original language: English
Genre: historical novel
Year of publication: 1881
Number of pages (A4): 139

Summary of Mark Twain's historical novel "The Prince and the Pauper"

The action of Mark Twain's novel takes place in medieval England. Lives in a poor area of the city dysfunctional family Tom Canty. His father drinks, forces Tom to beg, and beats him for disobedience or for insufficient results of his “work.” Tom is very interested English history, loves to read and independently study court morals and customs.

One day Tom finds himself in a palace, where he is noticed by a prince who looks remarkably like him. This is the same boy who is burdened by court ceremonies. They decide to change clothes for a while, but the prince jumps out of the palace gates and finds himself on the street as a poor man.

Tom and Edward have switched places: now Tom lives in the palace, and Edward suffers hardships. Neither one nor the other is happy with their situation. Tom is burdened by pomp and luxury, while Edward endures deprivation and bullying. Edward sees a difficult life ordinary people, executions for the smallest offenses, crime, hopelessness of the situation and lack of rights for a huge number of people. He wants to restore his rights at all costs and ease the situation of ordinary people by repealing harsh laws.

Edward is helped by a dispossessed nobleman named Miles Hendon. He was deceived by his own brother, seizing his share of the inheritance and marrying his brother's fiancee. Miles thinks Edward is crazy, but tries to help him as best he can. As a result, Edward restores his rights to the throne, convincing the courtiers that he is the rightful heir to the king, and not Tom. Tom happily gives up the throne to him and joins his royal retinue. Miles, for his services, receives permission to sit in the presence of the king.

Conclusion

Of course, I had to read this novel at school, but various reasons didn't do this. The gap is closed now. I recommend to everyone!

The Prince and the Pauper is Mark Twain's first and most famous historical novel. The work was created in a Connecticut house and published in Canada in 1881. The first experience turned out to be more than successful. In the Soviet Union, the translation of the novel was republished several times.

The novel takes place in London in the 16th century. A boy appeared in the royal family, whose birth the whole country was expecting. It was the heir to the throne, Prince Edward. At the same time, another boy appeared in the poor family, whose birth no one wanted. His name was Tom Canty.

From the first days of his life, the prince was surrounded by wealth and luxury. Tom Canty lives in poverty. The boy is constantly subjected to physical violence by his father and grandmother. However, Tom does not lose heart. In the slums where the Canty family lives, there lives an old priest with whom Tom spends a lot of time. The old man teaches the boy reading, writing and even Latin. The priest often tells Tom legends about kings and princes. Beautiful fairy tales so capture the boy’s imagination that he begins to try on the role of heir to the throne. Gradually, Tom's friends are drawn into the game. Kenti portrays the prince, and his friends represent his retinue.

One day Tom finds himself near the royal palace, outside the gates of which he saw the Prince of Wales. The dream of a little beggar from the Court of Garbage to look at a real prince has finally come true. The sentry, who notices the boy, throws him into the crowd. The guard's rudeness attracted Prince Edward's attention. The prince stood up for Tom and then invited him to his chambers. Left alone, the heir to the throne and the beggar suddenly notice that they are very similar to each other. Tom tells Edward about his life, about his thief father and sisters. Poverty seems so romantic to the prince that he invites Canty to exchange clothes. Noticing a bruise on his new friend's arm, the heir to the throne goes to the guard to reprimand him. However, the guard, mistaking the prince for a “ragamuffin”, because of whom he got it from His Highness, pushes Edward out of the gate, and the crowd that met him there drives the prince along the road until he finds himself far from the palace.

Tom waited for Edward in his chambers for a long time, but the heir never returned. Kenti tries to get out of the palace on his own, convincing the servants that he is not who they all think he is. The news of the young prince's "madness" reaches King Henry, a cruel tyrant and loving father at the same time. The king is deeply saddened by the sudden illness of his son. He forbids the courtiers to react to the heir's strange behavior and in any way remind him of his illness.

By chance, Prince Edward ends up in the Court of Garbage, in the family of his double. The heir to the throne is angry at how John, Tom's father, treats him. Kenty's family knew about the boy's painful desire to play the role of a prince. That is why when the real prince tries to put John Canty in his place, Father Tom is nothing but furious.

The Kenty family was forced to flee the Court of Scum. John accidentally killed an old priest who stood up for the prince. Taking advantage of the turmoil, Edward leaves his “relatives”. He needs to get to the palace, because King Henry recently died. This means that it is not the legitimate heir who can be crowned, but an impostor. However, he will not be able to reach the palace very soon. Edward will have to go through many adventures and difficult trials.

Real life experience

The heir learns about the life of the common people, from whom he has always been so far. He also learns about the cruelty of many English laws, about the injustice towards his poorest subjects. The prince has a devoted friend, Miles Gendon, who, being from rich family, also became a victim of injustice.

Edward manages to stop Tom Canty's coronation. Tom does not prevent the rightful heir from returning to the throne. King Edward VI lived short life, but went down in English history as one of the most merciful rulers. The king did not forget to take care of his double’s family. Tom Canty lived a long time, enjoying honor and respect until the end of his days.

Tom Canty

Tom has been different from his peers since childhood. It was as if he lived in two worlds at the same time. Real world, in which he had to starve, endure humiliation and insults, was too different from the radiant, brilliant world that existed in his heart. While all the other children were adjusting to the life they had inherited from their parents, Tom was getting an education in a way that was accessible to him. Despite his difficult existence, full of hardships, the boy does not blame the king for his troubles, as others do. On the contrary, the images of kings and princes are full of nobility in the eyes of Tom.

The true character of the dreamer Kenti is revealed only when he finds himself in the place of his double. Tom shows wisdom and resourcefulness. He does not seek to take advantage of his new position for personal needs. Tom quickly realizes that life in the palace seems attractive only from the outside.

Prince Edward

From birth, Edward lived as heirs to the throne usually live. What seemed like the ultimate dream to thousands of children in his country was an everyday routine for the heir to the throne. Edward lives in a closed world of prosperity and material well-being, not even suspecting the needs of his subjects. Having met my double, young prince naively asks about his sisters’ attitude towards the servants. It never even occurs to Edward that someone in his country does not have not only servants, but also a piece of bread.

Be sure to read - an American writer whose works are read by many generations of children and adults, and which can distract from any problems and despondency.

Another incredibly exciting and light book is the story by Mark Twain, which depicts the fascinating and almost carefree childhood of the boy Tom.

The prince's character, like Tom's, is revealed only after he finds himself in the place of the poor man. The reader notices a heightened sense of justice in Edward. The heir to the throne, unlike his tyrant father, cannot remain indifferent when a defenseless person is insulted in his presence.

Bravery and courage are two worthy character traits inherent in the young prince. The heir to the throne is not afraid to fight his offenders alone, even knowing that none of his servants will now come to his aid. Life among the poorest segments of the population helped Edward to know himself. Once he became king, he knew exactly what he had to do for his most disadvantaged subjects.

The unusualness of the situations in which quite ordinary characters find themselves is the basis of the success of the novel. The striking contrast between the royal palace and the miserable shacks in the Court of Garbage immediately arouses interest in the book and a desire to read it to the end.

Despite the gloomy scenes from the life of the inhabitants of London in the mid-16th century, the novel instills optimism in those who read it. The example of poor Tom shows that a person’s place of birth and the wealth of his family are not decisive for his future. The main thing is not how others see a person, but how he is in his soul. The little poor man fell in love with the world he himself created with all his heart. He did not question whether this world was really accessible to him; he simply lived in the reality created in his soul. And one day a daring dream came true...

The book is distinguished by its plot: in it, a boy from the very “bottom” of English society exchanged roles with the prince himself. This work tells about the adventures of the ragged Tom Canty and Prince Edward.
At first I only sympathized with poor Tom. He was born in the London slums, was constantly malnourished, suffered beatings from his father, and begged for alms from passers-by. Relations in his family were cruel, and only the mother could secretly caress her son, give him something tasty, or simply pat him on the head.
Tom's only "joy" was the priest Andrew. He felt sorry for the boy, told him beautiful legends, showed him that there was another life, different from life in the Court of Garbage.
But then, by chance, Tom becomes Prince Edward, and the prince turns into Tom. Young Kenti fulfilled the role of the king with dignity - he was always fair and kind, did not allow his “subjects” to be offended, and administered righteous justice.
But as soon as Edward “entered” the pages of the story, he became my favorite hero: “and standing by the fence was a pretty boy, dark and tanned from games and gymnastic exercises...” This boy did not allow the royal soldier to offend Tom, although he was the very last poor. Edward fed the little ragamuffin and asked sympathetically about his life.
And then, when the prince turned into a beggar, he behaved as befits a truly noble man. Edward did not allow anyone to humiliate him, he always defended his dignity. This hero has always been kind, honest, and fair. That's why, I think, people were drawn to him good people, so he always found help and support.
The prince's trials were difficult, Edward had to go through a lot: he was in a gang of thieves, met a hermit who almost killed him, and went to prison.
The most unpleasant episode for me was the episode in the story when the imaginary Tom ends up with John Canty. The enraged drunkard cruelly mocked the little prince, and then beat him: “There was a loud blow - John Canty’s heavy hand fell with a swing on the prince’s shoulder, and he would have fallen if Tom’s mother had not caught him...”, “Hearing this, “the pigs “They became so furious that, without wasting any time, they attacked the prince and brutally beat him up...”
I can imagine all the horror of Edward, who ended up in dirty slums, among people who looked more like pigs! Here he could only rely on own strength. And, despite the physical advantage of the Kenti family, the prince did not retreat, but defended his integrity to the end. And soon he was saved by the noble warrior Miles Gendon.
In general, this hero becomes Edward's guardian angel. Therefore, in the finale he deservedly regains his good name and receives the privilege of sitting in the presence of the king.
In the finale, Tom and Edward again swapped clothes and roles. This moment is the best in the whole story. The king's ordeal is over, and Tom's troubles are over. Kenty was rewarded for his honesty and justice, despite the objection of the vile count - Uncle Edward.
Along with many positive characters in the book, I also want to mention the negative ones. This, of course, is Tom's father - a cruel, ignorant drunkard and thief, thinking only of his own benefit. This is Edward’s uncle, a flattering pretender who himself sought to come to power and use the king’s “madness” for his own benefit.
But, despite all of them, the ending of the story is joyful. Londoners believed that the real king was Edward. And although Tom put on his rags again, all the people treated him with great respect as a decent and brave man: “After this, the interrupted coronation resumed. The real king was anointed with chrism, a crown was placed on his head, and cannon shots heralded this joy to the city, and all London buzzed with delight.”
Thus, M. Twain’s story “The Prince and the Pauper” captivates with its plot, characters, and main idea - with his spiritual qualities a person should be like a “prince,” regardless of his origin.

Year: 1882 Genre: novel

Main characters: Prince Edward of England, Tom Canty and Miles Hendon

The novel tells the story of two personalities, one of whom is a prince and the other a beggar. The paths of both boys intersect, and they seem to change their names and positions in society. All this leads to the fact that the prince cannot soon, after playing with this, return to his place, since both of them are incredibly similar. But in the end, they manage to switch places. Justice has prevailed.

Conclusion. Mark Twain's novel teaches that justice will always triumph, even if it seems that there is no hope.

Read summary Mark Twain The Prince and the Pauper

Times of the 16th century. London. Surprisingly, the most varied and unusual miracles can still happen in the world. In the kingdom of England, one fine day a boy is born who will soon become the king himself. But on the same day another person is also born who is very similar to the little prince himself. And not even that it is similar - just a copy of it. But so far no one suspects this. But this boy born on the same day and moment is just a beggar who lives poorly with his family.

So they grew up in parallel all this time - a beggar boy and a prince with royal family. Their situation is different - one gets all the joy in this life, and the other gets only grief and poverty, as well as all possible reproaches from his relatives, who do not respect him for anyone.

The poor boy lives, but sometimes he doesn’t even want to live, because he didn’t know even a little joy in this life. After all, he is not needed even by his relatives, among whom is the evil and cruel old woman who is the boy’s grandmother, as well as his twin sisters. In addition, his mother is a beggar and his father is a thief. They all have what looks like slum housing. It's always very cold and bitter. But in addition, in the same slum nearby there lives a priest who teaches whenever necessary a boy whose name is Tom Cantley. But what he knows best, this priest, is to tell beautiful stories about the king and princes who live without grief, in wealth and luxury.

One day an incident happens that changes their whole life. The boy Tom goes to the palace, looking through the gates of the bars at this beautiful miracle, as he is hungry and sad again. But then he was roughly pushed back into the crowd, given a good slap, and it was one of the guards. But then suddenly a little prince, who found himself near the gates of his palace, stood up for the little beggar, and took him to his palace, where he caressed and fed him. The beggar boy, who had never seen such blessings, was amazed and very touched. Meanwhile, the prince asked him about the life of poor people. He liked the games of the little beggar, who talked about how he and the other boys played at being the king, which he, Tom Cantley, was, and at being his subjects.

The Prince enjoyed the entertainment and found everything very interesting and even exciting. Therefore, he offered to exchange clothes for the beggar boy. Tom agreed, but all this was for a while. When they changed clothes, they realized that they were very similar. And then the prince ran out into the street, where the guards gave the tomboy a slap on the wrist, and an identical bruise appeared on the prince, a newly minted beggar. Everything seemed very funny at first, but once the prince was in the crowd, everything turned out to be not so funny.

The prince turned out to be simply helpless, because feeling like he was still a prince, a man of royal blood, he could no longer give orders and expect that his orders would be carried out. Therefore, he soon felt what cold, hunger and bitterness were, mixed with resentment and pain, which was no longer from physical violence, but from moral violence. And he began to understand not only poor Tom, who lived like this all this time, not knowing even the slightest joy, but also other beggars who were starving, and especially children who were forced to do the same as their parents.

Meanwhile, Tom was getting used to everything all over again. No one seemed to suspect him; everyone considered it a little whim of the prince. Soon Tom got used to it, and then the long-awaited day for the prince arrived - the coronation. Tom, sitting in the prince's place, felt uncomfortable. But at the last moment a prince appeared, with whom they exchanged clothes, and everyone recognized him as genuine. Everyone lived happily, and Tom Cantley was respected until the end of his days, and he lived in honor and wealth.