The Prince and the Pauper

In Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, Edward Tudor and Tom Canty manage to see life from each other’s point of view. Although they both live in London during the sixteenth century, look almost exactly alike, and are precisely the same age, they lead completely different life styles.
Tom Canty is the son of a dirt-poor family who never wanted him in the first place. Tom and his family lived in the London slums, in a hovel that stood tall and housed many families for the undersized space. Tom was born into a family of beggars, and the dad was also a thief. The family would beg and steal only what they could to survive. Just like the rest of his family, Tom was forced to beg, and if he came home at night empty-handed, his father and grandmother would beat him.
He would often escape his beatings by going to Father Andrew’s monastery. Over the months the priest taught him how to read, instructed him in Latin, and also shared stories of royalty and adventure with Tom. He began...