Mark Twain’s stories are renowned for their comic tone. Tone is a literary device that establishes the author’s attitude and creates the effect that the work is intended to have on the reader. Tone is crafted and conveyed in many different and often subtle ways, such as through a character’s point of view and the writer’s choice of descriptive words. In the first chapter of The Prince and the Pauper, Twain establishes a humorous tone by telling the reader that Tom Canty lives on Offal Court. Offal is a synonym for “trash” and often refers to the inedible, discarded parts of a slaughtered animal. There is humor in the fact that this is a very unlikely name for a place, however aptly descriptive.
Comic tone can also be found in the sharp contrast between Twain’s description of the harsh realities of Tom’s life and the narrator's running commentary. Although...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
he is hungry and ragged, beaten by his drunken father and fiendish grandmother, and witnesses burnings at the stake, “Tom’s life was varied and pleasant enough, on the whole.”
The transposition of two characters of completely opposite social status who change places and live literally in each other’s shoes (or lack thereof) is a perfect recipe for humor. For example, after he is mistaken for the Prince, Tom drinks rose water meant for finger washing at dinner, and he is distressed by not knowing if the rules of royal etiquette permit him to scratch his own itchy nose or if he should call for a “Hereditary Scratcher.” Life at court as seen through the eyes of a pauper points out the ridiculous and artificial extremes of luxury enjoyed by the privileged.
The novel may be considered historical fiction, as the character of the Prince is based on the real Prince Edward (1537–1553), crowned King Edward VI at the age of nine upon the death of his father, King Henry VIII. Twain uses humor to underscore social injustice and to demonstrate that a person cannot be accurately judged by appearance alone.