Christopher Jensen

Mrs. Zymajtis

Satire

29 March 2012

The Prince and the Pauper

Satire is an effective medium for conveying messages about and exposing the

criticisms and depravity of issues today, whether those issues are frequent or scarce,

mental or physical, or harmless or malignant. Mark Twain uses satire in this book to address

the topic of child abuse, using the events of 16th century England combined with his clever

use of literary techniques such as irony and juxtaposition drive the plot of the book to voice

his dissenting opinion on the subject. The Prince and the Pauper’s satire shines a critical

light on child abuse, a very serious issue that is relevant today.

The satirical portions of Twain’s writing use literary devices to effectively portray the

issue in a tone that mirrors his examination of child abuse. First, Twain uses irony to create

sympathy for the victims of child abuse by writing that “when [Tom] came home empty

handed at night, he knew his father would cruse him and thrash him first, and that when he

was done the awful grandmother would do it all over again and improve on it” (Twain 17).

This quote reveals that Tom is beaten as a result of others’ lack of charity, a reality

completely and utterly out of his control and outside the scope of his role as a beggar.

Continuing on the abuse of Tom, Mark Twain adds juxtaposition to contrast the lifestyle of a

pauper to that of a prince, someone who is free from victimization. The king’s kind words of

encouragement at the suggestion that Tom “rest [his] poor troubled head upon thy father’s

heart and be at peace” (Twain 35) counter the oppressive nature of Tom’s previous way of

life and expand the gap between the two ideologies and behaviors of the father figures,

exploring the lifestyle of a child at both extremes of the issue. Ultimately, Tom represents

the victims of child abuse and Mark Twain’s plot devices shine a light on the stark contrast

between the vile instigators of violence and the reality with a lack thereof.