KidLit Forum

Throughout his life, Mark Twain was hunted by a feeling of inferiority due to his western roots as well as his financial background. He was very ambitious: he worked a lot and accepted various jobs in order to earn money to help his family.

He always felt that being a Westerner is like a stigma. One of the reasons may be that around the year 1870 the cultural life was influenced by an Eastern Establishment from New York and Boston. This was a Victorian moneyed group that cowed Twain (Hamlin Hill). Therefore he longed for “the respectful regard of Eastern Civilization”. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon, the daughter of a rich coal merchant from New York, thus improving his social status. But still for as a man, this was not the best option and his feeling inferiority kept pushing him forward to prove his skills as a well-achieved writer. As a consequence, at the age of 34, he became one of the most famous and popular writers in America.

Taking the above information into account I think the roots of his two novels “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court” and “The Prince and the Pauper” might originate from his urge to be respected by the “Easterners”, proving that he can go beyond the American borders and the European “sophisticated and elevated lifestyle” is not unfamiliar to him.

In his book “The Prince and the Pauper”, which was very well documented, we can feel his satirical view of the British Royal Court from the 16th century. He presents the royal court in an ironic way. This irony appears mostly by contrasting the two worlds.

“Somewhat after one in the afternoon, Tom resignedly underwent the ordeal of being dressed for dinner. He found himself as finely clothed as before, but everything different, everything changed, from his ruff to his stockings. He was presently conducted with many states to a spacious and ornate apartment, where a table was already set for one. Its furniture was all of massy gold, and beautified with designs which well- nigh made it priceless, since they were the work of Benvenuto. The room was half-filled with noble servitors. A chaplain said grace, and Tom was about to fall to, for hunger had long been constitutional with him, but was interrupted by my lord the Earl of Berkeley, who fastened a napkin about his neck; for the great post of Diaperers to the Prince of Wales was hereditary in this nobleman's family. Tom's cupbearer was present, and forestalled all his attempts to help himself to wine.”

Even though the vocabulary that Twain uses in this book is completely different from “Huckleberry Finn” or “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” I often saw in Tom the figure of Huck on the banks of Mississipi River.

"In summer, sir, we wade and swim in the canals and in the river, and each doth duck his neighbour, and splatter him with water, and dive and shout and tumble and-"
"'Twould be worth my father's kingdom but to enjoy it once! Prithee go on." "We dance and sing about the Maypole in Cheapside; we play in the sand, each covering his neighbour up; and times we make mud pastry-oh the lovely mud, it hath not its like for delightfulness in all the world!-we do fairly wallow in the mud, sir, saving your worship's presence."

A very good overall review. I like your remark on the resemblance of the two characters: "I often saw in Tom the figure of Huck on the banks of Mississipi River."