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Chapter 33
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Prince and the Pauper, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Appearances vs. Reality
Wealth, Poverty, and Morality
Justice
Nature vs. Nurture
Summary
Analysis
In the end, Hugh confesses that Lady Edith pretended not to know Miles Hendon because Hugh threatened to kill him otherwise. Hugh isn’t prosecuted for these crimes because both Edith and Hendon refuse to testify against him. Hugh abandons Edith and runs away to “the continent,” where he dies a short time later. Hendon marries Edith, and the village around Hendon Hall throws a celebration during their first visit there as a married couple.
Edith and Hendon’s refusal to testify places them on a higher moral plane than Hendon—unlike Hendon, they are not treacherous and they do not tear down their own family. Hendon and Edith are welcomed at Hendon village because, unlike Hugh, they are kind, compassionate, and just.
Themes
John Canty is never heard from again, but Edward seeks out Yokel and gives him a comfortable job, thus saving him from a life of crime. Edward liberates the former lawyer from prison, provides comfortable homes for the daughters of the burned Baptist women, and punishes the person who whipped Hendon. Edward also manages to save the woman who stole some cloth and the boy who was accused of stealing a falcon, but he’s too late to save the man who killed a deer on the king’s land. Edward shows favor to the judge who showed him leniency when he was framed for theft, and that judge is soon recognized as a great man in his community.
Edward makes good on as many of his promises and goals as he can. Edward’s decision to put Yokel in the way of an honest livelihood illustrates his belief that if most people have a way to make an honest living, they will choose to do that rather than resort to criminality. This is also Edward’s way of making up for all of Yokel’s suffering under King Henry VIII’s unjust laws.
Themes
For the rest of Edward’s life, he enjoys repeating stories of his adventures outside of the palace. He explains that he tells these stories so much to keep the events and memory of people’s misery and his pity for them fresh in his mind. Edward favors Hendon and Tom throughout his reign, and they both sincerely mourn Edward when he dies. Tom Canty grows to be an old man and he is universally honored and respected. People take note of his fine clothes and pay him the same homage as they do a king or queen. King Edward VI only lives for a short time but he makes good use of his reign. Whenever someone comments on his leniency when it comes to the law, Edward implies that they know nothing of suffering but that he and his people do. Edward’s reign is considered very merciful for its time.
In real life, King Edward VI died six years into his reign and his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, was crowned after him. Her reign only lasted a few days before Edward’s oldest sister, Mary, took the throne. Just as Edward desired, Tom’s new clothes reflect his inner nobility and greatness, and people respect Tom for these qualities as well as for his rank. Edward, unlike his father, feels a sense of unity with the English people—their suffering is truly his suffering because he has suffered alongside them on equal ground. His dedication to legal reform is another indication of his belief that if he creates a more equitable and positive environment, fewer people will feel compelled to resort a life of crime, and the entire country will prosper as a result.
Themes
