Edward’s experiences as a supposed beggar and criminal in his father’s kingdom open his eyes to the fact that his father has created an unjust society, something Edward never forgets even when he is finally restored to his proper position as king. Surrounded by evidence of Henry’s villainy, Edward is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about his father’s character. Edward, who has only ever received love and kindness from his father, struggles to reconcile his perspective of his father as a wise and just ruler and other people’s perspective of King Henry VIII as unjust and villainous. Men, women, and children are severely punished for nonsensical crimes while those in charge-the rich, politicians, and so on-get away with much more serious crimes. Although Edward complains about the situation, once he starts listening to people’s stories, he realizes that there is a profound injustice being done. One of the most moving events in Mark Twain’s satirical work The Prince and the Pauper is when Edward Tudor-the beloved only son of King Henry VIII and heir to the English throne-lands himself in a common jail, surrounded by people who, according to his father’s laws, are immoral criminals.
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