The Prince and the Pauper · Chapter
IX: The River Pageant explained
Tom Canty, mistaken for Prince Edward, is the center of a grand river pageant.
What happens
Tom Canty, mistaken for Prince Edward, is the center of a grand river pageant. Dressed in magnificent royal attire, he steps onto the palace terrace before a massive crowd and a procession of nobles, as the city celebrates what it believes is the Prince of Wales.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Appearance
Tom Canty, born in a hovel, is now dressed as a prince and treated as royalty, highlighting the theme of mistaken identity and the power of outward appearance.
Social Class and Inequality
The stark contrast between Tom's origins in the gutters of London and his current opulent surroundings underscores the vast divide between social classes.
Characters to notice
- Tom Canty
The pauper boy now mistaken for the Prince of Wales, he is the hero of the river pageant, magnificently dressed and bowing to the crowd.
- Duke of Somerset
The prince's uncle, who emerges from the gateway in rich attire and bows reverently as he precedes Tom.
- Henry VIII
Though not present in the scene, his recent death and the ongoing masquerade set the stage for Tom's appearance as prince.
Key passages
“O Tom Canty, born in a hovel, bred in the gutters of London, familiar with rags and dirt and misery, what a spectacle is this!”
Tom Canty, who grew up in poverty and squalor, is now the center of a magnificent royal display.
The narrator emphasizes the irony of Tom's rise from the lowest social class to the highest.