# IX: The River Pageant explained — The Prince and the Pauper

> Chapter companion for The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_prince_and_the_pauper_se/chapters/ix-the-river-pageant
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_prince_and_the_pauper_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_prince_and_the_pauper_se/chapters