A Structuralist Analysis of Narrative Structure in Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper
Abstract
The research shows how the central contrast between the Prince and the Pauper organizes the entire fictional world, creating a series of oppositions such as wealth versus poverty and justice versus injustice. Clothing is analyzed as a powerful yet arbitrary symbol of social status, where a character's appearance dictates their reality and the treatment they receive from others. Furthermore, the novel's parallel plot structure, which strategically alternates the narrative point of view between Tom and Edward, is identified as the core mechanism driving this critique. This technique forces the reader to compare two social extremes, thereby actively constructing an understanding of the story's critical message. The ending is interpreted not as a restoration of the initial order, but as the formation of a new, more enlightened equilibrium, in which the protagonists are transformed by their journey. In conclusion, this study establishes that in The Prince and the Pauper, narrative form is inseparable from its critical content. The story's structure itself serves as the primary vehicle for Twain's profound social and political commentary
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