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like to devote their days for pleasure, while it is just a dinner, how big the feast of a noble can be. Roger Lockyer 33 states about King Henry VIII that he liked to
devote himself to pleasure that he often spent his days for hunting, and his nights for feasting.
2. Nobles’ Manner
In the 16
th
century, there were a lot of noblemen who treat the common people inappropriately. Just the same with the common people that they were free
to do and say what they like, as far as they did not break the laws which were exist at that time Chrimes 64, and so were the noblemen. There were no written or
legalized documents which described how the manner of a nobleman should be. Mark Twain criticizes a lot about the nobles’ manner. In the novel, Mark Twain
reveals his criticism on the nobles’ bad manner explicitly and implicitly.
a. Rude
Through Prince Edward’s speech, Mark Twain criticizes directly the way the gates-guards in treating Tom Canty that reflects the typical manner of the
noblemen to the common people. “…the young prince sprang to the gate with his face flushed, and his eyes flashing with indignation, cried out: “How dar’st thou
use a poor lad like that How dar’st thou use the king my father’s meanest subject so Open the gates, and let him in” 12. The Prince is angry with the gate-guard
who snatches Tom Canty away, just because Tom unconsciously gets close to the gate bars 12. The Prince’s speech implies that the gate-guards are responsible
for guarding the palace and they should not act rudely to the common people, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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therefore it is implicitly shows that it is very usual that the nobles use that kind of way in treating the common people.
While implicitly, Mark Twain uses Prince Edward’s manner to criticize the rudeness of the nobles as reflected by the gates-guards. As the story tells the
character of Prince Edward, a person who is gentle and mild-mannered 12, he is a person who hates the violence. Therefore, the Prince also experiences the
rudeness of his own soldier after he exchanges his position with Tom Canty when he comes out of the palace to start his adventure. “….the soldier fetched him a
sounding box on ear that sent him whirling to the roadway, and said: “Take that, thou beggar’s spawn for what thou got’st me from his Highness” 18. Mark
Twain implicitly wants to use Prince Edward as the comparison to other noblemen.
b. Arbitrary and Tyrannous
Mark Twain criticizes the nobles’ manner that shows tyrannous or arbitrary deeds to the common people, for example the nobles like to have scapegoat for
their mistakes. They like to have other people suffer for their mistakes. He puts some examples in the story; one example is about the existence of a whipping boy
in the palace 105. Whipping-boy has a job to take the whips from prince’s teacher for the mistakes that is made by the prince. Mark Twain uses Prince
Edward to criticize the nobles by describing the character of Prince Edward who does not like other people suffer for him. “Thou shalt not suffer for me, madam.
Let these swine do their will upon me alone” 60. Through Prince Edward’s manner, who does not like other people suffer for him, Mark Twain criticizes the
nobles’ character traits that shows that they prefer to have other people suffers by PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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their mistakes than themselves who suffers. He would like to show the Prince Edward’s manner as the comparison for the nobles’ manner which he criticizes.
Mark Twain also criticizes the nobles’ unwise attitude such as in treating their servants that only seek for their own sake. Mark Twain uses Prince Edward’s
speech to reveals the disagreements of the nobles’ attitude that they usually do their servants, which is represented by Edward Tudor speech. “….my sister the
Lady Mary, with her gloomy mien and – Look you: do thy sisters forbid their servants to smile, lest the sin destroy their souls?” 14. This statement implies
that the nobles only seek for their own sake. Even for a trivial thing they will not allow it, if it is not for their sake.
Through Prince Edward’s opinion, Mark Twain criticizes King Henry VIII, the greatest noblemen in his reign, who acts as a tyrant that gives such a terror to
his own subjects. Mark Twain does use the Prince Edward’s opinion that expresses his confession of the unjust and tyrannical of his father reign, the reign
of King Henry VIII. He expresses his confession by having an opinion about the tyrannical reign of his father when he is mourning in his father’s death. “The
tidings struck to a chill to the heart of the poor little waif, and sent a shudder through his frame. He realized the greatness of his loss, and was filled with a
bitter grief; for the grim tyrant who had been such a terror to others had always been gentle to him” 76. Chrimes 120 states about Henry VIII who were very
autocratic in temper and high-handed in methods, and were not shy, on occasions, of straining and even perverting the law in order to get his objectives. Mark Twain
criticizes King Henry VIII and considers this greatest nobleman as a tyrant who in his daily life gives such a terror to the people through the Prince Edward’s opinion.
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On the other hand, Mark Twain also inserts his criticism on the tyranny or the arbitrariness of the nobles by using the other main character, Tom Canty.
Mark Twain describes Tom Canty as a boy who has a high curiosity. While through Tom‘s high-curiosity, Mark Twain would like to use Tom as the explorer
to reveal the life in the palace. Mark Twain uses Tom as a person who comes from out of the palace; a non-nobleman, to reveal the nobles’ life. In this case,
Mark Twain reveals the life of the nobles through the common people point of view, Tom Canty’s point of view. Mark Twain criticizes through Tom’s opinion,
when Tom experiences the life in the palace. Tom feels frightened of the exchanging positions between Prince Edward and him. He is afraid of being
accused that he breaks the privacy of the royal family, by wearing the prince’s cloth, even the Prince wants it, too. “Might they not hang him at once, and inquire
into his case afterward? He had heard that the great were prompt about small matters…” 25. Mark Twain would like to show the nobles’ attitude that usually
considers the trivial things that disturbs their pleasure. This statement implies that the nobles only seek for their own sake.
Tom as a common citizen certainly is surprised with the life in the palace and surprised with the rules in the palace, for example the rule for the servants that
they may not sit in the presence of the prince or the noblemen who have higher rank than them 34. “Tom was conducted to the principal apartment of a noble
suite, and made to sit down-a thing which he was loath to do, since there were elderly men and men of high degree about him. He begged them to be seated also,
but they only bowed their thanks or murmured them, and remained standing” 34. Through this event in the story, Mark Twain would like to shows the nobles’
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treatments to their servants, who can be considered as a non-nobility people; a common people.
Tom Canty is also surprised as he meets Humphrey Marlow; the prince’s whipping-boy 105. He is surprised when he knows the whipping-boy’s job that
he has to take the whips from prince’s teacher for the mistakes that is made by the prince. Through Tom Canty, Mark Twain would like to show the weirdness of the
nobles’ treatment to their servants. He criticizes the nobles’ treatments and ways in valuing the common people; by making a weird position for their servants such
as whipping-boy. Through Tom Canty, Mark Twain also reveals his criticism on the character traits of the nobles that shows that they prefer to have other people
suffer because of their mistakes.
c. Greedy and Cunning
