The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

This is one of the early "trading places" books. The Crown Prince of England, Eduard Tudor, looks very similar to a poor boy, Tom Canty. They meet together and notice the resemblance. They try on each others clothes for a brief experience as "the other". They then become separated and ushered into each others lives. They initially try to tell others about the switch, but nobody believes them. After some time, the poor boy gradually settles into the role of the prince. He decides to treat miscreants much more fairly. When the king dies, he is ready to be thrust into the role of king. He even once denies his family that he knows them. The prince struggles in his role as a poor boy. People do not believe that he is the prince. However, Tom's mother does see some differences and notices that he is not Tom. Eventually, they reunite at the time of coronation. Tom declares the prince as the real prince and reminds him where he hid the seal. He is properly coronated. Eduard is crowned and is able to serve a brief reign. Tom lives a long life of happiness. Who really did win? Twain shows that the fluke of birth, does provide advantages, but character can be important regardless of one's circumstances.