Character Analysis
Just Evil
Dr. Evil has nothing on this guy; at least Dr. Evil kind of likes his son. John Canty—along with his mother, Gammer Canty—is pretty much the personification of evil in The Prince and the Pauper.
Almost everyone else in the novel is a fairly nuanced character. Even King Henry VIII, the guy who orders people to be boiled alive, is given a sympathetic angle. But these two are just evil through and through.
We even have a list of all the reasons Mark Twain gives us to hate John Canty. Number one: forces his children to beg and even wants them to steal. Number two: he beats his children and wife. Number three: he's not just a regular thief, but part of a band of thieves who think killing a priest is a good thing:
In the course of it it appeared that "John Hobbs" was not altogether a new recruit, but had trained in the gang at some former time. His later history was called for, and when he said he had 'accidentally' killed a man, considerable satisfaction was expressed; when he added that the man was a priest, he was roundly applauded, and had to take a drink with everybody. Old acquaintances welcomed him joyously, and new ones were proud to shake him by the hand. (17.23)
And that's just the beginning. These people are so bad that killing a priest is like winning the highest score in a videogame for them. Excuse us if we're not impressed.
By painting John Canty—not to mention his mom—in such broad, negative strokes, Mark Twain gives us a very clear bad guy to hate. Since this is a children's story, and so many of the characters are sympathetic, someone has to take the fall. After all, how exciting would it be if there were no bad guy to fight against?
In a way, John Canty symbolizes a lot of what's wrong in a society where people are so poor that human life loses its value. John Canty may not be to blame for his poverty, but he shows what can happen to people when their situations get hopeless.