78 pages • 2 hours read
Sid FleischmanThe Whipping Boy
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1986A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary: “Revealing Jemmy’s Plan to Trick the Villains”
Billy and Cutwater share some food with Jemmy and Prince Horace; the prince is disgusted because it’s not the fine food he’s used to. Cutwater begins to worry that Jemmy might have written something different in the ransom note than what he claimed to be writing; Jemmy pretends to be indignant and says insulting things to Cutwater. Cutwater threatens to beat Jemmy, but Billy points out that they aren’t allowed to hit the prince—they’d have to beat his whipping boy instead. This possibility is upsetting for Prince Horace, since “the prospect of taking a whipping himself had never occurred to him” (28).
After Jemmy reads the ransom note out loud backwards, the criminals are satisfied that he is not deceiving them. They wonder about the best way to get the letter to the king, and Jemmy suggests that they send the prince (whom they still believe to be his whipping boy) to deliver it.
Chapter 10 Summary: “In Which Prince Brat Lives Up to His Name”
Billy rejects the suggestion to send Prince Horace, arguing that the boy will tell the king where they’re hiding. Cutwater suggests that Billy go himself, but Billy protests that, since he is a famous criminal, he would be recognized and arrested. Both Billy and Cutwater begin to get nervous about going to the castle and decide to send the prince after all. Jemmy orders them to also send the gold crown so the king will know that the ransom note is legitimate. Billy gives the ransom note and crown to Prince Horace to deliver to the king. He also advises him that it doesn’t matter if he reveals their hideout, since “we’ll pack the prince off to a different hiding place” (32). However, Prince Horace insists that he’s not going back to the castle.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Containing a Great Deal of Shouting”
Jemmy is frustrated that Prince Horace is not cooperating with his plan, but the prince insists that, “I’ll do what I choose. And I choose not to run your errands” (33). Billy and Cutwater wonder if the prince is hoping to obtain part of the ransom; they go outside to discuss whether or not they’re willing to share the reward in exchange for his cooperation.
Once Jemmy and Prince Horace are alone, Jemmy scolds the latter for not going along with his plan. When the prince insists on not returning to the castle, Jemmy wonders if he is possibly trying to protect him. Jemmy asks if the prince is worried about what will happen once the criminals figure out they’ve been tricked and reassures him that he plans to sneak away once the prince leaves for the castle. To Jemmy, the plan is perfect because it will allow the prince to get home safely while he gets the chance to escape his life as a whipping boy.
Prince Horace is still insistent that he won’t return, but won’t explain why. Before Jemmy can ask further questions, Billy and Cutwater return to the hut. They tell the prince that if he delivers the message, they will give him some of the ransom. The prince still refuses, and Jemmy desperately tries a new plan. He tells the criminals to free their horse with the ransom note and crown attached to it, as the horse will instinctively return to the royal stables. Billy and Cutwater are hesitant, because they want to keep the valuable animal for themselves, but Jemmy persuades them that they will be able to buy all the horses they want once they have the reward money.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Wherein Jemmy is Betrayed”
Billy sets off on the horse with the ransom note and crown; he plans to free the horse once he gets close to the castle. Jemmy and Prince Horace talk quietly, and Jemmy explains that the ransom note isn’t going to fool anyone—as everyone at the castle knows the prince can’t write. He suspects that the king will see the note as him playing a trick. Surprisingly, the prince offers to protect Jemmy from any punishment.
Jemmy knows that Cutwater is going to tie them up while they wait for Billy’s return. He hides under a pile of straw and tells the prince to tell Cutwater that he ran away; the moment the criminal goes outside to chase him, Jemmy will have a chance to escape. Cutwater notices that Jemmy is missing, but rather than play along, the prince immediately tells him where Jemmy is hiding.
Chapters 9-12 Analysis
This section focuses on the rising action of the conflict, as Jemmy’s plans for escape are repeatedly deterred. The situation is particularly challenging because Jemmy and Prince Horace are usually not alone together, and therefore cannot freely communicate about a plan. Jemmy is relying on the prince inferring his plans and playing along, but the prince repeatedly reveals his refusal or inability to cooperate with others. For example, once Billy and Cutwater have finally agreed to send the prince back to the castle, Prince Horace undermines Jemmy’s plan by declaring, “I’ll do what I choose. And I choose not to run your errands” (33). This statement reinforces the prince’s arrogance and selfishness. He cannot set aside his short-term desire (to avoid going home) for the longer-term benefit of safety, and also ignores the fact that he’s endangering Jemmy. Because of their situation, Jemmy and the prince are forced to work as a team, but at this point, the prince doesn’t know how to cooperate with others.
While Prince Horace’s behavior is frustrating, this section of the novel does develop his character by hinting at a motive underlying his stubbornness. The prince’s absolute insistence on control and self-determination is revealed when he makes statements such as “I’ll return to the castle when I’m ready. When I choose. And not a moment before” (34). When he escaped the castle, the prince experienced his first taste of agency, and is desperate to keep it. However, the prince also dislikes the vulnerability that comes with freedom; for example, he is in danger of being physically hurt by Billy and Cutwater, and is in no position to order anyone around. Jemmy observes that “he’s fuming like a stovepipe at being unprinced” (30), revealing that the prince doesn’t enjoy losing his authority, and hinting at the idea that the power of royalty rests on a system that could easily collapse. Yet, the prince doesn’t want to return to his old life either.
Prince Horace’s stubbornness is so intense that Jemmy begins to wonder if he’s misunderstood him, paving the way for an emotional bond. Jemmy wonders if the prince could “for once, be concerned for someone other than himself?” (36). His limited third-person perspective bars the reader from Prince Horace’s interior thoughts and feelings, so they share Jemmy’s confusion and suspense as he tries to understand the prince’s true nature.
This section reveals a key insight into the source of Prince Horace’s unhappiness: his difficult relationship with his father. Jemmy shows his curiosity and capacity for empathy when he asks the prince if “[it’s] your pa you’re afraid of?” (36). The prince’s retort of “he won’t miss me” (36) reveals that his relationship with the king is likely more distant than threatening—and that this lack of connection may be fueling his bad behavior. If the prince feels that no one truly cares about him, he has no reason to strive to be better, or perhaps he believes negative attention is still attention.
Prince Horace’s difficult relationship with his father furthers the juxtaposition between him and Jemmy. While Jemmy’s father was poor and could not provide his son with wealth or status, Jemmy remembers his father with affection and respect. As the plot progresses, it becomes clear that Jemmy’s father left his son with many valuable lessons. The novel uses these parallel father-son relationships to contrast the two boys and reveal that wealthier characters are not necessarily happier.
