But he won't make much of a difference if he doesn't behave the same way in front of the person who made this whole mess: the authority. He doesn't back down from these commands, either, which is growth. When the adults say they want to do something stupid, Bartholomew issues direct commands.įor instance, when the royal trumpeter says that he's going to stick his hand down his oobleck-jammed trumpet, Bartholomew shouts, 'No!.Don't you touch it!' (74). He runs from the royal bell ringer to the royal trumpeter and so forth, fixing all sorts of messes. Once the oobleck splats onto the scene, Bartholomew starts taking charge. (19) Middle: Protesting Behind the Scenes He is, after all, caught in the wrong end of a hierarchical power structure, which tends to be no fun. Later, when the King decides to call his magicians, it's Bartholomew who shivers and cries out in dismay, ''Your magicians, Your Majesty? Oh, no, Your Majesty! Don't call them!'' (17).īut, as much as Bartholomew voices his objections, he still yields to the King's orders. 'But, King Derwin…You've always had the same four things come down.' (8) When the King complains about the weather always being the same, Bartholomew counters with:

Beginning: Protesting Accommodatorįrom the story's opening pages, Bartholomew is sensitive to the King's follies and doesn't hide his objections. Check out our 'Why Should I Care?' for a little more on that. And the fact that he's a kid-well, that will tickle your little one's fancy, that's for sure. And it's through his eyes that we see the story.īartholomew also has the not-so-fun role of being the moral core, the only guy with convictions and a voice. You know a character is important when a king regularly addresses him by his full name.īartholomew Cubbins is what the literary experts call a 'normative character.' Even though he lives in a castle and is a page boy who we're hoping (but doubting) is well-compensated with a nice salary, benefits, and a 401(k), Bartholomew Cubbins represents your child.

Bartholomew cubbins and the oobleck