Essay Questions

Why does the Grand Duke want Bartholomew dead?

The Grand Duke is shown to be a young man who is extremely jealous of the attention that Bartholomew receives. He believes that Bartholomew has somehow deceived the kingdom and the King himself with his magic trick of making a hat appear even after it has been taken off his head. As a result, he proposes that Bartholomew have his head chopped in order to put an end to it, but is ultimately unsuccessful. His jealousy takes a turn for the worse when Bartholomew's hat become more and more extravagant and as a result, tried to shove him off of a turret.

How is the character of Bartholomew portrayed?

Throughout the text, Bartholomew is portrayed as a victim of jealousy and mistreatment. He did not cause the hats to keep replacing themselves but I'd blamed for it anyway. Indeed, he maintains his innocence throughout and this very conviction in his stance is what saves him.

What references to Seuss' own life are made in the story?

The most known about reference is his hat collection. Seuss has a collection of different hats and he was known to care for them deeply. Though not 500, he had amassed around 48 throughout his lifetime, thus consolidating his love for them. Moreover, the character of Bartholomew may be a reference to Seuss' own experience in having an imaginary child, Chrysanthemum-Pearl. He and his wife were unable to have children so would make up great tales about a made-up daughter, Chrysanthemum-Pearl, and he indeed dedicated the book to her.