“For a moment Bartholomew was terribly frightened. ‘Still,’ he thought to himself, ‘the King can do nothing dreadful to punish me, because I really haven’t done anything wrong. It would be cowardly to feel afraid."
Here we can see the childlike innocence of Bartholomew. He is initially fearful of what will happen to him, as most children are in the face of difficult situations. However, he has such conviction in his innocence that this drowns our the fear. Thus, this highlights the inherent bravery and courage of young people. They tend to see the world in black and white, with no grey areas, so this makes their emotions concrete. He has utmost belief in his innocence and indeed, this attitude pays off because he is saved by the King himself.
"Slowly, slowly, Bartholomew felt the weight of the great hat lifting from his head. He held his breath…Then suddenly he felt the cool evening breezes blow through his hair. His face broke into a happy smile. The head of Bartholomew Cubbins was bare!”
This is the climax of the story and reveals a happy ending. The reader is happy to see that Bartholomew managed to get the hat of his head and even more happy to learn of his new found wealth after selling the hat to the King. The immense joy that he experiences is infectious as the reader reads along. His rise from being a victim and underdog is something that is impressive to read about.
