In the novel, children believe that Edward is the king while the adults do not. Are there other examples where children have greater knowledge than adults? Consider Twain’s implications here.

Answer 1

Yes. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Finn represents a boy who demonstrates the coming of age. Here, through Finn's experiences, Twain demonstrates how this boy learns fast through the mistakes of adults what not to do and how to improvise. Finn demonstrates two side of one coin: he's the mentor and the apprentice. In being the two sides of one coin, he's learning from the repercussions of his actions while making decisions at the same time. This figure of learning is what Edward passes on to the children whom he is leading. Only through adapting in their surroundings do these children survive. What separates children from parents is how they adapt to their surroundings and their ideas of the necessities of survival. I hope I have given you a run down on the similarity of these two. Kyle