At many times, children are afterthoughts for the main provocateurs in Bregna. The child trapeze artist is literally left hanging and any apparent connection between Trevor and his children or Bambara and his young partner are all undermined by mental manipulation and a lack of free will.
There are, however, some attempts to bridge this gap. Most notably, the use of nursery rhymes by both adults and children is evident throughout. Many toys are also used as important tools and at important junctures by these adults. But these examples leave us feeling uneasy. These nursery rhymes and toys are often allied with violence and sexuality and this association with children is initially disturbing. It seems that such issues have no place in our common view of children as more innocent and naive than adults.
The close of this story offers a final word on these apparently troubling instances of child sexuality and brutality. In the end, Trevor himself is only a toy and as such is neither an adult or a child. There no longer exists a separate world of children and adults in Bregna. Instead, these issues are highlighted as universal for all people. We may not find the idea of children as being affected by violent or sexual forces, but they are just as vulnerable to these tropes as adults.
There are plenty of things that divide humanity, but age should only be viewed as a continuum.
-The English Student
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