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Erlkönig: cat-in-the-hat-analysis.shtml> >a book review by Josh LeBeau > > > >The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss, 61 pages. Beginner Books, $3.95 > > > >The Cat in the Hat is a hard-hitting novel of prose and poetry in which > >the author re-examines the dynamic rhyming schemes and bold imagery of > >some of his earlier works, most notably Green Eggs and Ham, If I Ran > >the Zoo, and Why Can't I Shower With Mommy? In this novel, Theodore > >Geisel, writing under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss, pays homage to the great > >Dr. Sigmund Freud in a nightmarish fantasy of a renegade feline helping > >two young children understand their own frustrated sexuality. > > > >The story opens with two youngsters, a brother and sister, abandoned by > >their mother, staring mournfully through the window of their single- > >family dwelling. In the foreground, a large tree/phallic symbol dances > >wildly in the wind, taunting the children and encouraging them to > >succumb to the sexual yearnings they undoubtedly feel for each other. > >Even to the most unlearned reader, the blatant references to the > >incestuous relationship the two share set the tone for Seuss' probing > >examination of the satisfaction of primitive needs. The Cat proceeds > >to charm the wary youths into engaging in what he so innocently refers > >to as "tricks." At this point, the fish, an obvious Christ figure who > >represents the prevailing Christian morality, attempts to warn the > >children, and thus, in effect, warns all of humanity of the dangers > >associated with the unleashing of the primal urges. In response to > >this, the cat proceeds to balance the aquatic naysayer on the end of > >his umbrella, essentially saying, "Down with morality; down with God!" > > > >After poohpoohing the righteous rantings of the waterlogged Christ > >figure, the Cat begins to juggle several icons of Western culture, > >most notably two books, representing the Old and New Testaments, and > >a saucer of lactal fluid, an ironic reference to maternal loss the two > >children experienced when their mother abandoned them "for the > >afternoon." Our heroic Id adds to this bold gesture a rake and a toy > >man, and thus completes the Oedipal triangle. > > > >Later in the novel, Seuss introduces the proverbial Pandora's box, a > >large red crate out of which the Id releases Thing One, or Freud's > >concept of Ego, the division of the psyche that serves as the > >conscious mediator between the person and reality, and Thing Two, the > >Superego which functions to reward and punish through a system of moral > >attitudes, conscience, and guilt. Referring to this box, the Cat says, > >"Now look at this trick. Take a look!" In this, Dr. Seuss uses the > >children as a brilliant metaphor for the reader, and asks thre reader > >to examine his own inner self. > > > >The children, unable to control the Id, Ego, and Superego allow these > >creatures to run free and mess up the house, or more symbolically, > >control there lives. This rampage continues until the fish, or Christ > >symbol, warns that the mother is returning to reinstate the Oedipal > >triangle that existed before her abandonment of the children. At this > >point, Seuss introdces a many-armed cleaning device which represents > >the psychoanalytic couch, which proceeds to put the two youngsters' > >lives back in order. > > > >With powerful simplicity, clarity, and drama, Seuss reduces Freud's > >concepts on the dynamics of the human psyche to an easily understood > >gesture. Mr. Seuss' poetry and choice of words is equally impressive > >and serves as a splendid conterpart to his bold symbolism. In all, his > >style is quick and fluid, making The Cat in the Hat impossible to put > >down. While the novel is 61 pages in length, and one can read it in > >five minutes or less, it is not until after multiple readings that the > >genius of this modern master becomes apparent. |