Dr. Seuss Character Analysis
Being able to relate to something or someone is the best thing that can happen to us.
Reading a book can bring us memories of how we used to be and how we felt when we first read something we were able to relate too. In most books we are able to relate to the characters. Not only are we able to relate ourselves to a character and now that we are not the only ones like that but we can relate the other characters with our surroundings. In the book The Cat in the Hat by Dr.Seuss, some of the few books that we can relate the character to us, uses fantasia and realistic characters that we can relate ourselves and others that are within our surroundings.
The children are the main characters, realistic and are the ones that we relate ourselves too. As seen through the book the boy does not have a name, he is the narrator, and his sister is Sally. They are young and like most children they do not know how to make some correct decisions. Throughout the book they are blank minded and do not really make decisions they just go with the flow. Ruth K.
MacDonald states, “The statement, ‘We did nothing at all,’ holds for nearly the entire book – in fact, the only action of the children is to catch the Things and order the Cat and his pets out of the house” (108). Even though they were warned many times by the fish they would not do anything is like they were not sure of what to do. This can be related to many of us when we were young and our parents would say do not do that and we would do it and then suffer the consequences or when we were told to do something and would just give them a blank look like being in shock and not knowing if we should or should not do it.The Cat is a fantasy cat that knows how to talk and how to have fun in a funny way. He represents fun in a funny way without rules, instead of the type of fun parents would expect their children to have, fun with learning a lesson. Even though the Cat in the Hat does teach a lesson it happens through fun without rules unlike the majority of the games.
The Cat in the Hat claims “my tricks are not bad” (Seuss 12). The cat mentions a few times that his tricks are not bad but they turned out to be marked as bad tricks, since the tricks did not turn out the way they are expected.For example, with the cat’s first trick he tends to have everything under control at first as he balances himself on a ball and balances many other items with his body but one mistake led to a great fall. This fall was labeled as a good trick at first but after all it was not a good trick. He is the fun that many children want a fun with no rules, no consequences you can have by imagining and not having to act it out. This character relates to fantasy on how the imagination has no harm but sometimes when attempt to do in reality it can cause harm.
His good trick is when he presents the cleaning machine. This is how he is mainly related to fun. He entertained, had fun, with the children and made a big mess, just like many children during playtime a big mess is created. At the end parents ask the children to clean up, many agree that cleaning up isn’t fun and it is not very desirable to do. Just like the fish mentioned, the mess was so big, deep, and tall that made it nearly impossible to clean up (Seuss 55). Children can relate on how making the mess is fun and they do not really notice it but cleaning up seems like it’s going to take forever.
The fish is like the orders themselves that were given by the mother that talk. The fish is also fantasy and was initially bored (sleeping) at the beginning. He warns the children every moment remembering them their mother’s rules. He mentions “They should not be here/ When our mother is not” (Seuss 25). The fish represents the mother’s set of orders and it is echoing to the children what they should and should not do so that they will follow their mother’s orders.
This is similar to a children’s thoughts, on how when they are about to do something wrong their mother’s voice goes through their head and even though they should or should not do something that the mother orders they do not make the correct decision ignoring the mother’s rules (the fish in this case) and do not have in thought the consequences that will happen. Also the fish is treated as a family member. The fish says “… our mother…” stating how the children’s mother is also his mother (Seuss 25). This situation is comparable on how some children and even adults see their pets as a member of their family.Thing 1 and Thing 2 are the pets that the Cat in the Hat brings along to show a different way to have fun.
The Things are fantasy characters and are similar to the children. They both do not know how to have fun but the children do not do any action they just sit unlike the Things they make a mess. The cat describes Thing 1 and Thing 2 by telling the fish, “They are tame. Oh so tame! They have come here to play…” (Seuss 37). The Things turn out not to be so disciplined nor tame they were a total disaster. They were like little monsters running around the house destroying everything near them, not knowing how to domestically have fun.
Even though they were illustrated as a child they had different qualities that distinguished them from a human. Since they are designated as Things it indicates that they are not human (MacDonald 115). Also the narrator –the boy –described them as some wild things as he saw that they were knocking down everything. Also, when Dr. Seuss mentions that they are tame, he pats Thing 1 and Thing 2 on their head like if they were pets.
Normally Americans pat their pets usually furry ones not their children. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are like wild pets that go crazy running back and forth everywhere.The mother is thought to be a neat ordered and clean woman as very briefly mentioned by the fish. As MacDonald mentions “the mother’s status as a realist and literalist is underscored by Seuss’s method of illustrating her: her face is never seen; we only see her foot entering into view through the window as the children realize she is about to return, and her hand appearing as she reenters through the door” (110). The mother is very identical to many mothers on how they would expect their children to behave while they are gone and to find their home neatly ordered when they are back.She seems to be neatly ordered and clean because when she walks in, as seen through Dr.
Seuss illustration, she walks with a firm foot and her shoe is neatly tied and pointing straight forward inside the house. In short, relating to something or someone is a way to make us feel not alone in this world because we now that there is someone out there like us that understands how we feel. Reading a book is a marvelous way that can help us find someone or something to relate to and most of the time they are within children’s books.We mostly relate to the main characters and when we can relate to a character we are mostly more attracted to the book and want to keep on reading. As one keeps on reading, we will find objects to relate with or other characters and it makes more sense in our lives.
The book The Cat in the Hat is a book in which many people can relate to the characters no matter the age. Reading this book will make you bring back those memories from your childhood.Bibliography MacDonald, Ruth K. Dr. Seuss.
Boston: Twayne, 1988. Print. Seuss, Dr. The Cat in the Hat. Boston: Houghton, 1957.
Print.
