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Text File | 1994-02-01 | 4KB | 74 lines

Freud on Seuss
Copyright (c) 1993, Josh LeBeau
All rights reserved





                        Freud on Seuss
                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 a 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 the reader to re-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
their 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
introduces 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 counterpart to his bold symbolism.  In all, his
writing style is quick and fluid, making _The Cat in the Hat_ impossible to
put down.  While this 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 day master becomes apparent.