> >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.
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