netjeff.com Humor collection A book review of 'The Cat in the Hat'

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 the 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 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
  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.

netjeff.com Humor collection A book review of 'The Cat in the Hat'