The Philosophical Mind of Dr Suess
“It is in the creation of literature that we attempt to
record the human spirit and chart its values.”
We often characterize a period of history by its authors. We shape our remembrance of a decade upon a single book to which the name of “classic” was bestowed. Hawthorn, Emerson, Thoreau, Fitzgerald, Hemmingway; none will deny the important role these authors have played in shaping and documenting American thought. But today I would like to carve another face into the literary Mt. Rushmore as it were. I present to you the great American entertainer and philosopher Theodore Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Suess.
I have always been a strong supporter of Dr Suess. I was raised on his literature and grew up admiring his name. By my count I have read, if not in entirety, at least healthy excerpts from 28 of his books and some of his more classic pieces such as Horton Hears a Who and Green Eggs and Ham are nearly memorized. However it wasn’t until but a few weeks ago that I began to fully realize what this philosopher was saying. My eyes were finally opened. And looking back to those times when I was blinded to the depth in his stories, I feel like a man sitting in a boat, which is tied to the dock, who still does not see shore. In the next few minutes I hope to untie the blindfolds many of you may unconsciously be wearing regarding the literature of Dr. Suess.
Only a fool would argue [against] the popularity of the Dr.’s books. Before his death in 1991 at the age of 87 he wrote and illustrated 47 books. These books have sold over two million copies in twenty languages. Green Eggs and Ham is the third largest selling book in the English language. However many people are blinded, as I was only a short time ago, to the deep truths portrayed in these books. As children we are yet too young to grasp the meanings and as we grow old we too quickly view these masterpieces to be childish. For example when I was in the library receiving my revelation, sitting in the children’s section with ten books around me and taking notes, I believe the librarian thought me a bit unique. After a while she asked if I was finding everything OK. Of course I was. I don’t know why she would have thought I wasn’t. But what she couldn’t realize was that that day I found so much more than just books with rhymes and bright pictures. That day I found meaning, purpose, and understanding. Let me expound on this deeper meaning in just one of his books.
On the surface Horton Hears a Who may appear a simple children’s story about an elephant’s silly predicament. And maybe even most readers grasp the general ideas that “a person’s a person no matter how small” and to stand up for your beliefs no matter the circumstances. But the book goes far beyond these themes. It is a beautiful allegory of post World War II American thought. You see Horton Hears a Who was published in 1954. We had won the war and demonstrated our power to the world. Through corrupt leadership, Germany and Japan had destroyed their economies and the US installed the Marshall Plan, an extensive aid program to assist these countries in recovery. However American opinion was becoming critical of this plan and its continuation was uncertain.
After visiting Hiroshima Suess wrote this masterpiece dedicated a friend from Japan. The book begins with Horton discovering a small speck of dust floating through the air which he discovers is the location of Who-ville home of the whos. Who-ville plainly represents the people of both Japan and Germany and the fact that they are floating through the air depicts the state of nstability their countries are in. Horton personifies the Marshall Plan and those supportive of its continuation. Immediately after Horton placed that dust “on a very soft clover” ridicule began starting with the kangaroo and its young. You will remember that throughout this book. The young kangaroo seems to have no opinion of its own but rather always agrees with its mother. This represents the fickleness of the general American populous and how much of their thought is controlled by a few vocal leaders.
As the ridicule of Horton continues by all the jungle animals Horton declares, “I’ve got to protect them I’m bigger that they.” This shows the obligation many felt to continuing the Marshall Plan and helping those who could not help themselves. Horton had no intention to carry that clover indefinitely. The purpose of his protection and assistance is to give the whos down in Who-ville a chance to rebuild. And yet before this process was complete the clover holding the dust holding the Whos was snatched away by the Wickersham Brothers and carried of by the infamous bird Vlad Vlad-I-koff. This bird “let that small clover drop somewhere inside, Of a great patch of clovers a hundred miles wide!” This demonstrates the difficulties of continuing the Marshall Plan but Horton will not give up.
He finds that clover and brings it back to the jungle where he is met by a mob of Wickersham apes led by the cynical kangaroo. This procession desiring to stop the perceived insanity of Horton’s plan threatens to boil the clover “In a hot steaming kettle of Beezle-Nut oil.” This is obviously the climax of the protest against the Marshall Plan. Next Dr Suess shows us the cry of the Japanese and German people; their desperate pleas for help as they try to prove their existence and so not be turned into “Beezle-Nut stew.”
Of course Horton can hear them but even as they make all the racket they could the deaf ears of the kangaroo could not hear. By this Suess shows that no matter how obviously people need help, the selfish will always turn their heads. And then the mayor [of who-ville ] finds young Jo-Jo not making any sound and with this character Suess implores the reader to continue to declare the injustices we witness. The mayor tells the boy, “We’ve GOT to make noises in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!” And with that final “YOPP” the who’s plea becomes audible to the kangaroo who immediately realizes the humanity of the people and vows to protect them. This expresses Suess’s optimistic view that if the American people truly knew the tragedy the war had wrecked they would have been more sympathetic.
Let me quickly list a few of the other topics Dr. Suess discusses in other books. "Horton Hatches the Egg" discusses the virtue of patience. "Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose" shows the dangers of imperialism. "The Lorax," published in the 70’s, discusses environmentalism. "Too Many Daves" depicts the complications and failures of communism. Suess wrote "Marvin K Mooney Will You Please Go Now!" during the Watergate scandal and Nixon resigned the day after parts of it were read to him. The "Butter Battle Book" published in 1984 is a description of the Cold War. "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" shows the disaster that occurs when the technology or ability of a people surpasses their morality. "Green Eggs and Ham" teaches us not to judge things to quickly. His last book written the year before his death, "Oh the Places You’ll Go," depicts the journey of life. And these are only a few of his titles. In conclusion I encourage you to no longer see Dr Suess as solely a children’s author. The truths he reveals in his writings and his historic summaries are timeless.So next time you read a Suess book try to really analyze it and see what the great philosopher is trying to tell us.
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