The Concept Of A Hero In Dr. Seuss's The Lorax

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a story about redeeming oneself and becoming a hero after eradicating the environment. Considering the title of the text, it would seem obvious that the hero of this story would be none other than the Lorax, who revolts against the Once-ler in hopes of saving the environment. However, in order to determine who the hero of The Lorax is, the concept of a hero must be defined. A hero is someone that attempts to fix whatever may be wrong in the world, no matter what they have to go up against whether it is a person, their own personal demons, or any other opposing force. Despite what the majority of people believe, the Once-ler is the real hero of this story because he attempts to gain forgiveness after witnessing what he has done, rises from a dark period in his life and corrects his mistake, and he has faith in others. …show more content…
In order to make these Thneeds, he had to chop down a beautiful tree, which is known as a Truffula Tree. In The Lorax, the Truffula Trees are described by the Once-ler as, “much softer than silk. And they had the sweet smell of fresh butterfly milk.” As time goes on, the Once-ler begins to make more and more Thneeds, and he eventually ends up chopping down the last Truffula Tree, which is the moment when the Lorax leaves. It is at this moment that the Lorax has been defeated, and he never returns. Years later, the Once-ler realizes what a terrible mistake he has made, and realizes that in order to fix this mess, he must let others help. He then decides to give the last Truffula Tree seed to a child, which is a selfless act of hope. He has hopes of redeeming himself, and preventing others from making the same mistake that he made. He attempts to gain forgiveness after witnessing what he has done, which is one of the qualities that makes him a