A Psychoanalytical Approach to “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
Christmas is a time of celebration, joy, generous offerings, spending time with loved ones, and most importantly, coming together as a community. For the most part, everyone loves Christmas; except for the Grinch. In Dr.Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch is portrayed as a bitter, vengeful, old man who hates the entirety of the Christmas season. His indignant attitude is especially evident when he overlooks the Whos down in Whoville during the holidays: “he stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, staring down from his cave with a sour, grinchy frown, at the warm lighted windows below in their town” (Suess, 10-12). This clearly shows the conscious level (the …show more content…
fear of loss, rejection, death etc.) that influence the human behaviour. Dr. Seuss had many of the same mental assets as the Grinch in that he had fears of loss, public speaking, discrimination and rejection. For example, Dr. Suess was bullied as a child during the Second World War for his German background. In the same way, the Grinch felt discriminated by Whoville and had a fear of social interaction (especially during the Christmas season). Seuss once said: “I was brushing my teeth on the morning of the 26th of last December [1956] when I noted a very Grinchish countenance in the mirror. It was Suess! Something had gone wrong with Christmas, I realized, or more likely with me. So I wrote the story about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that obviously I’d lost” (Suessville, Biography of Dr. Suess).
Therefore, it is clear that Dr. Seuss drew many parallels from his own experiences into the Grinch’s character. This is proof that “human beings have a fundamental need for inclusion in group life and for close relationships” because social interactions can directly impact an individual’s spiritual, mental and physical health (Patrick Ward, A Psychological
Christmas is a time of celebration, joy, generous offerings, spending time with loved ones, and most importantly, coming together as a community. For the most part, everyone loves Christmas; except for the Grinch. In Dr.Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch is portrayed as a bitter, vengeful, old man who hates the entirety of the Christmas season. His indignant attitude is especially evident when he overlooks the Whos down in Whoville during the holidays: “he stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, staring down from his cave with a sour, grinchy frown, at the warm lighted windows below in their town” (Suess, 10-12). This clearly shows the conscious level (the …show more content…
fear of loss, rejection, death etc.) that influence the human behaviour. Dr. Seuss had many of the same mental assets as the Grinch in that he had fears of loss, public speaking, discrimination and rejection. For example, Dr. Suess was bullied as a child during the Second World War for his German background. In the same way, the Grinch felt discriminated by Whoville and had a fear of social interaction (especially during the Christmas season). Seuss once said: “I was brushing my teeth on the morning of the 26th of last December [1956] when I noted a very Grinchish countenance in the mirror. It was Suess! Something had gone wrong with Christmas, I realized, or more likely with me. So I wrote the story about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that obviously I’d lost” (Suessville, Biography of Dr. Suess).
Therefore, it is clear that Dr. Seuss drew many parallels from his own experiences into the Grinch’s character. This is proof that “human beings have a fundamental need for inclusion in group life and for close relationships” because social interactions can directly impact an individual’s spiritual, mental and physical health (Patrick Ward, A Psychological