The ending of Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose shares a lot in common with several of the endings of Aesop's famed fables. They both have lessons to be learned, and they both revolve around a little something called comeuppances.

About Time

Let's start with the lesson learned. After having half the forest move into his antlers and not saying a word, Thidwick the big-hearted moose finds himself on the wrong side of Lake Winna-Bango, starved and exhausted without a morsel of moose-moss to munch. Then the Harvard Club Hunters come along and start shooting at Thidwick. After an animated chase, the hunters finally corner Thidwick.

At this point, Thidwick's "guests" have almost killed him a few times over, and Thidwick decides he's had enough. He also remembers that today is the day his antlers are supposed to shed, so the new ones can grow. Throwing the antlers at the hunters, Thidwick declares:

"You wanted my horns; now you're quite welcome to 'em!
Keep 'em! They're yours!
As for ME, I shall take
Myself to the far distant
Side of the lake!" (48.2-6)

The lesson here is pretty simple: A big heart is a great thing to have, but if you find people taking advantage of you for it, then it is okay to kick them to the curb. Or in this case the hunters. You owe them nothing. Luckily for Thidwick, he learns this lesson in time for a much needed moose-moss lunch.

Comeuppance Critters

As for the freeloading critters, they don't fare as well as Thidwick. The narrator tells us in the final stanza:

His old horns today are
Where you know they would be
His guests are still on them,
All stuffed, as they should be. (50.1-4)

Yep, they have all paid a visit to the taxidermist. The lesson here is also pretty obvious: If you take advantage of others, it'll be pretty awesome for a while… but comeuppance will come.

If you're thinking that death is pretty harsh treatment for a children's book, well, that's because it is. Most modern children stories would likely have had the freeloaders come to some realization, save Thidwick, and help him cross the lake where they will all live as best friends forever.

But remember that this isn't true for many older children's stories. Aesop's fables often end with the death of one of the animals involved. In "The Ant and the Grasshopper," for instance, the grasshopper dies after not properly preparing for winter. And in "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," the lamb is eaten by the wolf. So in a way, Seuss is keeping with a long, if somewhat terrifying, tradition of children's stories.

Also, wouldn't the happy-go-lucky ending be a disservice to children? After all, some people never do learn their lessons, and if every children's story ends in a happy-go-lucky manner, then one could argue that children would come to expect that. As David Dempsey writes, "Seuss' logic is rooted in principle, rather than sentiment, and the sponging animals get what they deserve. Incidentally, this is also what the child expects."

In this way, the ending of Thidwick finds a balance between the two. A happy ending for Thidwick, a not-so-happy ending for the freeloaders, and two lessons learned for the price of one story.