Where the Wild Things Are Introduction
If we had to give Where the Wild Things Are a yearbook award, we'd probably vote it "Most Likely to Be Featured on Kids' Bedroom Walls." Because, well, look:
But just where does the book's power to captivate come from? And how did Maurice Sendak, who wrote and illustrated the story back in 1963, nail it so perfectly?
Consider this: Sendak set out to create a story that would frighten children. And he succeeded…sort of.
That's the thing about Where the Wild Things Are: it straddles the line between fun and frightening, whimsical and grotesque, safe and dangerous. When Max's room turns into a jungle, we're spooked and intrigued. When Max sails across an ocean for days and encounters the wild things, we're nervous and exhilarated. And when Max realizes he's lonely and returns home, we're sad and relieved.
You see, Where the Wild Things Are makes readers of all ages a little bit uncomfortable…in exactly the right ways.
Sendak's illustrations, which earned him a Caldecott Medal one year after the book was published, show Max as a complex youth. He is sweet yet menacing, docile yet mischievous. And we can see that he swings between fear, haughtiness, and complete abandon in his dealings with the wild things. In other words, Sendak's drawings and his narrative perfectly capture the soaring extremes of childhood and the push-pull that exists when children try to navigate between complete dependence on their parents and a desire to venture out into the world on their own.
Perhaps it's because we never completely grow out of that feeling that the book remains a favorite for readers of all ages. Even
What is Where the Wild Things Are About and Why Should I Care?
You—just like everyone else on the planet—are engaged in a battle between dependence and independence. Don't even try to deny it. We know it's true, and so do you. (And so did
Sure, the whole dependence-independence thing was probably a bigger battle when you were younger because when you first arrived in this world, you had to rely on someone else to feed you, keep you clean and safe, and teach you all of the important things, like which Ninja Turtle
Max, like all young kids, relies on others to feed him, pay for his Wi-Fi, and make sure his wolf suit is clean. But at the same time, he's experimenting with independence, and that can be scary. Sure, he wants to be in charge and make his own decisions and chase the dog around the house without getting in trouble, but he also wants to be safe and loved and cared for.
That push-pull between wanting to go out and take the world by storm and wanting to just curl up in someone's arms and know that everything is going to be okay can get complicated. And emotional. And result in a lot of noise and tears and frustration. And frightened puppies.
And guess what? We all experience it. As kids and as adults.
As kids, when we can't figure out how to get what we want, strong emotions take over, and we tend to act out, throw tantrums, or storm off to our rooms.
As adults, well…sometimes it doesn't look all that different. Sure, instead of sailing off to a distant land in our imaginations, we might retreat to the couch with a pint of ice cream and the most recent season of our favorite show, but still. We retreat, we wrestle with our demons, and we find a way to cope.
And that's why you should care. Because Max, just like you, is struggling to find his way. When he journeys to the land of wild things to confront and come to terms with his difficult emotions, he's doing it for us all. And when he has calmed down, he shows us that it's okay to be humble, come home, and depend on someone else for a little while.