Where the Wild Things Are Theme of Exploration

There are lots of ways to explore. Usually, we think of exploration in terms of hitting the road, setting sail, or taking off into the air to discover new places. But you can also explore by getting introspective and looking within yourself. In Where the Wild Things Are, Max does both, more or less. At the beginning of the book, he's getting information about the world around him by testing boundaries…and wearing on his mother's nerves. When that external form of exploration is shut down to him, he goes internal, journeying to the land of wild things in order to discover new information about himself.

1. What does it mean to explore? Is it enough to simply see new things, or do you also have to find a way to understand them?
2. How can Max's misbehavior in the first pages of the book be considered a form of exploration? What does he learn from testing the limits his mother has set for him?
3. Is Max's journey to the land of wild things real, or is it all in his head? Do you believe something supernatural has occurred here—the forest growing in Max's room, Max's ocean voyage, the island of wild things—or is this a symbolic journey? If it's symbolic, what does it mean?
4. Does Max change as a result of his journey to the land of wild things? Explain.

Where the Wild Things Are is a fantasy story, and as part of that story, Max's fantastic voyage to the land of wild things really does occur.

Max's voyage to the land of wild things is intended to be purely symbolic; Max never actually leaves his room.