Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are

There is a point in people's’ lives that there told to grow up. Childhood is not all sunshine and rainbows. While children books we read as children are not taken serious, we can see the valuable life lessons, authors like Maurice Sendak was trying to provide, as we mature. In 1963, Maurice Sendak produced a children’s picture book, Where the Wild Things Are which then translated into a movie in 2009. The movie is about a boy named Max who escapes reality to seek adventure and discovers an island where he becomes a king of the wild things. This book was “placed second place on the Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children in 2012 and number one on School Library Journals Top 100 Picture Books of all time.”(White) Not only did this book entertain,
There are moments in our life, especially as adults with 9-5 jobs, where things can be just too much. Whether it be a bad day at work or too much stress for finals, it is okay to let loose. It is perfectly fine to go out and have a good time. It is totally okay to be weird because that is what being human is all about. “And it is through fantasy the children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming wild things.”(White) Catharsis is ability to take a frustration out on something else. Obviously children do not have the full freedom as an adult, so an outlet for them is imagination. On the other hand, adults will go to the gym or vent to close friends. Adults are so busy that they forget to let loose and take some time off. In society, this culture approves that venting or going to gym are more appropriate for adults. It is childish for an adult to use their
The movie brings fear to children by being sent to bed without dinner. A critic claimed it was “depressing” and “not kid friendly”. Max’s father is missing, older sister picks on him, and his mother is consumed with work. “There are more than a few sexual innuendos with the monsters as well, and some harsh language.”(EJ) As valuable as these points are, we have to take in the consideration of the author’s background. Maurice Sendak did not have a happy childhood and from personal accounts we can see this story reflect much on his life. As a polish immigrant, his childhood was “terrible” because family members were in the Holocaust. These devastating times can be really negatively influential on one’s life. He brought dark humor and ideas that he could personally relate to. For going to bed without dinner, he recalls “I often went to bed without supper because I hated my mother’s cooking.” (Sendak) As an author, Sendak was not trying to please everyone. The culture of today’s society established this book to be strictly for children. He produced a book that anyone can read and connect to, not just children as his audience. As a person, he has the right to say or produce any type of media he wants to. Through this creative plot, the light of the valuable life lessons outshines the small “negative” details people wanted to