Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a children's picture book originally

published by Harper & Row which describes the imaginary adventures of a young boy
named Max, who is angry after being sent to his room without supper Max wears a
distinctive wolf suit during his adventures and encounters various mythical creatures !he
book is generally regarded as a classic of "merican illustrated children's literature
Page-by-Page Analysis
#irst picture$ Max looks angry in the picture% he wears his &wolf suit& 'why(), and
is hammering nails into the wall% a teddy bear 'or something * maybe a stuffed
wolf) is hanging from coat hanger Much suggestion of &acting*out& behavior,
serious bad actions or psychological disturbance, but the text refers only to
&mischief& * perhaps an example of the text contradicting the picture
Second picture$ Max is chasing the dog 'which looks like the hero of Higgledy
Piggledy Pop, which was based on Sendak's own dog)% the background shows
monster picture &by Max& nailed to wall, suggesting earlier instances of
&mischief& have made him familiar with the wild things +uery$ the picture is
hung neatly * does this suggest perhaps that his mother has put it up for display(
,f so, what are the implications for Max's relationship with his family(
!hird picture$ He is closed in his bedroom, still wearing wolf suit, still looking
very angry !he text tells us the anger is directed at his mother, who has called
him &-ild !hing& and sent him to bed without supper after he shouted &,'ll eat
you up.&
#ourth picture$ !he forest is growing in Max's room, and Max now appears
almost nonchalant '!he imagery of the forest growing out of the bed room
echoes a similar description in /eorge Mac0onald's work, which Sendak is
familiar with)
#ifth picture$ !he forest grows even more, the bedroom fades into background,
and the moon appears brighter 1ut the illustration here resembles a theatrical set,
perhaps suggesting that the ensuing events are being acted out in the theatre of
Max's imagination% note the line across the bottom, 2ust behind Max, as if this
were a painted screen Max now is smiling and laughing into his hand, en2oying a
2oke( * no longer angry, but ratheras if he is getting the last laugh on Mom
Sixth picture$ !he bedroom has disappeared% nothing is visible but the forest, and
Max has his back to us &!he walls became the world all around& * the child's
imagination converts an unpleasant environment into a world of adventure which
he controls, and also literali3es what he feels$ when he is confined to his room, the
room does become the world all around him, or all the world to him !he picture
now occupies a full page, having grown larger to this point% for the first time in
the book, the space devoted to text and the space devoted to picture are in
e4uilibrium #rom here to the book's climax, the pictorial elements will continue
to expand at the expense of the text space 'perhaps a reflection of the dominance
of the imagination)% once Max's &wild*thing& energy is spent, the pictures shrink
again until in the final spread there is only text, no picture at all
Seventh picture$ !he ocean with the boat appears, and Max looks peaceful, happy
5ighth picture$ !he text 'here and on the previous page) suggests passage through
time, perhaps evoking the sense that a change in behavior comes with maturity,
achieved through time Max sees the first &wild thing& and looks worried% he
raises hands6paws to fend off the sea creature
7inth picture$ !he monsters all seem kind of cuddly, with soft edges and friendly
expressions, even though the text describes them as terrible in many senses
"gain, there is an apparent contradiction between picture and text Max now
does not seem apprehensive, but rather angry at them * as we might imagine his
mother 'never seen) to be with him He looks mildly disgusted !he number of
wild things suggests that Max8s imagination has fragmented the aggression they
represent, so as better to control them 'Spit3 9:;)
!enth picture$ Role reversal$ Max shouts &1e still& and tames the monsters by
facing them directly without blinking He acts to them as Mother sought to act to
him, but they obey better than he did He is in charge, and they look frightened
<sychologically, this scene represents a mastering of the violent &wild*thing&
impulses * we can only deal with these impulses by facing them directly
5leventh picture$ !he cuddly wild things now bow to him% he appears haughty as
he is addressed as &king of all wild things& He is completely in control, as earlier
'in the &real world& of home) he was completely out of control
!welfth picture$ !his is the first of three illustrations that each occupies an entire
two*page spread, with no text !he imagination has achieved a release as the
monsters seem to be playing a game Max 2oins in, his mouth open wide, yelling
!hey are creating a &wild rumpus& in the forest, which is still his bedroom
!hirteenth picture$ Max looks happy, with the monsters 2oining in the fun
#ourteenth picture$ !riumphant Max, as in the previous two illustrations, is at the
center of the two*page spread !he frame has become almost completely filled
with monsters, but they remain benign and under Max's control, as evidenced by
his riding atop one of them, wielding his sceptre
#ifteenth picture$ Max treats the wild things as he was treated, but he is lonely as
king of the wild things * for the first time since arriving in this place, he looks sad
in the picture
Sixteenth picture$ !he verbal repetition of Max's threat to his mother '&-e'll eat
you up&) is transformed into an expression of love 'consistent with the sometimes
over*exuberant behavior of aunts and uncles to a young child, which was one of
the models for Sendak's wild things) !o what extent is Max's initial threat also an
expression of love( Max waves back happily as he leaves the wild things for
home
Seventeenth picture$ Max sails home, looking a little sad * contrite maybe(
5ighteenth picture$ Max appears very happy and tired as he arrives home to find
his supper awaiting him, and he is already undergoing a transformation back into
boy * he has put back the hood of his wolf suit =ritic /eorge 1odmer has pointed
out that Max's wolf costume represents a role that he plays% at the end of the book,
having slipped out of the role of &wild thing,& he also appears for the first time
without the wolf suit fully in place7ote that the moon in the window is now full,
whereas in the earlier scenes of the bedroom, it was a crescent * thus the
illustration suggests that the seemingly fanciful notion of great periods of time
elapsing, as Max &sailed in and out of weeks and almost over a year& is perhaps
not so fanciful after all !he full moon is also a symbol of fulfillment or
completeness, consistent with Max's apparent integration of his negative impulses
through his visit to the wild things
7o picture$ >nly text$ &"nd it was still hot&
Possible reactions
Max experiences an emotional firestorm as child His feelings shift from moment
to moment, as shown by the pictures, and he is not in control 1ut in the land of
the wild things, where he can let the emotions out, he is in control again
!he child is imaginative He turns a place of punishment into a place of
adventure, refusing to be imprisoned in his mind '<erhaps there is an unconscious
echo of ?ovelace's poem, &!o "lthea, from <rison,& which makes a similar point
that one can remain free while one's body is imprisoned, as long as the mind is
able to function)
!he story shows intelligent adult discipline * the time out -hat does that imply(
!he child will learn to control himself if he is given time to cool off% the child
longs to exert the same authority over others as his mother exerts over him 1ut
turning it into a parable of good parenting seems to contradict the anarchic energy
of the &wild rumpus&