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Archetypes In How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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Within literature, there are a multitude of archetypes which appear in varied bodies of work; Archetypes are recurring symbols, attitudes, plot lines, or characters that appear within reading material. Upon examination, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss is one fine example of a body of literature that contains archetypes. One of the most evident archetypes is the Villain character who is, in this case, the Grinch. The Grinch detests Christmas and the people who enjoy; as a result, he devises to steal Christmas and ruin the day for all the whos’ in Whoville. This malevolence and desire to harm cast the Grinch as a very typical villain. In addition to being an archetypal villain, the Grinch is also fits the description of the typical literary outcast as he lives high …show more content…

As is customary, this occurs at the end when the Grinch renounces his evil ways, returns all the supplies to the Whos’, and partakes in their Christmas celebrations. This story line spans many different story types but is found in examples such as Harry Potter, (not the Grimms’ brothers) Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel. Lastly there are a few symbolic archetypes, the most important being the symbol of light. When the Grinch decides to return all the presents, the morning is described as being “bright and light”, which symbolizes hope and renewal. The symbol of light is featured in many other literary works such as “The Great Gatsby” (the green light, Jay’s infinite hope), Frankenstein (the discovery of new sciences, the creation of a being), and Macbeth (Malcolm the heir being the last hope to save Scotland from tyranny). To conclude, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is abundant in archetypes that not only enhance the plot but help to make its’ message more comprehensible (through comparison of other books and life situations by the

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The critical school I chose to write my analysis about is Marxist. When reading, “The Who Grinch Stole Christmas” the main principals showing are social and economic equality. In this story, The Grinch would represent the lower class that cannot afford to celebrate and The Who’s represent the higher class who can afford to celebrate Christmas, with presents and food. "They'd rush for their toys!” "young and old, would sit down to a feast" (Geisel, 1957).

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, also known as “The Grinch”, is a 2000 family-based, Christmas-themed, comedy film delivered by Universal and Imagine Entertainment and based on the 1957 children’s picture book written by Dr. Seuss of the same name. Directed by Ron Howard (who also directed “Splash”, “Rush”, and “The Dilemma”), “The Grinch” was the first full-length feature film adapted from the series of outstanding and beloved Dr. Seuss tales. Since the film was the first to be based off one of Seuss’s famous children's books, many additions had to be made to the storyline to make the film fit the era’s “standards” by bringing it up to feature-length, leaving the young and older audience intrigued, and most importantly keeping the legacy of Dr. Seuss's works intact. In addition, this included adding some vivid information about the

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The Narrator states, "And what happened then, Well... In Who-Ville they say that the Grinch 's heart grew 3 sizes that day" (Seuss) This shows that the Grinch physically changed through the story and was able to give back the Christmas presents he stole back to all the people from Who-Ville. The narrator states, "The Grinch carved the roast beast" (Seuss) This shows that the Grinch became from going to ruining Christmas for others, to cutting food that describes the Christmas year for people from Who-Ville. Not only has he stopped hating Christmas,

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