“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” by the illustrious author, Dr. Seuss, is a classic children’s story written in rhymed verse and published in 2000. The story follows a malevolent creature called the “Grinch,” who didn’t like Christmas the slightest bit primarily for its supposedly excessive joy and happiness. He attempts to stop Christmas in the town by stealing trees and presents, but later towards the end, realizes his wickedness.
The school of criticism that best interprets this story is an archetypal analysis. Archetypes are a recurrent image or symbol in literature and is recognizable as an element of one’s literary experience as a whole. This is revealed in the story by the protagonist, the Grinch, who embarks on a journey to stop Christmas
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The line, “May have been that his heart was two sizes too small,” clarifies this. He subjugates his own dog, Max, and uses a lot of effort in ruining Christmas for Who-ville. In terms of him as an archetypal character, the wicked side of his unconscious self and depraved side of his personality is portrayed throughout the poem and confirms his role as the antagonist.
Lastly to mention, the Grinch is involved in an initiation, another common archetype in which the protagonist undergoes experiences that lead to character development. When he returns home after committing wrongful deeds and hears the entire Who-ville singing, he realizes that Christmas was not simply about the ornamentation and presents. The line, “That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day!” indicates that the Grinch underwent a typical archetypal initiation in which he returned with positive character development, in this case, a kind soul.
It is evident that the author, Dr. Seuss, has used many archetypes throughout this story. These archetypes follow recurrent symbols and images in literature and represent the commonalities of human condition. Undoubtedly, this piece of literature is best critique with an archetypal