The Dr. Seuss book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, initially had themes of social class distinction and dominating social elites. As the novel read on, authority seemed to create social order by controlling the lower classes with foolish rules. The social elites such as King Derwin, were protected by the royal guards. Dr. Seuss poked fun at authority figures and their foolish rules in this children’s book. The children’s book displayed Marxist themes of the feudal system, capitalism, and alienation.
The feudal system was displayed in the agricultural society of the Kingdom of Didd, as the King gained wealth from the serfs while they remained poor. While King Derwin looked down at his kingdom and “it made King Derwin feel mighty important” (Seuss, pg 3), Bartholomew looked up at the kingdom and “it made Bartholomew Cubbins feel mighty small” (Seuss, pg 5). Capitalism is displayed by the working class as they serve the nobles and the king. Bartholomew goes into town to sell
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These concepts such as the feudal system, were displayed in the agricultural society of the Kingdom of Didd. Capitalism was shown through the working class as they made profit for the social elites and the nobles. The working class conformed to the nobles due to alienation. Alienation dehumanized them into making the nobles wealthy while they lived poorly. After doing this assignment, not only do I have more appreciation for Dr. Seuss books, but I also have opened my eyes to take a closer look at children’s stories. Applying the social concepts was not an easy task for me. My brain is not wired in the way to think that everything has a double meaning. The assignment was thought provoking and it made me think deeper about children's stories. By analyzing a Dr. Seuss story, I wonder what kinds of sociological propaganda that authors are putting inside other children's