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A MARXIST CRITIQUE OF “THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS”

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A MARXIST CRITIQUE OF “THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS”

Dr. Seuss published his now world-famous poem “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” in 1957. The 50’s were a decade in which the rampant consumerism now seen throughout the year across the United States of America was just beginning to take hold.  In this context it can be seen as a glorification of proletarian resilience and anti-capitalist sentiment.  [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]

Where Christmas had been about love, charity, and community, due to the increasing popularity of radio and television and the mass advertising campaigns these made popular, it has largely been redefined as a commercial holiday that is about selling products.  This can be viewed as an attempt by the upper class to commodify a community’s emotional resources.  Dr.Seuss seems to have been of the opinion that this was wrong, and his anti-capitalist views can be noted throughout the poem, as can his appreciation for the proletarian resistance to society’s insistence on the importance of money over family values. . [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]

After the Grinch steals all of the presents in Whoville, he finds that this has not been enough to destroy the Christmas spirit among the people and exert control.  When they wake up in the morning and find that their presents are gone, “Every Who down in Whoville…Was singing! Without any presents at all!” This astounds the Grinch, who is blinded by his own greed and unable to see that Christmas for the Who’s is not about materialism and commercial gain.  He eventually must concede that “Maybe Christmas…Doesn’t come from a store. / Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”  And thus the poem has a happy ending; the proletarian Who’s get to keep their holiday, and the capitalist Grinch is won over to appreciating its intrinsic, non-monetary value. < Click Essay Writer to order your essay>

Sources Cited

Seuss, Theodore. “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (1957). Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology, n.d.

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By Hanna Robinson

Hanna has won numerous writing awards. She specializes in academic writing, copywriting, business plans and resumes. After graduating from the Comosun College's journalism program, she went on to work at community newspapers throughout Atlantic Canada, before embarking on her freelancing journey.