"Where the Wild Things Are" Padlet Presentation by Cora Stewart

Why does Max wear a wolf suit ?

cstewart2475 — 2024-01-12 18:50:20 UTC

Max always wearing a wolf suit allows him to escape and let his imagination take over. Throughout the book when max is feeling adventurous, his suit is on. Towards the end of the story when max is ready to come back to reality, the suit is off. The suit represents maxs desire to want to be wild and free.

Why does he leave his mother ?

cstewart2475 — 2024-01-12 18:51:37 UTC

Max gets sent to his room by his mother without supper so he decides to run away into his imagination. His mother calls him a "wild thing", which makes max more upset and goes to the island of where the wild things live.

What is the significance of the "still hot" dinner left for Max at the end of the story

pcroce8798 — 2024-01-12 18:58:48 UTC

In Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, the significance of the food still being hot when he returned from his adventure shows how the boy has in fact not gone anywhere except in his own mind and creative imagination. The whole adventure of animals who call him king are a representation of his longing to be appreciated and to be strong. This shows how Max is just as human as you or me, with his need to make everything about him and to feel superior.

What is THE FOOD? What archetypal role does it play in the text? Think about different types of food as they appear in the text.

pcroce8798 — 2024-01-12 19:09:02 UTC

In fact, in Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, the only food that is ever mentioned is supper at the end when it takes his attention from the smell and he comes home on the boat. This is just what drives the young child to leave and to come back. The food creates the whole journey because he is sent to his room without supper which makes him upset and "leave". He acts out even more on his adventure showing how children behave when they are not being watched over. Their wild sides come out and their natural instincts take over to show the nature of humans and children, and to let them behave how the want to.

Explain the concept of the Other as it relates to this text. Look at this from multiple perspectives. How are others identified?

pcroce8798 — 2024-01-12 19:21:54 UTC

In Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, the other is his mother because she is the antagonist in the story and she is on the outside of the plot, never being shown but having a huge play in the story. She sends him away with out food, causing him to go on a journey where he discovers things about others and about himself. This is where the hero goes on his own to complete tasks, "so he was sent to bed without eating anything" (Sendek 8). The other could also be seen as the boy because he is seen as an outsider which is why he sends himself away. He goes on his journey because he feels alone and ends up becoming what he wanted to be with power and status.

Who is the magical child? How is he different from other children? How is he marked? What are his magical qualities?

dlund2844 — 2024-01-12 19:30:35 UTC

The magical child in Where the Wild Things Are is Max, and he is marked by his white wolf suit. He shows many qualities of the typical magical child, such as only having one parent, since the author only mentions Max's mother. Max is different from other children because he is a lot more energetic and rebellious, based on the way his mother reacts to how he acts. Max journeys off into his imagination to a forest where he joins other wild creatures like himself, and becomes the king of them. He shows a lot of courage when he meets the other wild things by using the "magic trick of staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once" (19). After staying on his imagined island for what felt to him like years, he realized that his mother loves him and he belongs with her.

What is the magic? What wisdom or wickedness does the magic represent?

dlund2844 — 2024-01-16 18:49:24 UTC

The magic is the world that Max goes to when he decides to escape his mother's demands. The magic represents the wickedness of escaping the difficulties of the real world. At first, Max sees it as an escape and immediately goes there because he doesn't fully understand that he can't always do what he wants. Only after being there for a long time does he realize that he is missing his mother's love and care and can only experience that in the real world where he also has to face difficulties.

What, exactly, is the archetypal task? How is it completed?

rdonahue0410 — 2024-01-16 18:49:36 UTC

The archetypal task is for Max to make himself feel powerful by having authority over someone. Seen in the beginning of the book, Max's mother has authority over him, and can easily tell him "no". That is why he went on his adventure in the first place. Max seeks this "power" by going to land occupied by mysterious creatures, becoming a king-like figure for them.

Who is the magical child saving from what? What is the lesson?

dlund2844 — 2024-01-16 18:56:12 UTC

Once Max realizes that the joy of his escape is passing, he saves himself by returning to the real world and to his mother who loves him more than the wild things do. The lesson is that sometimes people don't get exactly what they want and everyone has to figure out how to deal with that truth.

Who is the helpless central character? Are there multiple?

rdonahue0410 — 2024-01-17 17:22:31 UTC

The helpless central character, or characters, would be the wild things. They have a complete opposite appearance to the main character (Max) and create a foil in the story. These characters are also easily controlled/ruled by him, the helpless central character often obtains innate qualities and ends up being taught or saved by the protagonist.

How does the rule of three operate in the story?

rdonahue0410 — 2024-01-17 18:49:56 UTC

The rule of three operates in this story after Max commands the wild things "to let the rumpus begin". After this, there are three sets of pages without words, and only images of the wild things. This emphasizes the amount of fun they are having, how many wild things there are, as well as the amount of time passed. Afterwards, Max commands them to stop what they are doing and go to bed.

What, really, is the "Wild Rumpus"?

doramas2622 — 2024-01-17 19:01:06 UTC

The "Wild Rumpus" is a complicated yet integral point in the story. The wild rumpus is a series of photos that display Max and the wild things celebrating, likely being because of his "coronation" as king, where Max realizes just how difficult it is being in charge. Having to try and keep the riled-up wild things out of trouble causes him to repeat the same action as his mother and send the wild things "off to bed without their supper". This is a point of growth for Max, finally being able to see eye to eye with his mother and wanting to go home so he can be with her again