The Monster Inside Main Menu Where the Monsters are, and Where Kids Can Find Them To the Other World Boredom and Family Leading to Monsters With(In) You Grief Leading to Monstrosity To the Past Monstrosity in Others Monster in Me...On the Screen Looking at Human Monsters in Film What Happens After We Find the Monster? Concluding Thoughts and Questions Sources Articles, Books, and More Used in the Exhibit

To the Wild Things

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The book for the youngest audience is Where the Wild Things Are. Published in 1963, it is also the oldest book in this exhibit of monstrosity in children's literature. The book focuses on Max, a young boy who finds himself in the land of the Wild Things after being punished at home. On the night of his travel, Max is wearing his "wolf Suit" (Sendak 00:00:30) and causing trouble in his home.  His mother calls him a "Wild Thing" and he responds that he will "eat" her up in retaliation (00:00:52). After being sent to bed without dinner, Max finds his room transformed into a jungle, jumps on a boat, and travels through time to get to the Wild Things. These creatures are not human, rather they are giant beasts. Still, Max is able to tame the Wild Things (00:02:46) and is called "the most Wild Thing of All" by the creatures (00:03:04). Eventually, he is declared "King of all Wild Things" (00:03:10) and finds himself as one amongst the Wild Things. Even though he goes on adventures with the Wild Things, Max eventually becomes lonely was wants to be "with someone who loves him" (00:04:16). In a parallel to the temper tantrum that Max throws when he is sent to bed without dinner, the Wild Things say that they will eat up Max out of love is he leaves them (00:04:28). Despite the threat, Max returns home to find his dinner waiting for him.

 

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