The Cat in the Hat: Leisure Without Study Is Death

[DISCLAIMER]

*The Cat in the Hat spoilers contained herein.

Photo credit, property of Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, and United International Pictures, fair use

In childhood, I knew next to nothing about mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). Looking back to that period in life, I experienced quite a bit of ignorance (lack of knowledge, education, or awareness).

Therefore, when having a story by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel read to me, eventually reading it for myself, I didn’t correlate The Cat in the Hat (1957) with psychoanalytic theory which was proposed by Sigmund Freud. For context, one source thusly describes the plot of the story:

An unnamed boy, who is the narrator of the book, sits with his sister Sally while home alone on a cold and rainy day, staring wistfully out the window. Then they hear a loud bump which is quickly followed by the arrival of the Cat in the Hat, a tall anthropomorphic cat wearing a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie, who proposes to entertain the children with some tricks that he knows. The children’s pet fish refuses, insisting that the Cat should leave.

The Cat then responds by balancing the fish on the tip of his umbrella. The game quickly becomes increasingly trickier, as the Cat balances himself on a ball and tries to balance many household items on his limbs until he falls on his head, dropping everything he was holding. The fish falls into a pot and admonishes him again, but the Cat in the Hat just proposes another game.

The Cat brings in a big red box from outside, from which he releases two identical blue-haired creatures, or “Things” as he refers them to, in red suits called Thing One and Thing Two. The Things cause more trouble, such as flying kites in the house, knocking pictures off the wall and picking up the children’s mother’s new polka-dotted dress. All this comes to an end when the fish spots the children’s mother out the window. In response, the boy catches the Things in a net and the Cat, apparently ashamed, stores them back in the big red box. He takes it out the front door as the fish and the children survey the mess he has made.

But the Cat soon returns, riding a machine that picks everything up and cleans the house, delighting the fish and the children. The Cat then leaves just before their mother arrives, and the fish and the children are back where they started at the beginning of the story. As she steps in, the mother asks the children what they did while she was out, but the children are hesitant to answer. The story ends with the narrator asking the reader, “What would you do if your mother asked you?”

As a kid, I simply thought that the whimsical story regarded joy and pleasure. For clarity, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines joy as “a feeling of extreme gladness, delight, or exultation of the spirit arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction.”

As well, the APA defines pleasure as “the emotion or sensation induced by the enjoyment or anticipation of what is felt or viewed as good or desirable.” While joy and pleasure were a theme in the book, one source prepares the psychoanalytic foundation of the story by stating:

Id

The id is the part of the personality that contains our primitive impulses—such as thirst, anger, hunger—and the desire for instant gratification or release. According to Freud, we are born with our id. The id is an important part of our personality because as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met. Freud believed that the id is based on our pleasure principle.

The id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the other circumstances of the situation. The id is sometimes represented by a Devil sitting on someone’s shoulder. As this Devil sits there, he tells the ego to base behavior on how the action will influence the self, specifically how it will bring the self-pleasure.

Superego

The superego is the part of the personality that represents the conscience, the moral part of us. The superego develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers.

It dictates our belief of right and wrong. The superego is sometimes represented by an angel sitting on someone’s shoulder, telling the ego to base behavior on how the action will influence society.

Ego

The ego is the part of the personality that maintains a balance between our impulses (our id) and our conscience (our superego). The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the end.

It is the ego’s job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation. The ego works, in other words, to balance the id and superego. The ego is represented by a person, with a devil (the id) on one shoulder and an angel (the superego) on the other.

In part, The Cat in the Hat illustrates joy and pleasure which is predominately associated with Freud’s concept of the id. Still, it further features depictions of the superego and ego. Regarding this matter, one source thusly offers specific examples of these representations:

One of the best secondary classroom crossover units between the discipline of English Language Arts and the courses that cover Psychology—usually through the discipline of Social Studies—is a unit on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) on their Read, Write, Think website. This unit covers the key concepts of Freudian psychology as a science or as a tool for literary analysis in a highly engaging manner. The unit is titled “Id, Ego, and the Superego in Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat.”

Junius Wright of Charleston, South Carolina—the lesson creator—uses the iconic elementary text from “The Cat in the Hat” to teach students to analyze a literary work using the plot, theme, characterization, and psychoanalytic criticism. […]

[Id] Example from the Dr. Seuss text, The Cat in the Hat:

“I know some good games we could play,” said the cat.

“I know some new tricks,” said the Cat in the Hat.

“A lot of good tricks. I will show them to you.

Your mother will not mind at all if I do.”

[Superego] Example from the Dr. Seuss text, The Cat in the Hat:

“No! Not in the house!” Said the fish in the pot.

“They should not fly kites In a house! They should not.

Oh, the things they will bump! Oh, the things they will hit!

Oh, I do not like it! Not one little bit!”

[Ego] Example from the Dr. Seuss text, The Cat in the Hat:

“So we sat in the house. We did nothing at all.

So all we could do was to Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!

And we did not like it. Not one little bit.”

The Cat, along with Things 1 and 2, represents the id. The fish depicts the superego. The boy and Sally portray the ego. Regarding the ignorance of my youth, I was unaware of how accurately represented these Freudian concepts were.

The same is true concerning young adulthood when watching Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (or simply The Cat in the Hat) in 2003, which is a fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1957 book by Dr. Seuss. With my former stepdaughter, I’ve likely seen the film no less than 20 times!

Then, when undergoing graduate education for counseling (2009-2011), with a focus on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as my preferred psychotherapeutic modality, I better understood Freudian influence in The Cat in the Hat. My ignorance was thus remedied.

As an aside, the late psychologist Albert Ellis, who created REBT, once practiced psychoanalysis before developing his own psychological model. Having strictly devoted my professional care for mental health to REBT, I still value some psychoanalytic concepts (e.g., concept of the id).

I later shared my perspective with academic colleagues when undergoing graduate education for social work (2012-2014), particularly regarding The Cat in the Hat along with concepts of the id, superego, and ego. Not everyone was receptive to what I shared.

In a largely feminism-influenced educational program, much of Freud’s body of work was refuted. This is understandable, as one source states of The Cat and the Hat from a Freudian perspective:

The story opens with two youngsters, a brother and a sister, abandoned by their mother, staring mournfully through the window of their single-family dwelling. In the foreground, a large tree/phallic symbol dances wildly in the wind, taunting the children and encouraging them to succumb to the sexual yearnings they undoubtedly feel for each other.

Even to the most unlearned reader, the blatant references to the incestuous relationship the two share set the tone for Seuss’ probing examination of the satisfaction of primitive needs. The Cat proceeds to charm the wary youths into engaging in what he so innocently refers to as “tricks.”

At this point, the Fish, an obvious Christ figure who represents the prevailing Christian morality, attempts to warn the children, and thus, in effect, warns all of humanity of the dangers associated with the unleashing of the primal urges. In response to this, the Cat proceeds to balance the aquatic naysayer on the end of his umbrella, essentially saying, “Down with morality; down with God!”

I choose not to believe Dr. Seuss inferred that the boy and Sally lusted after one another. Yet, some of my feminist peers concluded otherwise and used their perceptions as proof that Freud was a “pervert.” All these years later, I think of The Cat in the Hat, as I read another book.

As REBT is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

Ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca once stated, “Leisure without study is death—a tomb for the living person” (page 294). Perhaps a bit hyperbolically, Seneca appears to have advocated study of Stoicism in balance with leisure—declaring that imbalance is “a tomb for the living person.”

I appreciate Seneca’s melodramatic statement with juxtaposition on life and death, informing people that not all who are alive truly live. In similar fashion, again using childhood stories to make a comparable point, I stated in a blogpost entitled Eudaimonia (a life well-lived):

Just as Ellis incorporated into REBT wisdom of ancient Stoics, my approach to REBT is informed by historic popular culture lessons. Considering the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment, I think about the Walt Disney Company’s 1940 film Pinocchio.

In one scene, Pinocchio and his friend Lampwick visit Pleasure Island, which Lampwick describes as a “swell joint; no school, no cops, you can tear the joint apart and nobody says a word – loaf around, plenty to eat, plenty to drink, and it’s all free!” However, there are real-world consequences to hedonism.

While at Pleasure Island, Pinocchio remarks, “Bein’ bad’s a lot of fun!” After he and Lampwick have their fill of criminal activity, eating, smoking, and amusement, they slowly begin turning into donkeys. In other words, they make asses of themselves.

This alludes to the Stoic virtue of temperance or moderation. An imbalance of idealistically hedonic pursuits and realistic duties in one’s life may seem alluring, though in Pinocchio’s case, he didn’t fare well and his behavior correlated with his father being placed in significant danger.

Regarding another Disney production, The Lion King (1994), Simba flees to an oasis while shirking personal responsibility and accountability following the death of his father, Mufasa. There, Simba unites with friends Timon and Pumbaa.

In perhaps one of the most misinterpreted Disney scenes – as I’ve found that many people value hedonic escape that is depicted in the film – Simba and his friends sing “Hakuna Matata,” described as meaning “no worries for the rest of your days.” However, the “problem-free philosophy” deprives Simba of life.

In the beginning of the scene, Simba is a tiny lion cub and at the conclusion of the song he’s a young adult-aged lion. Meanwhile, his homeland is in ruin. It takes the Stoic virtue of wisdom imparted by Rafiki in order for Simba to subsequently embrace Stoic virtues of courage and justice.

Whether associated with classic Disney movies or ancient philosophers, wisdom of Stoic virtues can significantly impact one’s life in modernity. Concerning the concepts which comprise eudaimonia, Frontiers states:

There is indeed a difference between happiness and fulfillment. The latter is long-lasting and comes from deriving a sense of wholeness, from perceiving congruence, and from recognizing value regarding one’s self, life, and impact.

Although it may be tempting to eat, drink, smoke, snort, poke, or spend until one depletes the brain’s reward system, fruits regarding the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment may not be as sustainable as a eudaimonic lifestyle. This is a lesson I learned in my youth though didn’t understand until adulthood.

As a child, I learned the story of King Solomon through biblical lessons. In 1 Kings 3:12-13, Solomon was said to have been given knowledge and wealth that no human before or after him would retain.

By 1 Kings 11:3, Solomon was said to have had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. Fast-forward to Ecclesiastes 1:2 and Solomon declares, “Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

Similar to Pinocchio and Simba, Solomon realized that hedonic undertaking was empty and void of meaning. Even if you devalue knowledge of the Bible, you may appreciate lessons from classic Disney films.

As were the psychoeducational lessons of Pinocchio and The Lion King, so too is the teaching of The Cat in the Hat (both the book and the film). Succinctly expressed by Seneca, “leisure without study is death.” This is also the message of Freud’s concept of the ego (i.e., balance).

Thus, I invite you to study the Stoic lesson I’ve outlined herein. Unrestricted joy and pleasure may not be aligned with your interests and goals—unless you genuinely want to be among the hyperbolic walking dead. In such a case, then you’ll have earned your tomb for the living person.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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