The Lorax was right to be suspicious of the Once-ler as he pulled up next to the rippulous pond in his traveling Once-ler wagon. But sadly for the Brown Bar-ba-loots, and the Humming-Fish and the Swomee-Swans, the Lorax stood alone in his crusade to protect the Truffula trees. Try as he might, he was powerless stop the Once-ler’s insatiable greed. Thneed after thneed, the Once-ler cut down the Truffula trees until the air was smogged-up and the rippulous pond had filled with Schloppity-Schlopp and Gluppity-Glupp. It was not until the last Truffula tree fell that the Once-ler understood the wisdom of the Lorax’s message, but it was too late. The Lorax and his friends had gone. Now, hidden away in the crumbling remains of his factory, the Once-ler tells the tale of the Lorax, hoping that someone like you will care enough to bring the Lorax back…
In 1971, in a nation deeply divided over the civil rights movement and an unpopular war in Vietnam, Ted Geisel, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss, published a groundbreaking children’s book called The Lorax that preached the importance of environmental conservation to a generation of young Americans. The Lorax—much like the environmental movement it advocated—was written as a result of disappointment with the inaction of the American government and American people to promote change. Though some objected to the book’s nightmarish vision of an industrial future, The Lorax allowed Seuss to cover a serious topic that had never before been addressed in children’s literature, and has since been praised by environmental activists around the world for its success in inspiring millions of children to take an active interest in the wellbeing of the planet.
Dr. Seuss’ inspiration for writing The Lorax sprang from his frustration with the cynical mood and divisiveness of American pop and political culture in the late 1960s. Though Seuss had written for adults in the past, he chose to address his environmental message to children, who he felt were more open-minded and willing to listen to new ideas[1]. At the time of the book’s publication in 1971, America had become deeply divided politically over domestic and international issues. The war in Vietnam had gotten out of control, and a “counterculture” emerged in retaliation as millions of Americans questioned the government’s reasons for continuing the fight. The hope that the sixties had initially promised had largely evaporated as the civil rights movement became more militant and political violence spiraled out of control. The assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. left Americans disheartened and unconvinced of the government’s capacity to promote positive change. The decade also saw the advent of active minority groups comprised of Native Americans, Latinos, homosexuals, feminists, and others. Inspired by the successes of the civil rights movement, these marginalized groups began to unite in order to claim their rights as American citizens, which aggravated certain conservative groups and further increased domestic tensions.[2] Perhaps the only Americans who remained idealistic and untouched by the turbulence of the 1960s and 70s were children to young to understand the conflicts that divided the nation. Dr. Seuss, the most famous children’s author of the time, decided to use his influence over this group to promote his visions for future change.[3] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Seuss stated that The Lorax "may well be an adult book. The children will let us know. But maybe the way to get the message to the parents is through a children's book"[4] Seuss felt that if he could get children to ask the questions that were being ignored by their parents, it would help to open America’s eyes to the important problems at hand. He sought to write a book that communicated his message about consumerism and environmental abuse that was shocking enough for children to want to get involved. He alter admitted that, "It was…the hardest thing that I have ever done,”[5] To Dr. Seuss, children represented a group separate from the prejudice and tumult of the adult world that was free to objectively question the “uneasy compromises” adults often made to advance themselves at the expense of others.[6]
The Lorax was written in the context of the greater environmental movement, which arose from concern over the planet’s ability to sustain an industrialized world built upon consumerism[7], and which attacked existing practices that were detrimental to the planet. As the Vietnam War drew to a close, much of the anti-war sentiment of the late 1960s shifted towards the peace-oriented goals of conservation and the regulation of over-industrialization. The Vietnam War itself had provided some of the most extreme examples of the negative effects humans could have on the environment as Napalm, Agent Orange, and Fire Bombs destroyed thousands of acres of rainforest and innumerable lives. Domestically, the consequences of decades of rapid industrial growth, widespread pesticide use, and the burning of fossil fuels were becoming evident for the first time as acid rain and disrupted nutrient cycles threatened the country economically and socially.[8] Dr. Seuss was a passionate advocate of both movements, and he wrote The Lorax to support the environmental cause as it began to gain momentum. In 1969—two years before the book’s publication—congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which promoted an active government role in environmental protection.[9] 1970 marked the first Earth Day, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the passage of the Clean Air and Water Act,[10] all of which proved instrumental to the growth of the environmental movement in ensuing decades. In the decades before the Vietnam War, anti-communist leaders had often described ‘Americanism’ as a combination of industrialization and consumerism. When a televised version of The Lorax was released in 1972, the greedy Once-ler—a symbol of industrial America—asked the Lorax:
What do you want? I should shut down my factory? Fire a hundred thousand
workers? Is that good economics, is that sound for the country?[11]
In this way, Seuss raised questions about nationalism and whether industrialization or environmental preservation best served the country’s needs. Clearly, Seuss felt that preservation was the right choice, but the Lorax’s response to the Once-ler’s outburst:
I see your point, but I wouldn't know the answer.[12]
leaves the question open-ended, implying that both factors are valuable to the nation in different ways. Another of the Once-ler’s lines “business is business and business must grow!” is repeated throughout the book several times, and each time, the phrase becomes more sinister as his factories pollute the land beyond livability. Seuss establishes that the excessive growth of industry at the expense of the environment and its inhabitants is irresponsible, and is ultimately beneficial to no one. The Once-ler serves as a warning to reckless industrialists as he is left to wallow in self-loathing, endlessly contemplating his tragic mistake of destroying the Truffula trees and leaving nothing of value behind. As the 1960s drew to a close, Americans struggled to incorporate environmental preservation into the industrial order that had enabled the nation to become a global superpower.
Seuss revolutionized the world of children’s literature with his outlandish, nonsensical rhymes and pictures that “worked like a karate chop on the weary little world of Dick, Jane and Spot.”[13] The publication of The Lorax proved yet another groundbreaking step in his long career of pushing the boundaries of children’s literature, and helped shape modern conceptions of children as active members of society. After serving in World War II, Geisel returned profoundly changed and began to write books with more complex moral messages than those he had written previously.[14] Over the course of Seuss’ career, the nation had become accustomed to the fact that many of his books served as metaphors for larger moral concepts. Among his most notable are the fundamentally anti-fascist books Horton Hears a Who (1954) and Yertle the Turtle (1958). The Lorax shocked the United States because its message was hardly masked at all, and never before had a children’s author dared to profess his political views so boldly. Seuss later claimed that, "[The Lorax] was one of the few things that I set out to do that was straight propaganda.”[15] Meanwhile, young Americans slightly older than Seuss’ intended audience had played an important role in the political upheaval of the 1960s. Student protests over the war, civil rights, and other social issues resulted in famous and often violent University protests at Berkeley, Columbia, and Kent State. As a result of these and other actions of the infuriated youth, the 26th amendment was adopted in 1971, effectively changing the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen and thereby shifting the nation’s political focus to a younger demographic of Americans.[16] This switch, along with Seuss’ entrepreneurship in the politicization of children’s literature, revealed changing attitudes about the capacity of the young to understand and become actively involved in complex political issues. The popularity of The Lorax showed future authors that children’s literature was a promising medium for social change, and the book helped many children improve their understandings of a relevant political issue that they might not have otherwise been exposed to.
Though historically significant, The Lorax was not the instant nationwide bestseller that many of Seuss’ previous books had been, in part because many Americans were uneager to hear its troubling message. Many children found the book disturbing and sad, and preferred his more eccentric and lighthearted stories. Some parents felt that by delving into politics, Seuss had overstepped his bounds as a children’s writer, while others felt that the book lacked Seuss’ trademark zaniness. The Lorax was one of Seuss’ most controversial books, and came close to being banned on several occasions. In 1989, members of the small logging town of Laytonville, California launched a campaign to have The Lorax banned from the local elementary school, claiming that the book was being used to, “mock the timber industry,” and urged other parents to act with claims that, “our kids are being brainwashed.”[17] While the book was ultimately not ruled offensive enough to be worthy of banishment, the logging industry has remained harshly opposed to it, even going so far as to create a pro-logging version of the Lorax cleverly named the Truax.[18] Seuss became frustrated with their campaign and responded:
The Lorax doesn't say that logging is immoral. I live in a house made of wood and write books
printed on paper. It's a book about going easy on what we've got. It's antipollution and antigreed.[19]
The harsh retaliation in Laytonville revealed the American dependency on environmental exploitation and consumerism and the depth to which these ideals had become ingrained into the American identity. The anti-Lorax movement prioritized a destructive but profitable industry over the democratic value of free speech, and thereby profoundly demonstrated the perversion of an American ideal in the protection of business interests.
Though some had difficulty grasping The Lorax’s deeper messages, many readers immediately responded positively to the book. One of the reasons for The Lorax’s effectiveness as a persuasive piece was its uncertain ending. The Lorax’s final message before he left was a single mysterious word: “UNLESS.” The Once-ler explains to the reader that, “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Seuss’s choice to address the audience directly made the book inspiring without being overly moralizing. In the years that followed the book’s publication, Seuss received thousands of letters from children around the country who pledged to do their part to help protect the environment.[20] In 1973, students and teachers in Lansing, Michigan formed a conservation group they called “The Loraxes.” The group protested local habitat destruction, held fundraisers, and raised community awareness about ecological problems worldwide.[21] Schools around the country were encouraged by the success of the group and subsequently conducted similar Lorax-inspired campaigns. Because of The Lorax’s success in bringing a serious and important message to young Americans, Dr. Seuss received awards from both the Keep America Beautiful Foundation (KAB) and the Anti-Litter Organization. In 1997, American Forests adopted the Lorax as their official mascot, and shortly afterwards embraced one of their most famous slogans: “Be a Lorax helper” for their 1997 campaign to plant the “Dr. Seuss Lorax Forest” just outside of Charleston, South Carolina.[22] As the initial shock of the book’s message wore off, and as the environment became a more prevalent issue in global politics, The Lorax earned its rightful place as an accepted classic of children’s literature.
The Lorax provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of 1970s America. It’s emphasis on environmental preservation and anti-consumerism exemplified the environmental movement, while its status as a children’s book paved the way for future authors by establishing a new confidence in the ability of children to understand political issues. The Lorax’s gradual rise to popularity demonstrated the evolution of the American environmental consciousness as more people recognized the magnitude of the issue. The Lorax brought the environmental movement to a level beyond politics, and helped to pave the way for a brighter future by emphasizing the importance of industrial sustainability in the modern world.
Popular Culture, ed. Tom Pendergast and Sara Pendergast, Vol. 1, (Farmington
Mills, MI: St. James Press, 2000) 757-758. 5 vols.
York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2008) 920-921 Vol. 2 of
Nation of Nations: A Narrative History of the American Republic. 2 vols
[3] Judith Morgan, and Neil Morgan, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography, (New York: Random House, 1995) 211
[4] Ursula Vils, “Dr. Seuss: A Message for Adults,” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California 30 Aug, 1971): E1, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, 22 May 2011, <http://proxy.library.deerfield.edu:2048/docview/156771563>
[5] Judith Morgan, and Neil Morgan, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography, (New York: Random House, 1995)209
[6] Ellen Goodman, "When the Moral Life of Children Jabs at Adults: [Third Edition]," Boston Globe (pre-1997 Fulltext): 19, ProQuest, Oct 17 1989, 26 May 2011 <http://proxy.library.deerfield.edu:2048/docview/294504655?accountid=5249>.
[7] Arthur F. McEvoy, "Conservation and the Environment," Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century, ed., Stanley I. Kutler, Vol. 3, (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1996) 1357-1381, 5 vols.
(Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc, 1995) 300-301.
<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6650219631867189375#>
[12] Lorax, Hawley Pratt, CBS Video, 1972, Google Videos, <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6650219631867189375#>
[15] Judith Morgan, and Neil Morgan, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography, (New York: Random House, 1995) 209
[16] William L. Glankler, "anti–Vietnam War movement," In Critchlow, Donald T., and Gary B. Nash, eds., Encyclopedia of American History: Contemporary United States, 1969 to the Present, Revised Edition (Volume X), (New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010), American History Online, Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHX021&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 27, 2011).
[19] Judith Morgan, and Neil Morgan, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography, (New York: Random House, 1995) 278
