Cat in the Hat Analysis

The Meaning of the Cat in the Hat

Most stories have a secret meaning. I bet you never thought The Cat in the Hat did. The most important characters in this story are surprisingly the kids for they are making the message true. The message is that at times everyone has difficulty controlling their id. That does not mean the kids are the most important characters in terms of moving the plot along; that is the cat. Here are my reasons why.
First of all, in the story the cat represents the id. A psychological definition for the id is: the totally unconscious part of the brain that serves as the source of instinctual impulses and demands immediate satisfaction of primitive desires. The cat acts like the id by having fun all the time. He causes trouble while in the house by spilling a bottle of milk, putting their toys in a cake, and breaking a rake. Another example is he plays a game called “up, up, up with a fish” while he balances on a ball. When he’s playing the game with the fish and balancing on the ball, he falls down and so do all the toys, milk, cake and of course the fish. This causes big a ruckus because all the toys fall to the ground with a crash.
Secondly, the cat ends up fighting with the fish. “No, no, no” the fish says to the cat who is trying to have fun. When the id takes control this is what happens. Of course the fish disagrees with the cat because he is the superego. One of the psychological terms for the superego is: the moral part of a person that develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed by our caregivers. Suddenly the kids are in conflict with the angel and the devil or the cat and the fish.
Finally, the cat’s attitude changes when the narrator catches him in a net. It shows the narrator knows what side he is on. In the end, the cat realizes that he can be an ego. A person’s ego finds a balance between the id’s primitive drive and the superego’s morals and reality. The cat changes by cleaning up the mess he made but still being creative in cleaning up the mess with a machine of his.
In conclusion, occasionally we want to let our id take control and then someone bursts your bubble by being the superego saying, “no, no, no you can’t do that you have to behave.” A simple solution is become an ego then you can have fun but not out of control. That is Seuss’ secret message. Have enough composure to behave while having fun. It’s even expected from teachers in the classroom.