Ethos in Steigs and Sendaks Picture Books-The Connected and The Lonely Child-Ellen Handler Spitz-2009

Ethos in Steig's and Sendak's Picture Books: The Connected and the Lonely Child
Author(s): Ellen Handler Spitz

Source: Journal of Aesthetic Education, Vol. 43, No. 2, Special Issue on Children's Literature
(Summer, 2009), pp. 64-76
Published by: University of Illinois Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40263785 .
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Ethosin Steig'sand Sendak'sPictureBooks:The

Connectedand theLonelyChild
ELLEN HANDLER SPITZ
...
Therewas thechild,listening
toeverything
- YasunariKawabata1
Introduction
Picture-book
characters
springto lifein bothverbaland visualregisters.
about
the
before
oureyesas well as speakingand actingin
Moving
page
theirrespective
often
makea long-lasting
stories,
impacton children.
they
but
are
never
Picturesand words,moreover,
commensurate;
mayoverlap
even
likethewordsand notesofa song,theymeanand evokedifferently
a
whilebeingexperienced
This
brief
considers
small
selection
together.
essay
ofworksbytwodistinguished
authors-artists:
American
twentieth-century
WilliamSteig(1907-2003)
and MauriceSendak(b. 1928).Itarguesthat,with
theirartful
wordsand pictures,
Steigand Sendakconstruct
verydifferent
- visionsofchildhood.By "ethos"in thiscontext
evencontrasting
I mean
to suggesta visionofwhata childis,a senseofwhatitmeansbothtobe a
childand to addressone.Suchvisionsdiffer
notonlythrough
theagesand
fromonecultureand localetoanother
butalso fromoneauthor-artist
ofthe
sameperiodand localetoanother.
Invitedtospeakon Sendak'sand Steig's
worksatmeetings
scheduledjusta weekapartinNew YorkCity
respective
the
winter
1
in thesepairedinvitations
of
found
a fortuitous
2007,
during
to
several
of
their
works
and
discover
some
opportunity juxtapose
thereby
and
contrasts
formulate
the
arresting
following
readings.2
a wordonthetopicofmethodology.
First,
Nearlyonehundredyearshave
elapsedsinceFreudpublishedhiscelebrated-cwm-notorious
forayintopsychobiographywithLeonardoda Vincianda MemoryofHis Childhood?wherein
shardsofcircumstantial
evidencewerelaid out in seductive
biographical
mosaicpatterns
securedwitha groutofingeniousspeculation.
Despitesubdecades
of
critical
Freud's
method
soldiers
on nonethereflection,
sequent
lessas a modus
in
the
of
art
operandi
psychological
interpretation and literature.4
a
small
selection
of
Bybracketing
Steig'sandSendak'sworkshereand
to
a
tentative
ethosfromthem,I am
limiting
myself extracting
underlying
Vol.43,No. 2,Summer
2009
Journal
Education,
ofAesthetic
2009BoardofTrustees
oftheUniversity
ofIllinois

Ethosin Sieig'sand Sendak'sPictureBooks
65
one neednotmentionor
takingthepositionthatto writepsychologically
towardpsychologipersonallife.Thisessaypointsgently
exploita creator's
atthepages
thataskwhatwe canseewhenwe lookcarefully
cal approaches
bookswithchildren?
ofworks.Whatcanwe findwhenwe sharechildren's
Aresold overseventheWildThings
Why,forexample,has Sendak'sWhere
teenmillioncopies(and itsAmazonranklasttimeI checkedwas around
145,whichmeansthatonly144otherbooksintheUnitedStateswereselling
Over
whereashislaterworkOutside
morecopiesatthatparticular
moment),
- a book thatapparently
in his personallifeThere
figuresprominently
comesnowhereclose?5Whilemarketfiguresdo not correlateflawlessly
are thebuyers),I
withchildren'sactualpreferences
(adults,notchildren,
thesuccessand belovedstatus
wouldaverthat,in thiscase,theydo reflect
theWildThings
ofWhere
Are,sincethefigures
tallywithadditionalfacts:the
itis knownand
decadepostpublication;
toappealinitsfifth
bookcontinues
and settomusic6;and itscharhasbeentranslated
dramatized,
worldwide,
intoubiquitousstuffed
actershavebeenfashioned
toys.On theotherhand,
seemto findOutsideOverThere
in my(limited)experience,
youngchildren
still
even"creepy"and oftenhavetroublesitting
unsettling,
unintelligible,
Someadults,on theotherhand,praisethatbook
a fullrendition.
through
in reception
as poeticand admireitsmorecomplexart.Suchdiscrepancies
fieldslyingovertheraindeserveourattention;
theyhintat fallowfertile
This
tracts
ofauthorial
bow,farbeyondthemuch-plowed
psychobiography.
those
fields.
toward
casually
essaygestures
The ConnectedChild
"My dear Deborah,"said DoctorDe Soto, "you musthave been
readingmymind.7
Let's beginwithWilliamSteig,who is best knownforhis New Yorker
cartoons.His workforchildrenextendsbackto 1968,8however,whenhe
which
was alreadya manin his sixties.Settingaside thenotionoftrauma,
in connection
withhisworkbutdoes notseema saluhas beenmentioned
eithertohispublishedworkortohisunpublished
briousapproachtoSteig,9
in theMetropoliexhibited
work(towit,hisdrawingsforHanselandGretel,
tanOperaGalleryin fall2007,whichbetrayscarcelya traceofdarknessor
I wishtonotea milderand moresanofthatstory),
paindespitetheterror
a childor
concerns
ubiquitous,
guinetheme.Thistheme,whichis virtually
who
a childsurrogate
(Steigworksmainlywithanimalcharacters) ventures
and thenfinallycomesto a
encounters
forth,
danger,enduresloneliness,
Dominantthroughout
Steig'swork,thismotifplays
salutaryresolution.
on
outin manyifnotmostofhispicturebooks.Whenwe reflect,
however,
we soonrealizethatitis a themethat
moregenerally,
literature
children's
Its
storiesdesignedforchildren.
pervadesthepagesofnearlyall significant

66
Spitz
- withmanifoldpermutations
- evenin far-flung
folktales,
omnipresence
and so on makessense,
rhymes,
myths,
fairystories,
nursery
coming-of-age
back-and-forth
is butthequintessential
forwhatwe have here,toutcourt,
narrativeof growingup: Hansel and Gretel,LittleRed RidingHood,The GinMan, The TaleofPeterRabbit,PeterPan, The WizardofOz, TheStory
gerbread
ofBabar,TheRunawayBunny,WheretheWildThingsAre;the listgoes on, and
booksmust
in good company.
On somelevel,children's
Steigfindshimself
outon one'sown,
be aboutthis,musttheynot?Aboutseparation,
striking
learningto cope,longingforhome,missingwhatone
meetingchallenges,
had orwas,ormissingwhatonewishesonehad oroncewas. Steig'streatmentsof thisfamiliarthemeare,however,unique,and especiallyso on
accountoftheirbenignity.
Poringovermyown set of Steig'spicturebooks,I have cometo feel
we
themecertainly
lost-and-found
matters,
that,whilethisapart-together,
- morebecause
evenmore
relatedonethatmatters
shouldnotmissanother
as excepI wantto claimitas thethemethatstampsSteig'ssubjectmatter
inhiswinsome,
tionalinthecanon.WhatWilliamSteighas tooffer
playful,
andoftenretalesandimagesis themotif,
visuallyrepresented
lighthearted
- thatis tosay,ofhumanrelatedness
and
andfamilial
love
peated,ofconjugal
ofphysical
visualizations
affection,
especiallyofloveas conveyedthrough
bonds
Timeand again,Steigfocuseson theenduring
and fealty.
tenderness
and welfarein theworld,
thatunderpina youngchild'ssenseofsecurity
thatareintimate,
andhe modelsforhischildreaderadultrelations
mutual,
and vital.Forme,itis thisthemethatSteigoffers
parexcellence
sustaining,
- and itis rare.Forwhereelse do we findit?Scarceto his childaudience
Wise
in theworksofsuchluminaries
as BeatrixPotter,
Margaret
ly,ifever,
- all
A. A. Milne,Dr.Seuss,MauriceSendak,andChrisVanAllsberg
Brown,
ofwhomaremasterful
at depicting
thechildalonewithprivatefantasies.
Let'sattendto Steig'snarrative
plots:frequently,
theyareillogical.They
tendtorelyon spontaneous,
deusexmachina
sceartificial
highlywhimsical,
nariosandsolutions.
Whenwe askhowtheseplotsareresolved,
theanswer
turnsout,moreoftenthannot,tobe happenstance.
Yetifwe probefurther
and searchthepictures,
whatwe discoveris something
else,forthisartist's
I would aver,lie notin plot-making
butin visualinventivegreatest
gifts,
nessand wit,in thecrafting
and in an alofexquisitely
detailedscenarios,
mostuncannygraspofthesignifying
he
How gracefully
aspectsofgesture.
hiscastofcharacters!
Justthinkofall thoseSteigianquadruchoreographs
he mimes
peds gleefully
risingto assumeverticalpostures.How precisely
and dejection,
concentration
and wonsurpriseand jubilation,
puzzlement
der.His hapticsenseofbodilyexpressiveness
constitutes
oneofhisgreatest
talentsas a draftsman.
His plotdevices,on thecontrary,
can be so transand startling
parentthattheworldhe createsis one ofrandomoccurrence
Ofcourse,onemightarguethatjustsuchunpredictability
unpredictability.
mirrors
theworldaccordingto certainadultperspectives,
but,formany

Ethosin Steig'sand Sendak'sPictureBooks
67
itfailsto workwell,especiallyforchildren
who havea penchant
children,
foraskingwhyandhowandwhoprefer
storiesthatimbeda logicalstructure
suchthatiftheypayheedtheycandiscoverthethreadanduse theiringenuitytolearnaboutcausality.10
andtheMagicPebble}1a
In Steig'sacknowledged
Sylvester
masterpiece
lionappearsoutoftheblue forno reasonotherthanto satisfy
the
hungry
we mightnotice,fromthehungry
ofplot.(Thisis verydifferent,
exigencies
lionwho appearssuddenlyin Sendak'sPierre11
justat themomentwhen
theprotagonist's
parentshavelefthimaloneafterhe hasbeeninsolentand
thatlioncomesintobeingquiteclearlyas a metaphor
forboth
disobedient;
enactedaggression.)
thechild'sand theparents'incompletely
Bycontrast,
- Steig'sprotagonist
- needs to be terrified
into
when Sylvester
donkey
outofplace and
he is astonished
unreason,
by a lionwho seemsbizarrely
out ofhis wits,makes
Sylvester,
frightened
nonmetaphoric.
spectacularly
that
intoa rock(a transformation
mistakeandmetamorphoses
hisnecessary
parentsof theancienttaleof Lucius
mightreminda fewliterary-minded
intoa donkey
who,by an equallyfoolishwish,getshimselftransformed
in TheGolden
AssofApuleius13;
Lucius,ofcourse,does notbecomea rock).
Lateron inSylvester's
story,
againforno apparentreasonotherthanthatof
closure,themagicpebblethatcausedall thetroubleis
achievingnarrative
a luckymovethatpersuddenlyplacedrighton topofSylvester-gwfl-rock,
to recouphisformer
mitsSylvester
donkeyshapeand thusgivesSteighis
and pleasure.
thestorywithsatisfaction
meansofconcluding
ofthisbook,Steighas taken
Let'slookmoredeeply.Fromthebeginning
imagesof Sylvester's
extraordinary
pains to renderthemostaffectionate
witha cozyfamilytriadon
If we focuson theseimages,starting
family.
within
page one,we cometo realizethatit is preciselythelovingrelations
the
motivate
fate
alone
that
and
not
ending
happy
subtly
family
Sylvester's
Love standsin,as itwere,fortheworkofa causallycharted
ofthisstory.
In
afterthetransformed
donkeyhasvanishedandbeengone
Sylvester,
plot.
on a picnictotryto
fornearlya year,hisparentsheadofftothecountryside
andstartafresh.
consolethemselves
Spyingthemagicpebbleontheground,
father
immediately
imagineshowmuchhislostsonwouldhave
Sylvester's
of
admiredit.It is forthisreasonthathe picksthepebbleup: he is thinking
whathishobbieswere,filledwithlongingforhim,a
hisson,remembering
longingthathas notabatedduringthechild'sextendedabsence.And Sylintuitshis unseen
vester'smother,
missinghimfullyas much,uncannily
sense
sixth
that
means
of
possessed
by certain
preternatural
by
presence
- comesaboutnotby
- Sylvester's
return
mothers.
Thus,thednouement
meansofluckorfatealonebutonaccountofthebondsofmemory,
care,and
we mustfocuson thepictures.
devotion.To graspthis,however,
Steigilluson thepage wheretheparents'picnicfoodstumble
tratesitunforgettably
backas he startlingly
offSylvester's
morphsfroma rockbackto a donkey
thefather's
hoovesraisedin amazed
all
with
filled
how
are,
joythey
again:

68
Spitz
Andthebook'sfinalpagepresents
whatmaybe themosttouching
delight!
reunionin all picture-book
art.On a lumpycouchthatturnsout,notactobe theverycolor(red)ofhisill-fated
magicpebble,Sylvester
cidentally,
theirhoovesembracing,
cuddleswithbothparents,
eyesclosed
everyone's
inthisscene.
inblissful
notseeing,is givenpriority
contentment.
Touching,
inSteig,herearesomefurther
examples:InBrave
Aproposofcoincidence
Ireneua lostpartydress,blownawaybystormy
gusts,windsup,purelyby
standsin frontofthepalace of
luck,plasteredto a treethatconveniently
in Doctor
theveryduchesswho needsto wearit thatverynight.Similarly,
a nasty"bad guy"monkeyabruptly
De SotoGoestoAfrica
appearswithout
a little
anywarningin themiddleofthenightto kidnapthetitlecharacter,
no
foreshadnamedDoctorDe Soto.Notonlyhas therebeen
mousedentist
vanevent,butthescarycharacter
subsequently
owingofthisdistressing
Brother15
In TheToy
forhis wickedness.
isheswithouta trace,unchastised
- mischief
also involving
in theirparents'absence
twoboysmakemischief
- and theirdilemma,
a metamorphosis
too,is resolvedbychance,although
theboysarefilledwithhopethattheiralchemist
whentheparentsreturn,
willfinda solutionto theirplight,a hopethatprovesvainuntilfate
father
In eachofthesecases,whenwe lookcloselyat Steig'sartwork
intervenes.
it is theenduringbondsof love
we see that,beyondmerehappenstance,
and enablethehappyendthatmakethedifference
amongthecharacters
ings.In Steig'sworldeventsdo notoftenoccurforrationalreasons,nor
orbravery
do theyoftengetrighted
cleverness,
(as in the
bydintofvirtue,
greatEuropeanfairytales).
forlifenor
In Steig'sworld,youcannotdo muchto preparespecifically
as youareurgedexplictomoralprecepts
saveyourself
byactingaccording
Ifyouarea voicelessimmobile
rock,or
itlytodo byAesopand la Fontaine.
ifyou areinexplicably
lockedup in a coveredbirdcagein themiddleofa
orreducedtothesize ofa smalldollbya magicpotion,thereis little
forest,
youcando.Yetthingsturnoutwellbecause,forSteig,therealplotengineis
Andthis,I propose,is whatwe cantakefrom
connectedness.
interpersonal
his artas ethos.Steigteacheschildren
that,well,sure:a "bad guy"might
butwhatwe
orwhatever),
pop up suddenly(intheformofa lion,monkey,
- is the
haveto counton- beyondtheefficacy
ofreasonormoralrectitude
ofourlovedones,theirdevotiontooneanother,
and
ever-present
reliability
theirenduring
tieswithus.
In DoctorDe SotoGoestoAfricaand BraveIrene,what finallymobilizesthe
characters
to actis fearofneverseeingtheirlovedonesagain:
beleaguered
Doctorde Sotoyearnstobe reunited
withhiswife,andIrenewithherailing
Inbothinstances,
mother.
thewayinwhichhelplessyearning
Steigportrays
andthengetschanneled
intoadaptiveaction.I want
flipsoverintoassertion
to emphasizethat,in theDe Soto series,thelove thatmatters
principally
is thatbetweenthetwomembers
oftheconjugalcouple- a specialkindof

69
In keeping
forchildren's
senseofsecurity.
lovethatis ofutmostimportance
withhisjoyinbodilyexpressiveness,
Steigpaintshismousecouple,forexposesthatanimatetheiraffection:
theyhugandkissand
ample,incountless
each other,hold hands,linkarms,and,above all, dance,prance,
comfort
incontagious
oftenmerriment!
andcavortwithoneanother
Thus,feelings
intermsthat
inhisworkrevealthemselves
dernessandwarmth
physically,
areparticularly
all youngchildren
disposedtorelishand tocomprehend.
Partialto
a crucialelement
psychologically.
Steig'scoloralso contributes
and a pastelpalette,Steiglimnswarmdomestic
relations
subtlechromatic
and he favorsoutdoor
interiors
fabrics,
patterned
repletewithMatisse-like
ofhis stories,
tametheiraccompaspacesthat,evenin thedirestmoments
intheblizzard,yetthecolors
nyingtexts.Irene,forexample,fearsnighttime
neverdeepento a terrifying
thatsurround
her,roseand tanand grey,
pitch
black.Similarly,
Steigdrawshis"badguys"withwhimsyandtouchesofsilfoxin DoctorDe Soto}6forexample,resembles
liness.Thehungry
suffering
a nattyfopwithstripedpants,redvest,checkedshirt,
tie,and cane;he is a
dandywhosecostumelaterchangesintoa purplejacketwitha yellowvest
and a zanyredfloweron itslapel.
provideplentyof space to
Open,airy,and light,Steig'scompositions
De Soto
incarcerated
mousedentist{Doctor
breathe.
Evenas thetemporarily
in circlesinhispajamasinsidehisdarkened
walkspensively
GoestoAfrica)
birdcageprison,Steig'sunframed
drawingsubtlyimpliesa senseofpotentheunboundedness
oftheimageconveysa visualmessageof
tialfreedom:
hope.Steig'sgeniusliesin suchdetails.How playfulhe is! Afterall,what
can youdo ifyouhavethreeAfrican
elephantsin yourplotand youneed
themvisuallyon thepage?You simplygiveone eyeglasses
to distinguish
and paintanotherone'stoenailsblue.In termsoflanguage,youhonorand
a dietofverbaltreatswithphrases
delightyourchildreadersbyproviding
witha preposterous
like"an ill-bred
schnozzola,"or "a frolicpachyderm
Youoffer
somefandango."
up a worldinwhichthewind"yodels,"therain
And throughout
this
"ceases,"and children
undergo"transmogrification."
of fanciful
combinations
yetseriSteigiancosmos,withitsever-inventive
ethosis one ofattachtheprevailing
wordsand pictures,
ouslythoughtful
arewelcome
worldinwhichchildren
Itis a delectable
mentandconnection.
fromlovedonesbutnever
totapintonaturalfearsofdangerandseparation
for
withoutthetacitassumptionthattheywill not remaindisconnected
andadultscanlive
worldis oneinwhichchildren
long.Steig'spicture-book
affectionately
together.
The LonelyChild
Theicethingonlydrippedand stared,
AndIda madknewgoblinshadbeenthere.17

70
Spitz
Tocommunewithothers,
totrytounderstand
them,tofeeltheycanunderstandus innoncasual,
nonsimplistic
waysis oneoflife'smostpreciousgifts.
Itis,furthermore,
a notionnotunrelated,
as I havetriedtoshow,tocertain
booksbyMaurice
worksbyWilliamSteig,nortothreeillustrated
children's
theWildThings
Sendakthathehasdeemeda trilogy.
Thesebooks,Where
Are,
fromthe
In theNightKitchen,18
differ
and OutsideOverThere,
profoundly
forSendakscriptsand drawschild
bookswe havejustbeenconsidering,
thatis,
characters
whoexperience
thereverseofwhatI havejustdescribed:
withothersandtheydo nottrytounderstand
anyone
theydo notcommune
Andersen
else.Likemanycharacters
foundinthepagesofHansChristian
theuglyduckling eachofthechild
thelittlematchgirl,thelittlemermaid,
and
in theseSendakstoriesis profoundly
alone.Max,Mickey,
characters
- unlikeCarroll's
in thesebooks,respectively
Ida, theSendakprotagonists
and failure
Alice,who persistently
despiterepeatedfrustration
struggles
to makecontactwithothersand to extractmeaningfromtheirnonsensi- seekno opportunities
At theend oftheir
cal utterances
to communicate.
verbaldisclaimers,
stories,
theyremainmenrespective
despitesuperficial
tallyisolatedand apart.None of them,whenthebook coversare closed,
context.
Weobserveno
hasbeenbelievably
reinserted
intoan interpersonal
and Ida areportrayed
itis clearthatMax,Mickey,
reattachment.
Moreover,
unrecatthestartoftheirrespective
storiesas momentarily
misunderstood,
canthus
well-loved.
Isolationoftheprotagonist
ognized,and insufficiently
be seenas a dominant
ethoshere.
metoagreethatthe
Itis thissharingofpsychological
motifthatpermits
for
threebooksin whichthesecharacters
appearmightbe calleda trilogy,
bothaesthetically
and in theirabilityto reachchildren,
otherwise,
theyare
ill-matched.
of the
Nearlytwentyyearselapsedbetweenthepublication
first
bookand thethird,
itis patentthat
and,evenon cursory
examination,
Where
theWildThings
Are,Sendak'schef
d'oeuvre,
surpassestheotherson artisticgrounds,
thatis tosay,intermsofitsunityofoverallconception.
Consideritsstunning
and designinwhichtheshifting
borders
playwithformat
ofpage layoutboldlymirror
from
thechild'sentrance
intoand withdrawal
his imaginary
itsclarity
ofvisionand ofaffect;
itsinstant
overall
world;19
itstautconstruction
ofplot;itssimplicity
versusthebewildering
legibility;
oftheothers;itstappingintolongstanding
in
traditions
complexity
literary
thehistory
ofchildren's
literature
Crusoeand then
(one thinksofRobinson
notonlyofTreasure
Islandbutoftherelatedstreamofboys'adventure
storiesof thenineteenth
century
involvingislands,ships,and cannibals);its
ofthemerely
transcendence,
therefore,
consequent
personalandprivate.In
suchwaysand others,
Where
theWildThings
Aredistinguishes
itselffromIn
theNightKitchen
and evenmorefromOutsideOverThere.
The threebooks
haveneverbeenpublishedtogether
as a packagedsetas have,forexample,
thefoursmallbooksthatconstitute
Sendak'sNutshell
whichwere
Library,
conceivedinitially
as an ensemble.

71
and theirwidely divergent

Yet, despite theiraestheticdifferences
the threepicturebooks do bear
capacitiesto appeal to youngchildren,
ofthechild.
herebecauseoftheirsimilarconstruction
consideration
together
fromtheemotional
unavailabilEachstorybeginswitha childwho suffers
is angryathimforhisnaughtiness
Max'smother
ityofoneormoreparents.
and immediately
sendshimto hisroomwithouthis supper;Mickey'sparentsareasleepin theirownroomand unavailablewhenhe becomesupset
is awayat sea,and her
and hearsthe"racket"thatangershim;Ida's father
thisway
ignoresbothherand a babysister.
Bybeginning
depressedmother
forheis scarcely
eachtime,Sendakgiveshimself
unique
plentyofcompany,
in representing
childrenwho are anguishedbecauseofparentswho canneedsforunderstanding,
affecnotorwillnotrespondto theiroffspring's
Whenwe graspthemetaphors,
we see that
andprotection.
tion,nurturance,
- withill-treated
teemswithsuchfigures
literature
ofchildren's
thehistory
Thinkofall thedeceased
andfathers.
andtheirabsentmothers
childvictims
maltreated
weak-willed
birthmothers,
step-mothers,
cipherfathers,
spiteful
what
with
Sendak
As
and
sons,
daughters.
Steig,
cruelly
punished
younger
as wellitshouldbe. No
hisown,butthethemeis hoary,
doeswithitis truly
havewritten,
cangrowup
S. MahlerandD. W.Winnicott
child,as Margaret
evenifpossible,
norwouldsucha situation,
attunedparents;
withperfectly
be wholesome.20
An elementI finduniquein Sendak- and itis an elementthatsurfaced
on theworkof
whileI was focusing
withpoignantclarity
simultaneously
after
a
void.
a
in
the
form
of
all,
lacuna,
Children,
developand
Steig appears
ofidentia
wondrous
in
lives
their
emotional
fluidity
partly
through
expand
a kindof
what
called
be
fication.21
emotionally
through
might
Theydevelop
and the
as
we
mature
relatedness
and
that,
primalempathy polymorphous
their
his
her
our
that's
into
lock
cultural
team,
in,
(as
religion,
flag,
place
gates
to
seem,however,
values,etc.),we graduallylose.Multipleidentifications
andinSteig'sbooks- and alsointhoseofTomie
tochildren,
comenaturally
di Paola,another
genre,andinthework
picture-book
giantoftheAmerican
ofRusselland LillianHoban,justtonameoneortwootherauthor-artists
arriveon stage,as itwere,embeddedsolidlyinworldsthat
childcharacters
and also,imporlikethemselves,
Theseothers,
containothers.
live,breathe,
and
their
readersare
child
Both
the
and
react.
think,
feel,
protagonists
tantly,
means
intocontactwiththeseothersand withtheirdifferent
thusbrought
Anexampleappearsinthedeandsubjectivity.
consciousness
ofexpressing
obvioustitleofone oftheHobanbooks,A Birthday
forTrances?1
ceptively
atall
is nota storyaboutFrances'sbirthday
which,itturnsoutsurprisingly,
learnsin
butabouthersisterGloria's.Thetitlecharacter
Frances,
however,
as do the
thecourseoftheplotaboutherownand otherpeople'sfeelings,
whichI
whohearand see thispicturebook.Suchembeddedness,
children
a powerfullearningdevice
havepointedoutin Steig'soeuvre,constitutes
of otherminds
book:it extendschildren'scomprehension
in a children's

72
Spitz
and evokesthepracticeofempathy.
thereis nothingofthisin
Stunningly,
Sendak'strilogy.
In eachbookoftheallegedtrilogy,
Sendaklimitsthechildprotagonist's
so thathe orsheremainssolelywithina privateworldoffantasy
sensibility
and neverfinds,or is giventhewherewithal
to find,a solutionthatleads
Sendak's
ofmutuality
withothersortocommunity.
beyondtorelationships
withanyin thesebooks,need nevermakesenseofor negotiate
children,
Evenin
bodyelse.Theyremainwithintheirownheadsfromstartto finish.
TheTaleofPeterRabbitand in TheRunawayBunny}3classic picturebooks in
whichlittleboy-surrogates
feelurgesto disobeyand to escapefromtheir
ina richintersubjecthecharacters
areimplanted
mothers,
firmly
respective
ofgenderandgenerativesoilwithmeaningful
dialogueacrossthefurrows
detachedor deracition.Neitherprotagonist
ofthosebooksis emotionally
thisis likewise
nated.In Aesop'sFables,thefairytales,and Arabian
Nights,
havefantasies,
mostlythecase.Characters
yes,buttheyemergefromthem,
and usingsympathy,
and courage,theycometo gripswithand
ingenuity,
NotinSendak'sbooks,however.
sparwiththepsychesofothers.
MelanieKlein24would have
Afterenactingwhatchildpsychoanalyst
receivethe
calledtheirfantasies
ofmanictriumph,
Sendak'schildcharacters
boon ofgratuitous
happyendings,butone wondershow believablethese
happyendingsare.For,in fact,no matterhow well fantasyservesin the
rather
shortrun,itcan neverprovidemorethana temporary
escapefrom,
thana solutionto,thecomplexand arduousbusinessoflifeitself.On recule
in
as theFrenchsay,exceptthatSendak'schildcharacters
sauter,
pourmieux
morethan
without
sauter.
thesethreebooksareall reculent
Theydo nothing
- when
retreat
intotheprivateworldsthatgive themtransitory
pleasure
that and delusionsofgrandeur.
forpunishing
mother
him,Max triumphs
Angryathisinvisibleoffstage
inhisfantasy
on theislandofwildthings,
buthe differs
froma comparable
etlessortilges,
littleboyin Colette'slibretto
forRavel's1925operaL enfant
In fanhas a tantrum
afterbringreprovedbyhismother.25
who,similarly,
and objectsinthischild'sspacegrowlargerandlarger
tasy,all thefurniture
a squirrelgetsharmed,and theangryboystopsbeinganuntil,in thefray,
As Colette'sboybandagestheanimal's
gryas he takespityon thecreature.
paw and his ragesubsides,thefantasydissipates:objectsshrinkback to
theirnormalsizeandfallintotheirproperplaces.Sensitive
of
tothefeelings
a creature
outside
hisownhead,thisboyactsin a kindand lovingway.Max,
afterhisorgy,
simplybecomesexhausted.
Hungryand tired,he wantstobe
caredfor.LiketheunnamedBoyin ShelSilverstein's
TheGivingTree,26
he
has wantsandneedsbutcanneither
thanks.
givebacknoroffer
Psychically
neither
remorse
norgratitude.
isolated,he experiences
InMickey'scase(IntheNightKitchen),
aloneatnightandfeeling
angryat
noisesoverwhichhe has no control
andbeingleftoutofwhatmysterious
everis goingon,he does notseekreattachment
to others.He differs
from

73
childcharacters
who schemeto reinsert
themselves
intothefamilycircle
- in theclassicpicturebook of thatname- an
(one mightthinkof Ping27
duckleftbehindon theshoreof theYangtzeRiverin China
adventurous
hisfamily,
whomanagesatthepriceofa spanking
tobe
andseparatedfrom
withthemon theirhouseboat).Mickeyis outtoprovehe cango it
reunited
alone.Firsthe shedshisclothesand takespleasureinhisbody,and thenin
a suitofdoughhe fliesoffin hisone-seater
airplane,triumphantly
leaving
else farbelow.Moldingthebreaddoughintoa propellerstick
everybody
it,takeshimhighup in themake-believe
that,whenhe manipulates
skyfar
him(the
who has ignoredhim(hisparents)or mistaken
beyondeveryone
the
bakers),he findshisownmilk,disposesofitas he pleases,and controls
restofhisownstory.
OverThere),
herstrangeand disquieting
tale
Withregardto Ida {Outside
facelessgoblinswhokidnapbabies;a childturnedtoicewhothen
features
meltsaway; an infantweddingwithbrokeneggshellsstrewn
apparently
about;an oversizedGermanshepherddog withgleamingwhiteteeth;and
a hostof baffling,
disconnected,
imagesthathave,however,
apparently
and
their
author.
vis--vis
Lookingcarefully
meanings
personal
important
with
a
about
the
little
came
the
one
at
boy
up
worry
pictures,
thoughtfully
he
that
letters
and
travel
a
knows
relatives
his
own
end.
Because
lot,
story's
takea longtimeto getwheretheyhave been sent.
cardscan sometimes
to a shipwithtwoflags
that
Ida's
papa is awayat sea and pointing
Noting
he asks:Is thisIda's papa's
ofthestory,
at thebeginning
in thebackground
and lightning
storma few
ship?But,he thennotices:Lookat thatthunder
the
after
the
me
He
shows
later.
storm,
how,
two-flag
sailingship
pages
itapparently
sinks.For
vanishes.Tossedbywavesand struck
bylightning,
when
we
do
see
one
and
no
more
we
see
then,
boats,
again,
manypages
Thisone doesn'thave two
it is, as thelittleboy says,"different-looking."
mustbe anothership- notthepapa's. In theend,a letflagsand therefore
terarrivesfrompapa. But,worriesthisthoughtful
child,wasn'tIda's papa
drowned?How canwe tellhe wasn'tonboardwhenhisboatwentdownin
beforethat?
thestorm?Maybetheletterwas sentfroma portsomewhere
in
letter.
This
is a readof
the
come
will
never
Ida's
back,
spite
papa
Maybe
I
would
of
a
notion
that
add,
ending.
happy
any
complicates
certainly
ing
her
and
take
of
mother
little
Ida
to
care
in
case,
that,
byasking
any
apropos,
absence
to
seems
to
letter
her
sister,
continuing
point
certainly
papa's
baby
one mightsimplyadd
As overallcomment,
return.
and to a long-deferred
that,justas Max sailsaway,and Mickeyfliesaway,so Ida turnsawayand
vanishesouta window.
Wheneach Sendakfantasyends,we are toldthatthingsare finenow.
Dinneris stillhot even thoughyou and yourmotherhave not reestaband dryinyourbed even
Youarecarefree
lishedanydirectcommunication.
it
that
what
was
woke
no
clue
have
youup,upsetyou,andkept
thoughyou
he is alive
even
loves
Your
awake.
still,
thoughitis notcertain
you
papa
you

74
Spitz
and hisletter
has chargedyoutotakecareofyourmomandbabysisterfor
an indefinite
to theimagesthataccompanythese
periodoftime.Turning
we notethat,ineachcase,thechildprotagonist
texts,
apparently
reassuring
remainsalone.In thefinalpictureofMax,he has foodbutnothismother's
armsor smile.On thelastpage ofMickey'sbook,he appearsself-satisfied
and smug;enclosedin a solarcircle,an aureole,handon his hip,he hugs
hisbottletohimself.
strandsofherownhair,wears
Ida,inprofile,
fondling
an ambiguousdistracted
as she hearsshe mustbe responsible
expression
butalso braveand imagforbabyand mother.
Sad,hurt,angry,
retaliatory,
abouttheirown grievances
inative,thesechildrendo notlearnanything
and acts.No one
oftheirfeelings
norabouttheinterpersonal
consequences
butthemselves.
UnliketheworldofSteig,where
comestolifeintheirstories
- elephants,
eachandeverycharacter
mice,even"badguys"- areendowed
and fearsand thusenlargethe
withhopes,wishes,hurts,disappointments,
inhabita vacuSendak'schildren
rangeoftheirchildreaders'sensibilities,
umthat,as we go fromMax toMickeytoIda,becomesincreasingly
obtuse,
andunintelligible.
freakish,
For,
Yet,atthecloseofthisessay,I wishtotemper
myowninterpretation.
sensein whicheverychild,
whenall is said and done,thereis a profound
a
fromtimeto time,perceivesherselfor himself
to be alone- an outsider,
victim andfeelstheneedtoretreat
intosomesortofa privatespace,some
and capturing
refugefarawayfromothers.MauriceSendak,in perceiving
in his picturebooks
thisauthentic
facetofchildhood,
managesto recreate
a powerful
often
ofthisstateofmind.He evokeschildren's
representation
and
butinescapable
well-hidden
ofbeingmisperceived,
overlooked,
feelings
thema preciousboon.Indeed,Sendak
and,indoingso,he offers
estranged,
doesnotleavehischildreadersalone.He leaveshisprotagonists
alone.This,
ofhischildaudiencehowwell
however,
mayservetoshowsomemembers
he graspswhatthey
aresometimes
Thus,Sendak- likeSteig,albeit
feeling.
in dramatically
different
ways empowersthemto feelless lonelyand to
knowthattheyare notwhollydisconnected
or lost.And this,afterall,is
whatliterature,
whether
forchildren
orforadults,is atleastpartlyabout.
NOTES
I wishtoexpressmyappreciation
toDr.PradeepDhillonforhereditorial
vision,
intellectual
and trust.I am grateful
to Drs.HenrySchwartz,
adventurousness,
SusanScheftel,
andRichard
Gottlieb
fortheirrespective
invitations
andlectures
inDecember2007,and toDr.PeterRudnytsky
forgraciously
readingan earlier
versionofthisessay.
1. The epigraphis fromYasunariKawabata,Thousand
Cranes,trans.Edward
Seidensticker
(NewYork:Alfred
Knopf,1958),19.
2. Becausethefollowing
reflections
arosewhilepreparing
lectures
forpsychoanato a
lyticvenuesin New YorkCity,I wishto seize themomentto pay tribute

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
75
thelateDr. PaulinaKernberg
childpsychoanalyst,
(1935-2006),
distinguished
GiftunderwhosetutelageI studiedtheoriesofplayand childdevelopment.
intotheinnerworldsof
ed witha rareand,indeed,an almostmagicalentre
Dr. Kernberg
was a teacherparexcellence;
vouchsafed
children,
manyinsights
toherexemplary
me,iftheyareofanyvalue,aretraceable
pedagogy.
da Vinciand a Memory
Standard
ofHis Childhood,
SigmundFreud,Leonardo
inE. H. Spitz,Artand
seemyargument
Edition(1910),11:59-137.
Amongothers,
andAesthetics
A StudyinPsychoanalysis
(NewHaven,CT:YaleUniversity
Psyche:
Press,1985).
Fora forthcoming
books,
psychobiographical
studyofWilliamSteig'schildren's
"TheChildren'sBooksofWilliamSteig:A CreativeRepresee SusanScheftel,
in ThePsychoanalytic
and Resiliency/'
ofEarlySeparation
sentation
Studyofthe
"MauriceSendak'sTrilogy:
vol.63 (inpress);also,Robert
Gottlieb,
Child,
DisapArt"(unpublished
lecturegiven
through
Fury,and Transformation
pointment,
In
December11,2007,attheNewYorkPsychoanalytic
Institute). myview,recala thorough
discitrant
critical
problemscontinueto troublepsychobiography,
whileintimate
cussionofwhichexceedsthescopeofthepresent
essay.In brief,
whenjuxtaposedwithaspectsof
detailsmayappearexplanatory
biographical
- made outsidethesphereofclinicalpracan artist'swork,suchconnections
andarethus
cannotbe reliably
tice- arenecessarily
demonstrated,
speculative,
doubt.
opentoreasonable
Are(NewYork:Harperand Row,1963);
theWildThings
MauriceSendak,Where
MauriceSendak,OutsideOverThere(New York:Harperand Row,1981).Fora
withOutsideOver
detaileddescription
by Sendakofhis personalrelationship
LostandFound,
Stories
OccasionalPapersofthe
Children's
see Changelings:
There,
no. 5 (Berkeley:
of
DoreenB. TownsendCenterfortheHumanities,
University
California,
1996).
libretto
See theopera,scorebyOliverKnussen,
bySendak(1980).
De SotoGoestoAfrica
WilliamSteig,Doctor
1992).
(NewYork:HarperCollins,
etal.,TheArtof
overviewofSteig'soeuvre,see RobertCottingham,
Fora recent
William
Museum,2007),a catalogpublishedinconnecSteig(NewYork:Jewish
attheJewish
MuseuminNewYorkCity.
exhibition
tionwitha retrospective
BooksofWilliamSteig."
"TheChildren's
See Scheftel,
withphilosophical
s intensefascination
Fora finediscussionofchildren
quesMA:
andtheYoungChild(Cambridge,
tions,see GarethB. Matthews,
Philosophy
HarvardUniversity
Press,1980).
andtheMagicPebble(New York:Simonand Schuster,
WilliamSteig,Sylvester
1969).
in TheNutshell
MauriceSendak,Pierre,
(New York:Harperand Row,
Library
Books
inE. H. Spitz,InsidePicture
(NewHaven,CT:
1962).Seealsomydiscussion
YaleUniversity
Press,1999),136-41.
Apuleius,The GoldenAss, trans.WilliamAdlington(London:Wordsworth
ClassicsofWorldLiterature,
1996).
StrausandGiroux,1986).
WilliamSteig,BraveIrene(NewYork:Farrar,
WilliamSteig,TheToyBrother
1996).
(NewYork:HarperTrophy,
StrausandGiroux,
De Soto(NewYork:Farrar,
WilliamSteig,Doctor
1982).
OverThere.
Sendak,Outside
Kitchen
MauriceSendak,In theNight
(NewYork:HarperandRow,1970).
23-36.
See myanalysisinSpitz,InsidePicture
Books,
and theVicissitudes
ofIndividuation
MargaretS. Mahler,On HumanSymbiosis
Universities
Press,1968);andD. W.Winnicott,
Playing
(NewYork:International
andReality
1971).
(London:Routledge,
inAmerican
andChildhood,"
E. H. Spitz,"Empathy,
Aesthetics,
Imago
Sympathy,
64,no.4 (2008):243-57.
Russelland LillianHoban,A Birthday
(NewYork:Harperand Row,
forFrances
andChildGlance:
inE. H. Spitz,TheBrightening
1968).See discussion
Imagination
hood(NewYork:Pantheon,
2006),186-188.

76
Spitz
23. BeatrixPotter,The Tale of PeterRabbit(London: FrederickWarne, 1902); and

Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, The RunawayBunny (New York:
Harper and Row, 1942).
24. Melanie Klein, The Psychoanalysis
of Children(1932; reprint,London: Hogarth
Press,1975).
25. See discussionundertheentryfor"Melanie Klein" in TheEncyclopedia
ofAesthetics,ed. Michael Kelly (New York:OxfordUniversityPress,1998).
26. Shel Silverstein,The GivingTree(New York:Harper Collins, 1964). See also my
discussionin InsidePictureBooks,142-144.
27. Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese, The Storyabout Ping (New York: Macmillan,
1933).


Ethos in Steigs and Sendaks Picture Books-The Connected and The Lonely Child-Ellen Handler Spitz-2009

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Ethos in Steig's and Sendak's Picture Books: The Connected and the Lonely Child

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