Hemingway’s “The Good Lion” and Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” both incorporate themes of wildness in their stories, but they engage with this theme very differently to reveal messages antithetical to each other.
In “The Good Lion,” Hemingway quickly establishes a sharp contrast between The Good Lion and the other lions in Africa. The main character is described as “good,” eating “only pasta and scampi” while the other lions are “bad,” eating “Swahilis, Umbulus and Wandorobos and they especially liked to eat Hindu Traders.” Hemingway emphasizes the wildness of the lions from Africa, and how they are much more wicked and violent than the civilized Good Lion.
In “Where the Wild Things Are,” Sendak focuses especially on wildness in children, as Max screams “I’LL EAT YOU UP” to his mother. This tantrum is met with Max not receiving dinner, which shows how a child misbehaving and engaging in their wild side will ultimately backfire for them.
Both stories treat “wildness” as a largely negative concept, as Hemingway highlights how violent the lions from Africa are, and Sendak illustrates how acting wildly will backfire and result in consequences. However, the moral of “The Good Lion” is almost the exact opposite of the moral of “Where the Wild Things Are.” The Good Lion orders a “Hindu Trader sandwich” when he gets back home, despite avoiding the food when he was in Africa. This is surprising because eating Hindu Traders was heavily associated with wildness, as the wickedest lions would have “the blood of Hindu Traders” on their whiskers. This drives home the message that even a being as tame as the Good Lion will inevitably return to their wild roots. Conversely, Sendak ends his story with Max returning home from the land of the wild because “he smelled good things to eat.” Max is smelling his mother’s supper, which he decides to leave the Wild Things for. Sendak is highlighting how one may occasionally indulge in their wild side, but they will inevitably become tame often due to strong bonds of affection with their loved ones. Thus, the messages of Hemingway and Sendak’s stories are fundamentally opposed to each other despite their initially similar interpretations of “wild.”
-Avinash K
I love how you mention how the Good Lion orders the Hindu Trader sandwich. In the story he is viewed as “good” for his choice to not consume Hindu traders. Although he criticizes the bad lions and portrays them as savage, he does the same thing. This shows, that although we can change, there is always a piece of us that can go back to our natural roots. In a way, no matter how much we try to disregard parts of us, there will always be that “wild” side. Great Job!