Hemingway\u2019s The Good Lion and Maurice Sendak\u2019s Where the Wild Things Are both reflect ideas of wildness in a similar manner, using it to describe beasts out in nature. The Good Lion features lions out in the African wilderness. Likewise, Where the Wild Things Are has fictional monsters, called \u201cWild Things\u201d who have \u201cterrible teeth\u201d and \u201cterrible claws\u201d like the lions. This also shows a similarity in how both sets of creatures act \u201cwild\u201d. The lions are shown to \u201croar and grow\u201d while the WIld Things \u201croared their terrible roars\u201d, establishing wilderness through making loud and threatening noises. These roars later culminate into proper threats in both stories. The good lion is attacked by the wicked lioness after saying \u201cI think I shall kill you and eat you, wings and all\u201d. Interestingly, the Wild Things threaten Max similarly, telling him that \u201cWe\u2019ll eat you up!\u201d These scenes showcase wild as a destructive and antagonistic force, with both main characters being threatened to be consumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One aspect of wildness that The Good Lion showcases that Where The Wild Things does not is in its main character, the good lion. The good lion is shown to be almost the complete opposite of the wild lions of Africa. He prefers \u201ca Negroni or an Americano\u201d over \u201cthe blood of the Hindu traders\u201d that the lion pride was drinking and is called out for being a \u201cpasta-eating lion\u201d. The good lion also speaks in a multitude of romance languages, compared to the lion pride\u2019s African dialect. The differences between the good lion and the African pride showcase what wildness is not. The African lions are highly \u201cuncivilized\u201d in comparison to the good lion, not having refined palettes of pasta & wine, and speaking in the non-romantic African dialect. However, the good lion still shows wildness through his wings. Having wings is incredibly unorthodox for a lion and in combination with his differences with the lion pride, his wildness is shown by being abnormal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Max from Where the Wild Things Are portrays wildness much more light-heartedly. Max is shown to be a boisterous child, making mischief and yelling at his mother that \u201cI\u2019LL EAT YOU UP!\u201d While he is behaving in an undomestic manner like the lions, he does not act as maliciously as them. Max\u2019s actions are more playful as he wants to be free to act as he wishes, without his mother stopping him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– Kenny Ly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hemingway\u2019s The Good Lion and Maurice Sendak\u2019s Where the Wild Things Are both reflect ideas of wildness in a similar manner, using it to describe beasts out in nature. The Good Lion features lions out in the African wilderness. Likewise, … Continue reading