Optimism of Old Man
The Old Man is portrayed as being a highly wise and happy old man. He has a very optimistic outlook on life and urges Duckie that despite what he thinks, “you’re really quite lucky!” He likes to compare his and Duckie’s situations to others far unluckier to convey a sense of blessing for the life they live.
Human Nature
Seuss is calling out the typical human reaction we experience when we perceive ourselves as having bad luck. He states ““When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue,when you start to get mad…”, instead of lashing out at how unfair one’s life is, we should take a step back and acknowledge the things we are grateful to have in our lives.
Being Unlucky
This seems to be a prominent imagery presented throughout the course of the novel. Indeed, from the outset the Old Man states that “Some critters are…muchly much- much more unlucky than you!” He then goes on to list specific examples of those that are unluckier in order to hammer home his message that Duckie’s life, in comparison, is really not unlucky at all.
Life is Unfair
Perhaps the starkest imagery of this is through the life of Ali Sard. Here we have two young characters, Duckie and Sard, who are similar in age and yet lead two completely different lives. The stark difference between the two is painting a clear picture to young readers of those in the world who are suffering and do not have the same opportunities.
