Chaos and Order
The Cat introduces Sally and her brother to a shocking new world full of chaos, rebellion, and anarchy. With his reckless tricks and unleashing of the Things, the Cat disregards and transgresses the rules and behavioral expectations enforced in the children’s home. Meanwhile, as an embodiment of order, rules, and domesticity, the fish frequently demands that the Cat leave in order to maintain normalcy in the house. The clash between the fish and the Cat’s respective worlds forms the central conflict of the story: should Sally and her brother embrace the Cat’s world of unimpeded fun, or should they continue to comply with the rules?
Once the Cat emerges as a paradoxical character in the final sequence, we learn that The Cat in the Hat does not fully endorse chaos or order as the principal force that should govern a young child’s life. Even though the Cat encourages the children to engage in lively and rebellious fun, he ultimately restores order to the house through his clean-up efforts. Clearly, the Cat respects one of the most basic rules of any household: taking responsibility for one’s mess. With this, the Cat shows how breaking the rules can lead to punishment and stress in addition to amusement and spontaneity. By exploring the respective benefits and pitfalls of chaos and order, The Cat in the Hat promotes the coexistence of these seemingly conflicting forces in a child’s life. Children must question order to find their individuality and learn new and exciting ideas—but they also must adhere to social norms so they can function in society.
Boredom and Fun
In addition to chaos and order, boredom and fun are two forces that pervade the events in The Cat in the Hat. In the first few stanzas, Seuss characterizes Sally and her brother as two uninspired, bored children trapped by suburban ennui: they are stuck indoors, staring aimlessly out of their window, unable to find any amusement amid the murky, rainy weather. The boy is desperate for some entertainment, pleading, “... How I wish/We had something to do!” (7-8).
Needless to say, the Cat’s love for fun and chaos shocks the children out of their boredom. During his balancing act with the books, cake, and other household items, he shows the children how to entertain themselves with ordinary objects. Believing that the children must become aware of new forms of amusement, he begs the children to watch his act, screaming “Look at me!/Look at me NOW!/It is fun to have fun/But you have to know how” (88-91). Because the Cat’s antics lead to unneeded stress and destruction in the home, though, The Cat in the Hat ultimately advocates for a milder form of fun—one that enables children to enjoy their lives without facing severe consequences.
Authority
The Cat in the Hat questions the role of authoritative figures in children’s lives. While out of the house, Sally and her brother's mother still exerts influence over most of the characters’ psyches. The threat of her discipline, along with her general behavioral expectations, shapes many of Sally and her brother's decisions. While trying to persuade the children to participate in his tricks, the Cat even recognizes and appeals to the mother’s power over them, stating, “I will show them to you/Your mother/Will not mind at all if I do” (39-41). The children do not know how to respond to the Cat’s offer without their mother’s guidance or instruction, and the boy’s immense fear of his mother’s disapproval—upon seeing a wrecked house—finally forces him into capturing the Things. Moreover, the fish constantly demands the children to send the Cat and the Things away, arguing that their mother would object to their visit. While the Cat challenges the rules and social conventions indoctrinated in the children by their mother, he ultimately still honors her authority and cleans up the house. By showing the absent mother’s sway over the children, fish, and even the Cat’s actions and thought processes, The Cat in the Hat illustrates how authority can limit individuality, imagination, and freedom of choice.
