Finding Meaning in Where the Wild Things Are

As I read through the chapter (six) on semantics from our text, and compared the
thoughts there with this book chosen for this project, I quickly realized (and almost
became overwhelmed) by the many ways I could approach this subject with this book.
Though it has more to do with syntax, the very way the author ties 336 words within
nine sometimes very long sentences across multiple pages with very little punctuation
provides a very direct way to consider semantics one sentence at a time.
1. The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his
mother called him Wild Thing! and Max said Ill eat you up! so he was sent to bed
without eating anything.
o Mischief is a key word in this sentence that connects to the larger theme of
wild things that repeats throughout the story. It is connected with being
troublesome or disruptive, not far from the idea behind wild.
o The fact that Wild Thing connects both with the title and with the main
character provides one of the main themes of the story.
o Maxs Ill eat you up! response indicates that he is talking back, and he is
sent to bed without eating.
2. That very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew and grew until his ceiling
hung with vines and the walls became the world all around and an ocean tumbled by
with a private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of
weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are.
o It is not surprising that this child dressed in a wolf suit begins to imagine
himself in a forest.

o Part of this sentence is repeated in the last sentence of the story. Maxs
private boat appears to be a metaphor for his imagination, which he uses to
transform his surroundings and seemingly travel through time.
o off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year is
also repeated in the last sentence, but in reverse order.
3. And when he came to the place where the wild things are they roared their terrible
roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their
terrible claws till Max said Be Still! and tamed them with a magic trick of staring into
all their yellow eyes without blinking once and they were frightened and called him
the most wild thing of all and made him king of all wild things.
o Where he was the wild thing that needed to be under control, Max now
encounters his own wild things that he takes control of. He kind of shadows
the role of the parent.
4. "And now, cried max, let the wild rumpus start!"
o As the king/parent, he allows the wild things to do what wild things do
start a rumpus.
o Rumpus (noisy clamor) and mischief (annoying, difficult behavior) are
almost synonyms, however, where Max is not allowed mischief by his mom
earlier, the wild things he oversees are allowed to start a rumpus.
5. "Now stop! Max said and sent the wild things off to bed without their supper.
o Some time for the rumpus passes, but enough is enough and a shadow of his
own consequences earlier is seen here.
o Off to bed without supper implies someone is in trouble and being punished.

6. And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone
loved him best of all.
o After the rumpus is over and the anger is gone (deflated), Max misses
home/mom.
7. Then all around from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat so he
gave up being king of where the wild things are.
o The metaphoric language here has Max releasing his control, pride, and
stubbornness his kingdom for his real home.
8. But the wild things cried, oh please dont go well eat you up we love you so!
And Max said, No!
o There seems to be a contrast between Maxs eat you up that he says to his
mother and this cry by the wild things.
9. The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled
their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but max stepped into his private
boat and waved good-bye and sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and
through a day and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper
waiting for him and it was still hot.
o Repeated from earlier, the wild things again roared their terrible roars and
gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their
terrible claws.
o The phrase over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into
the night is repeated from earlier but in reverse order in order to symbolize
travelling to and from the place where the wild things are.

o The fact that his supper was waiting for him and it was still hot is also
symbolic, making it clear he was not gone for very long at all (Sendak, 1963).