Imperialism and Gender in the Wild Things
Is Max from Where the Wild Things Are a imperialist who takes over a land of his own creation? This is what Jennifer Shaddock argues in her essay âWhere the Wild Things Are: Sendak's Journey into the Heart of Darknessâ. In this essay the idea that Max is a representation of imperialistic attitudes within western culture and literature. I think that this is an interesting thing to talk about because we tend to overlook the imperialism that is ingrained in our culture now hundreds of years past when it was acceptable. This can be taken to gender in many ways as Max is rewarded by the things when he was a monster and behaved like a scary thing. He was praised for it to the point that he became king of the Wild Things. When he starts feeling sad and lonely (mainly associated with feminine people) and he wants to leave heâs threatened and told that theyâd âeat them up they loved him soâ. This takes away his ability to hold on his own decision, something that women have to deal with regularly. But his masculinity is regained when he promptly says âno.â and leaves. Making him a strong male presence and again lacking in emotion and empathy.















