Everybody knows the typical Christmas movies. Frost the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, A Year Without Santa Clause and so many more. You may not have realized it, but there are heroes in all of those stories. My favorite one being the hero in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
In the 2018 film, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, the story line is a little different from your average Grinch story. The Grinch and his dog, Max, live inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmastime when his neighbors in Whoville celebrate the holidays and share their Christmas spirit. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the angry Grinch realizes there is one way to gain peace and quiet. With help from Max, the green grump comes up with a plan to pose as Santa Claus, steal Christmas and silence the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all.
Cindy Lou, a young Who girl is the unlikely hero in this story. She loves Christmas like the rest of the Whos. But, her mom has been working so hard with her and her twins brothers. After failed attempts at mailing a letter to Santa and visiting him at the North Pole, she decides to set a trap. Her plan is to catch Santa on Christmas Eve and ask him to help her mom. Cindy Lou is her mothers hero in this story because although she can not give her an easier time, she is her moms pride and joy and gives her a reason to work as hard as she does.
Cindy Lou is also a hero to the Grinch. When the Grinch dresses up as Santa Clause and tries to steal the Who's Christmas, Cindy Lou Who catches the Grinch in her trap thinking it is Santa. Being as young and naive as she is, she does not think about it and tells the Grinch her Christmas wishes. He chooses to ignore what she is saying and continue stealing her and her families presents and decorations. At the end of the story, as the typical Grinch story goes, the Grinch returns all of the Christmas presents, decorations and joy when he sees that the Whos still find the best in the situation and remain happy. Cindy Lou invites the Grinch to Christmas dinner with her family.
Cindy Lou is the Grinch's hero for one specific heart touching reason. Early on in the movie, it is revealed to the viewers that the Grinch is so angry because when he was a little Grinch, he was in an orphanage. Every year around Christmas time he saw how happy everyone was with their loving families, and it made him sad and angry. He thought from then on that Christmas was the worst time of year. Cindy Lou inviting him to dinner allowed him to feel what family and being loved feels like. He went from being his angry old self to being happy and feeling loved. She gave him the warmth of friends and let him rediscover the Christmas feeling.
Like we learned in class, a hero does not have one single definition. It can be someone who excels in the face of adversity, to someone who goes out of their way to help or make someone else feel good. Cindy Lou Who checks all of the appropriate boxes to be considered a hero. When her mom was having a hard time, she went out of her way to make her mothers life easier. When all of Whoville was Christmas deprived and losing that holiday spirit, she still found it in her heart to ask the creator of all the chaos to join them for dinner. Many people think that a hero is a specific type of person, but a hero can be seen anywhere you look.
I love that you took a Christmasy approach to this! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI like that you chose to write about The Grinch which is a movie that doesn't have an obvious hero. It's great that you were still able to find an unlikely hero in it.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this. I love the Grinch so much and you explained this perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose the Grinch to describe a hero. When I think of this movie I don't see an obvious hero, but your perspective is really interesting and I agree with you,
ReplyDeleteI just love how you described all that Cindly Lou did for the town, her mom, and the Grinch. I've never thought of her as the hero before!
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