The Lorax is, in my opinion, one of the most deep and meaningful pieces of literature. 

It’s a simple enough book, 64 pages, all filled with colorful illustrations and enough rhymes to make you smile every time you turn a page. The plot, as everyone probably knows, is about an inventor who chops down a tree and the Lorax appears out of the stump and warns him of being greedy and the consequences of nature’s destruction. During the course of the story, the reader also learns this lesson through the rhyming dialogue, intriguing drawings and forms of empathy that the author used to help the reader connect to the story. The book is a classic, read to almost every 1st grade class across the country and popular enough to turn into an animated movie. 

When I first considered what my favorite book was, Dr. Suess never came to my mind. I mean, I liked his work, and I thought it was really funny to read outloud to my little sisters, I really had nothing against his writing. But I never considered it real literature, something that can reflect on who you are and what you're passionate about by claiming it your favorite. When I began to really search for a favorite book, I tried to think of deep and elaborate literature that I could elaborate a lot on and show off my reading experience at the same time. It was then that I realized that I didn’t need a Shakespeare story to be my favorite to prove my worth as a reader and a learner. Perhaps, if I looked for the right thing, I could unlock more power in the idea of simplicity. 

That was what made me think of The Lorax. 

It was a short book, which was one of my doubts. How could something short ever be the most meaningful? But after reading and analyzing the book again, I realized that there was power and beauty in the way Dr. Suess simplified his thoughts and added visuals and short paragraphs in order to convey such an influential message. The rhymes described the beauty of the forest and all that inhabited it, including the small brown bears that slept in the sun and the singing orange fish that could walk on land to perform. But he also described how horrible the sight became once manifested with greed and human desires. After the man, or the “Once-ler,” decided to develop his company there, he repeatedly cut down tree after tree and continued to fill the rivers with gunk and the skies with smoke until it was nearly impossible for the animals to live there any more. The author, not despite the rhymes and the childish vocabulary, but through them, was able to portray a heartbreaking yet amazingly important message that was able to connect with all children who chose to pick up the book. By describing the animals being hurt and mistreated after as the factories kept polluting and the trees kept falling down, children can feel sad about the loss of their habitat and then be inspired to prevent it in their own future as well. They might then feel this desire to help the animals that they are surrounded by, which can also lead to protection for the trees, nature, and everything that it provides life for. 

But children are not the only ones affected by this book. Adults and even stubborn teenagers can be influenced by this piece of literature. This is a result of its connection to our world today. The rhymes and the pictures portray how consumerism and pollution have taken a toll on not only us mentally but the rest of the world around us. It shows how development of new companies leads to energy and quite literally life sucking strategies to be successful. It shows how our community today has been so overcome with the need for more and more and more, whether that be property, energy, or just silly products like the “thneed” the fictional material that was made by the antagonist of the story. The way that it was written and structured just makes the book easier to understand, having a longer lasting effect on the readers. 

The Lorax doesn’t shoot a ton of facts about deforestation and pollution at you. It doesn’t give you any number or statistics that show the urgency of the problem. It doesn’t even address environmental issues directly. But maybe this is a good thing. No one really wants to hear all of that stuff anyway. It’s sad, and it may just drive the reader in a state of denial about the problem entirely. But this book actually shows the reader what could actually happen to our society, and an actual scenario where greed and rapacity have completely overtaken our ability to empathize with nature. It’s a story that everyone can understand, despite their age or reading level. It’s a piece of literature that should not go unnoticed or ignored in any way. And pieces like this are crucial to spark environmental passions and really make a change in our community and our world. 

This is my favorite quote from the book, something that I will always remember:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”