Table of ContentsIntroductionMother-child relationship in “Where the Wild Things Are” ConclusionReferencesIntroductionWhere the Wild Things Are (Sendak, 1963) depicts the story of the young boy Max , who is presented to the reader as belligerent, and his "journey" to a place where his "wild" spirit can roam freely without being punished by his mother. It is a place where he meets creatures who reflect the qualities he finds in himself and he becomes king. However, this story has a much deeper and symbolic meaning of parent-child relationships, which is the subject of this analytical essay "Where the Wild Things Are". By examining the character of Max and comparing his journey to a transition from childhood to young adolescence, it can be argued that the story is, more specifically, symbolic of the mother-child relationship and the process of overcoming the struggle of power between parent and child. through fantasy and imaginative play. Furthermore, the inner workings of the child's mind and how feelings of ambivalence and id qualities, with reference to the work of Freud (1927), are overcome in order to rectify the relationship with the mother figure . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Mother-child relationship in “Where are the wild things?” » At the beginning of the book, Max is described as "wild" in the first few pages. This is the first adjective used verbally to describe him to the reader, which already makes him feel like a nuisance in addition to possessing aggressive qualities. These feelings are not only felt by the reader but are also reflected in the character of his mother. “His mother called him WILD THING!” We see through this expression and the illustrations in the first pages of the book that Max is dressed as an animal and presented with bestial features, a bit like that of a wolf. Thus, Max is immediately presented with survival and killer instincts. For example, the objects he uses to play or the theme of his game in the illustrations such as the hammer he holds, the fork, the teddy bear hanging on a string and his costume. Further drawing attention to the first interaction between Max and his mother, the idea of ​​the id may be related to Max's behavior when thinking about the survival instincts he seems to embody through his play. After his mother's comment calling Max a "WILD THING!" ", Max says he is going to "eat" his mother. Immediately afterwards, Max is sent to his room without dinner, which is an important turning point in the story for him. His anger turns into rage and provokes his unconscious fantasy of traveling to a distant land. The id, an idea that is part of a construct of the unconscious as formed by Sigmund Freud, is representative of fundamental needs and instincts, it controls the desires and impulses of the individual. Max's desire, one might say, for independence or freedom was denied by his mother and so the fantasy world is then engaged. As the fantasy is shown, we see Max traveling to where the wild things are, and as his imagination grows, the illustrations on the pages enlarge, bringing the reader into the fantasy world of Max. Here the wild things are introduced. Wild Things strongly reflects Max in terms of wild behavior and appearance. This part of the story begins to signify Max regaining control of his mother as he becomes "the King of the Wild Things." Taming the Wild Things is part of Max's progression in dealing with feelings of independence and separationwith the mother as well as the denial he felt towards her. At first, it is obvious that Max is using the opportunity for control to meet the ID's demands and display wild behavior. He orders them to start a “wild ruckus” and tells them when to stop. Interestingly, he denies them dinner and sends them off using what appears to be projective identification to avoid his negative feelings towards his mother and make the wild things feel the way he felt when he was denied by his mother. It is, in a way, a reconstruction of the scenario between Max and his mother that he had to unconsciously deal with in an attempt to resolve the internal conflict he is facing. In the next part of the book, Max addresses the realization that he is alone. “And Max, the king of all wild things, was alone and wanted to be somewhere where someone would love him most.” On top of that, Max starts to smell food. It associates this food with the mother, going back to what could be seen as an association with the maternal breast. There is a need for closeness with the mother. Max leaving the wild things to return to his boat symbolizes his abandoning his wild self to reconcile with the mother and regain her closeness. It could be said that characteristics of the superego can be seen here, as Max's impulses are under control, showing his gradual shift from needing to control his mother to realizing that he needs to control himself. Therefore, allowing Max to reconcile with the mother by resolving his own conflicts to progress in the mother-child relationship. It is also important to recognize that Max's bedroom acted as a transitional space in which he was able to progress and process his ambivalence towards the mother. his mother and control his impulses. At the beginning of the book, the room provides a space for Max to reflect on his actions and contain his anger. Additionally, it serves as a space for him to imaginatively and unconsciously explore a more independent world or fantasy, similar to that of the adult world, where he is ultimately able to rectify his internal conflict.ConclusionOverall, Where the Wild Things Are attempts to demonstrate one of the many "journeys" that children take during the transition from childhood to adolescence and highlights the importance of parent-child relationships throughout childhood, prompting reflection on the implicit meanings of a child's behavior. It sheds light on the vast and complex internal processes of the unconscious and the authority dynamics between parent and child, something that is not yet fully understood and which makes it an adventurous read for children, but a story that can provoke revelations for parents about their own children. The child's mind is just as complex as an adult's, if not more so in some ways, and recognizes the child's wild side; the angry, hostile, perhaps even perverse parts of the child leave parents with something to consider. At the end of the book, even though Max's wild side is supposed to be tamed, he is still seen wearing his costume which, coupled with his aggressive and bestial behavior, begs the question: does a child's wild side become a day fully tamed? References Sendak, M. (1963). Where are the wild things. Harper & Row. Freud, S. (1927). The ego and the id. Hogarth Press. GBGC. (2011). Global Gambling Report. Retrieved from https://www.gbgc.com/publications/global-gambling-report/Gainsbury, SM (2012). Online gambling addiction: The relationship between Internet gambling and disordered gambling. Current Reports on Addiction, 1(4), 291-299.Sexton, D. (2016). Child-Parent Relational Therapy (CPRT) Treatment Manual: A 10-Stage Filial Therapy Model.