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Scotty McStudenton
Mr. Farrell
Literacy 306
26 February 2015
Characterization of the Fish in Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat
The great philosopher Plato once said, “Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety,”
meaning that nothing we do is worth getting really stressed about. Apparently, the fish in Dr. Seuss’s
book The Cat in the Hat did not hear that advice. The fish in The Cat in the Hat is an anxious character.
He demonstrates this anxiety at the beginning of the story when the cat arrives, in the middle of the
story when Thing 1 and Thing 2 arrive, and at the end of the story when the mother arrives.
First, the fish shows he is anxious when the cat arrives. In the text the fish says, “No! No! Make
that cat go away!” (Seuss 9). Before the Cat in the Hat can even really say what he plans on doing for
fun, the fish already cuts him off and tries to warn the kids. Three of the sentences in a row end in
exclamation marks, so it shows that he is yelling which would mean that he’s upset. It is not only the
Cat in the Hat that makes the fish anxious, however.
Additionally, the fish shows he is anxious after the fish sees the children shaking hands with
Thing 1 and Thing 2. In the book the fish says, “No! No! Those things should not be in this house! Make
them go!” (Seuss 21). Like when the Cat in the Hat arrived, the fish is immediately upset that they are
here. He doesn’t even know if they are going to be bad or not yet. The fish is just as panicked as he
was when the Cat in the Hat arrived though. Seuss uses exclamation marks to show that the fish is
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yelling so we know that he’s really upset. Later we find out that the fish is not only afraid of strangers in
the house but also of the children’s mother.
Finally, the fish demonstrates that he is anxious about the mess that was made just before the
mother arrives. After the fish spots the mother on her way home, Seuss writes “‘So do something fast!’
said the fish. ‘Do you hear? I saw her! …Your mother is near!’” (Seuss 28). This passage is interesting for
several reasons. First, like the previous two passages, the fish’s sentences all end in exclamation points
to show excitement. Second, the fish assumes that the kids will be blamed for the mess. Since there is a
talking fish, we as readers could imagine that maybe their mother is used to some supernatural events
and would believe that it was the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2’s fault. Third, if only the kids know
that there is a talking fish then while it makes sense that the fish is afraid of the Cat in the Hat because
the Cat in the Hat dropped the fish when he was doing his balancing act (Seuss 15), the fish should not
have to be worried about the mother because it could not have been the fishes fault.
In conclusion, the fish became nervous when the Cat in the Hat showed up, when Thing 1 and
Thing 2 showed up, and when the mother showed up. This showed that the fish was an anxious
character. Maybe next time the Cat in the Hat visits the children, he can bring Plato in his big red wood
box to teach the fish to relax and enjoy life.
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Works Cited
Seuss. The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House, 1985. Print.