Hold the squiggly, pink handrail as you enter the front hall. Wander among puffy plastic trees as if you’re the Lorax. You’re in a new museum in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is dedicated to the beloved children’s books by Theodor Geisel—better known as Dr. Seuss.
“You’re off to great places!” reads the entry hall sign. Indeed, the museum gives visitors a “you are there” experience. It incorporates interactive exhibits, artwork never before displayed publicly, and explanations about the author’s childhood.
One of Geisel’s stepdaughters, Leagrey Dimond, approves. “He would absolutely be at ease here,” she says.
Kids are definitely the focus of the museum. It features games and climbable statues of Horton the elephant and the turtles from Yertle the Turtle.
And oh, the other places you’ll go as well: Visitors tour a replica of Geisel’s boyhood bedroom, his grandparents’ bakery, and rooms painted in fanatical detail with scenes from the books.
But while children’s books were the focus of Dr. Seuss’ later career, they’re not all that he was known for. The organization that sponsored the museum—the Springfield Museums complex—makes no apologies for the places it doesn’t go in this exhibit.
Critics say the museum has a responsibility to depict the whole man who was Theodor Geisel. Doing so would mean including his work as a political cartoonist during World War II.
Geisel’s cartoons from that time reveal his dissatisfaction with America’s hesitancy to enter the war in Europe against Hitler. After Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941, his cartoons depicted his distrust of the Japanese—even Japanese-Americans. Some view his response to that attack as racist rather than nobly American. They believe the exhibit promotes a man they don’t think should be viewed as a hero.
But people are much more complex than just one aspect of their lives. History and culture are complex too. In hindsight, we may determine that actions taken in turbulent times were gravely in error. But individuals back then didn’t have the benefit of that hindsight.
No person will ever measure up perfectly in his life—no one except the God-Man Jesus. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” says Romans 3:23.
Looking through the lens of both reality and grace, do you think the children’s museum should include negative examples of Dr. Seuss’ work? Or is it best to selectively present the man and his life? Can one value his good contributions while sifting the rest—or is it right to pass judgment on his entire work because of an early part?
