The Lorax: A Story Often Told but Seldom Heard

The Lorax was written and published in 1971 by Dr. Seuss. The Lorax is a personal favorite of Theodore Geisel out of all of his literary works. The Lorax was written to address economic and environmental issues but has it?

We all know the story of the Lorax. A boy visits the Once-ler and urges him to tell the story of the Lorax who was lifted and taken away. After being offered 15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, grandfather snail, the Once-ler tells his tale. He talks about his younger self in search of something new. A new product that he can make and become wealthy. After traveling and finding nothing, he came upon a beautiful valley full of Truffula trees. Truffula trees have gorgeous silk-like foliage and the Once-ler chops one down to admire its beauty before knitting it into a Thneed. The Lorax, who speaks for the trees as they have no tongues, emerges from the stump of the Truffula tree and warns the Once-ler that what he is doing is wrong and urges him to stop. A person comes by and purchases the Thneed for $3.98 and this encourages the Once-ler to start a business.

The small Thneed shop soon grows and the Once-ler’s relatives come to help him. Soon there is a Thneed factory complete with machines to log the Truffula trees and manufacture Thneeds. The Bar-ba-loots, who eat Truffula fruits, have to leave in search of food. The Lorax returns to warn the Once-ler and again his message is not heard.

The Thneed factory has now polluted the air and water and forced the Swanee-Swans and the Humming-Fish to leave. The Lorax once again returns to confront the Once-ler and the Once-ler will not listen and tells the Lorax that he will keep “biggering” his business no matter the cost. And at that very moment, the very last Truffula tree falls to the ground. The factory can no longer run and the Lorax lifts himself by the seat of the pants and disappears into the smoggy clouds. In the very last place that the Lorax stood is a monument that reads “UNLESS.”

The Once-ler’s relatives have long been gone and he has been left to live in solitude to ponder what “UNLESS” means. After many years, the Once-ler finally understands what the Lorax meant. He tells the boy “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” He gives the boy the very last Truffula seed and urges him to grow a forest from it. If the trees can be protected, then maybe the Lorax, the Bar-ba-loots, the Swanee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish can return. 

We have all enjoyed the story of The Lorax and most of us have seen the movie or the play. It’s a wonderful story. I thought about using the Lorax for a Satirical Saturday post but decided I didn’t want to soil the sanctity of such a wholesome and heartfelt classic story. Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) wrote this story to provoke thought and elicit change. You know the story but have you heard it? What does “UNLESS” mean to you?