Books - The Lorax

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	Books - The Lorax

The Lorax is a children's story written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1971. The tale chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax (a "mossy, bossy" man-like creature), who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler.

The book is commonly recognized as a parable concerning industrialized society, using the literary element of personification to give life to industry as the Once-ler (whose face is never shown in all of the story's illustrations) and to the environment as the Lorax. This story is often used in environmental science classes to teach the tragedy of the commons.

The Lorax is arguably Seuss' most controversial work, having been banned in some schools and libraries for its political content.

The Once-ler was a businessman who ran his company with the exclusive goal of increasing its sales and profits as rapidly as possible, a common practice in a corporate market economy: "business is business and business must grow". In the process he ignored the long-term sustainability of his business and environmental concerns such as biodiversity and habitat loss. In his old age he tells a curious boy about the splendor of nature in his youth and the growth and crash of industry at the far end of town.

Discovering the potential for profit in a lush forest of Truffula trees, the Once-ler began clearcutting it to mass-market Thneeds (odd-looking but versatile knitted garments) made from the Truffula tree tufts. The Lorax popped out of the tree stump of the first felled Truffula, and declared himself to "speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues".

The Lorax vehemently protested the destruction of the Truffula forest, stating that the Once-ler was crazy with greed and that his business was destroying the Truffula ecosystem, causing mass migrations of native fauna, including the bear-like Barbaloots and species of fish and birds. The Once-ler didn't listen; he continued clearcutting the trees and dumping industrial waste into nearby ponds. Eventually the Once-ler's thneed business consumed every single Truffula tree, eliminating the truffula forest ecosystem and putting his own company out of business. The Once-ler's relatives abandon him, and the Lorax flies away, leaving behind a small pile of rocks inscribed with the word "UNLESS".

With age the Once-ler has come to realize the folly of his ways and the importance of conservation. Speaking to the boy in the story, and directly to the reader, the Once-ler explains that "unless" people took an active and caring role in their environment, "nothing is going to get better, it's not". The Once-ler then gives the boy the very last Truffula seed, telling him to grow a new tree and eventually a forest and protect it from unsustainable industrial practices, and that then perhaps the Lorax and his animal friends would return.

Television special

The Lorax was also made into an animated television special, produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and still contained a line about Lake Erie.

Trivia

The Lorax has the distinction of being the only book that Seuss himself ever changed after publication, by removing the Lorax's line, "I hear things are just as bad up at Lake Erie!" which he found to be out of place in his fantasy work, as it referred to a real world place.

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Books - The Lorax

Television special

Trivia

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