Most of you might already know that the Dr. Seuss story is basically a subversion of Christmas tropes — that How The Grinch Stole Christmas is actually a critique of consumerism and society. After all, the narrative revolves around a village of people who have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.
The Grinch we thought was the monster at the beginning of the tale ends up the hero. He is the one who gifts the Whos with the epiphany that “Christmas doesn’t come from a story but perhaps means a little bit more.”
Recent theorizing on the internet has led people to see that this isn’t all the story tells us. Worse than forgetting ‘the true meaning of Christmas’, its highly likely the Whos were also the type of people to… throw unwanted pets in the trash.
https://twitter.com/minalowkey/status/1069127489535057920
A thread on Reddit explains that Max (the Grinch’s adorable dog who stole the show) could only have been found at the dump. We know from the 2000 movie that everything the Grinch owns is trash thrown out by the Whos.
He rarely, if ever, leaves Mt. Crumpit — which also serves as the Whoville dump.
Since his home is so high up the mountain it’s unlikely that animals venture into that domain.
Based on this, it makes sense for the Grinch to have found Max as an abandoned and unwanted Christmas gift. It also helps explain why Max is so loyal to an owner who has intense fits of rage.
Some Reddit users caveat that the theory is only applicable to the 2000 movie. The source and other adaptations apparently take the time to explain how Max ended up with the Grinch. But that won’t stop me from labeling the Whos as the bad guys.
What did you think of this theory? Any ideas of your own as to how Max ended up with the Grinch?
