Summary
The Grinch is a grumpy, hateful creature who lives just north of a town named Who-ville. All the Whos of Who-ville adore Christmas, but the Grinch hates it. While nobody knows why the Grinch hates Christmas so much, the narrator thinks it is because his heart is two sizes too small.
On Christmas Eve, the Grinch stares down at the Whos with disgust. He hates the way they hang their stockings and their mistletoe wreaths. He knows that tomorrow, on Christmas Day, the Who boys and girls will wake up and make loud noise as they play with their new toys. Then, all the Whos will sit down to a large feast. After that, they will sing together, which is the part of Christmas that the Grinch hates the most.
The Grinch decides that he must stop Christmas from coming. He devises a plan to dress up like Santa Claus and steal all the presents and decorations from Who-ville.
Analysis
The beginning of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is dedicated to creating a stark contrast between the Grinch – a bitter, old creature who despises Christmas – and the Whos, who love Christmas and spend nearly all year preparing for the holiday. The Whos and the Grinch are described as polar opposites: the Grinch lives alone in a dark cave with no other companions but his dog, Max, while the Whos live in a quaint and friendly town at the bottom of the mountain. The two creatures are even depicted as physically different, with illustrations of the Whos depicting them as closely resembling humans, while the Grinch appears as a strange, green, extra hairy version of a Who. The beginning of the story thus clearly establishes the Grinch as both the main character and the central antagonist of the narrative. This is an interesting choice for a children's book, which tend to focus on upbeat characters and positive messages rather than conflict. What makes How the Grinch Stole Christmas so unique among children's holiday books is the fact that, while the Grinch is clearly striving to ruin Christmas, the reader can still sympathize with him and find meaning behind his behavior.
This meaning develops subtly through the contrast between the Grinch and the Whos. Throughout this first section of the story, the narrator suggests that the Grinch's hatred toward Christmas does not necessarily stem from the holiday itself, but from how the holiday affects him: alone on Mt. Crumpit, the Grinch sits idly by every year while the Whos revel in community, joy, feasting, and kindness. That the Grinch is deprived of these experiences is what turns him into a curmudgeon who, out of envy for the Whos' celebration, chooses to retaliate. Thus, as the Grinch's character becomes more developed, readers will likely recognize that he is simply too lonely to enjoy Christmas and the sense of community it brings with it. When the narrator says that the Grinch's heart is "two sizes too small," he turns the Grinch's isolation into a literal, physical problem that renders him incapable of love, friendship, and happiness.
