Character Analysis
It starts with a single Bingle Bug, and the next thing Thidwick knows, he is hosting a bunch of freeloading creatures on top of his dome. And by a bunch, we mean enough for a zoo. These animals make Thidwick's life miserable, as they only think about their needs and wants, and never consider the feelings and safety of their most gracious host.
Consider this telling scene between Thidwick and the Zinn-a-zu:
"Just building a nest, sir," the Zinn-a-zu said,
And began yanking hairs out of poor Thidwick's head.
And he plucked out exactly two hundred and four!
"Don't worry," he laughed. "You can always grow more!" (11.1-4)
Of course, whether Thidwick can grow more or not is beside the point since that hair belongs to him and the Zinn-a-zu did not ask for permission to start plucking away. With the exception of the Bingle Bug first asking to hitch a ride on Thidwick's antlers, none of the other furry freeloaders bother to ask or discuss much of anything with the poor moose who carries them.
Who Are You?
As evidenced by his extensive guest list, Thidwick has a real problem saying no. Throughout this character analysis, we will refer to these furry freeloaders as one character more-or-less because, to be honest, they all basically represent the same thing: the antagonist. With that said, there are quite a few of them, and included among their ranks are:
- a Bingle Bug;
- a Tree-Spider;
- a Zinn-a-zu bird and his wife;
- a woodpecker;
- Herman the squirrel and his family of three;
- a bobcat;
- a turtle (bearing a passing resemblance to one Yertle Turtle);
- a Fox (no socks);
- some Mice;
- fleas;
- a big bear;
- and exactly 362 bees.
Wow. That Thidwick must have some serious upper-body strength and a core that is super ripped in order to be carrying those guys throughout summer and into winter. Thank goodness he's such a big-hearted guy because that's one moose we won't want to mess with.
Substitute
Ask the question, "What do these freeloaders represent?" and you may get a few different answers, all of them viable but none of them definitive. That's because different readers have had different responses to Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, and many of these responses seem to center on how to read the freeloaders.
Here are just a couple of the ones we found, although we are sure there are more out there to be discovered:
Neil Reynolds reads the freeloaders as moochers on the social welfare state. If Thidwick is the state, providing a free ride for those on welfare, then the freeloaders show that such a system takes away the incentive for them to go and find their own sustenance. And such a system, like poor Thidwick, is set up for eventual collapse.
Aeon Skoble argues that the animals "have formed a community, with an entitlement to property rights on Thidwick's horns." Evidence for this reading can be found in the scene where the animals argue that Thidwick has "no right to take [their] home to the far distant side of the lake" (29.3-4).
Note how the antlers have become their home rather than a part of Thidwick. But there is a flaw in their argument, Skoble notes, since Thidwick has a natural right to self-ownership. As such, he reads the work as pointing out the misconceptions some people have regarding property rights and the individual.
Others note a link between Thidwick's predicament and immigration laws. And one time, Vice President Joe Lieberman even invoked Thidwick as a warning about what happens when congressional bills become overloaded with amendments that meet the needs of everyone, ultimately weakening the intended bill.
It's also possible to interpret the freeloader's relationship with Thidwick from an environmental angle. The gist of it is this: The more the animals take from Thidwick, the less they can get back, and the more likely that their "home" will literally die out from underneath them.
As we said above, none of these readings are the "right" way to understand the antler-squatting animals. Instead, we're presenting them all here to show you just how varied the interpretations on these can be.
So, let us ask you: What do you think the furry freeloaders represent?
Won't Get Fooled Again
While the freeloaders might represent different aspects of society or culture depending on how you read them, we can safely say that all readings will show these guys as a modern take on the creature characters of Aesop's fables.
Aesop's fables are short, simple stories that usually feature animal characters and teach a moral lesson at the end. For example, in "The Ant and the Grasshopper," the ant spends all summer gathering food for the upcoming winter while the grasshopper spends his days having fun. When winter arrives, the ant enjoys the fruits of his labors… and the grasshopper dies. The lesson: Don't be lazy with your time, and prepare for the future. Or else.
That's a paraphrased example, but it details two aspects of these stories that are pretty standard throughout the fables and important for our reading of Thidwick. First, these fables teach children a lesson at the end; and second, something bad generally happens to the animal character that does not learn said lesson. Like, really bad.
As we've seen, this is exactly what happens to Thidwick's squatters. Not bothering to learn their lesson and return some kindness to the one they received so much from, the freeloaders are cornered along with Thidwick by the Harvard Club Hunters. Then Thidwick, having learned his lesson, says to them as he tosses his antlers:
"You wanted my horns; now you're quite welcome to 'em!
Keep 'em! They're yours!" (48.2-3)
Tossed to the hunters, the freeloaders are killed, meet a taxidermist, and join Thidwick's old antlers are part of an intricate wall mount in the Harvard Club. As the narrator notes:
His old horns today are
Where you knew they would be.
His guests are still on them,
All stuffed, as they should be. (50.1-4)
As with many of Aesop's fables, the lesson here is pretty obvious: You can get away with being unkind and taking more than your fair share for a while, but comeuppances will come if you don't check yourself before you wreck yourself. And then you just might end up mounted on a wall.