Whoville

Watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas this evening, I was struck by how obvious it was that the little village of Whoville, nestled in the valley of a far mountain range, was in reality a  fundamentalist Mormon enclave. Remote from the prying eyes of the federal authorities, these Whos feel safe inside their 6 house compound--safe enough to go by the same last name, without hiding behind the aliases other sects do. Notice how similar all the houses are--designed and built by the same hands, and decorated collectively by all the sister-wives of the Mayor of Whoville.

Need more evidence? All the Who children look alike--they are all related, of course. The whole town (read: family) eats together. The valley is appears to be in the remote mountain regions of Utah. They celebrate the Christian Christmas, but yet seem to share a peculiarly individual brand of religious worship. The Mayor (or should I say, Prophet) holds a powerful sway over the community.

The Grinch? Obviously shunned by the family for imperfect religious practices. Perhaps, in the Whos own brand of worship, dogs are considered unclean, and the Grinch refused to part with Max.  And so he brooded, high above the compound, close enough to hear them during family services, yet unable to extricate himself from the hell of ostracization.

So what does he do? He strikes back, during a sacred time. But his former immersion in the cult has been too deep. The rhythms of their lives together have vibrated too strongly inside him--he abandons his revenges, and rejoins the Whos. And Max? Well, the roast beast seemed a little too fresh, to my way of thinking--a sacrifice--the cult's price for the Grinch's rehabilitation.