A friend of mine believes in the efficacy of conventional medicine. No matter what ails him, he refuses to consider holistic medical practices. He recently was having severe leg pain and I suggested that he consider acupuncture or chiropractic. He rejected both approaches categorically and continued to suffer, looking forward to his appointment with an orthopedic physician.
I was not certain that alternate therapies would work for my friend’s leg problem, but I was disturbed that he ruled them out without seriously considering the possibility that they might help. This dogmatic approach to problem solving is reflected in Horton Hears a Who, in which members of society reject the possibility of seeing things from another’s perspective.
This is the narrative crux of Horton Hears a Who, an animated version of the famous Dr. Seuss story of Horton, an elephant who hears voices of little creatures that no one else can hear. Everyone in the jungle of Nool dismisses these small voices, but Horton does not. He sees things differently, shifts his paradigm, and takes these voices seriously. He understands that it is possible to see things from another vantage point.
Horton discovers that the small voices are the voices of the residents of Who-ville, microscopic beings living on a speck of dust. A Who-ville scientist, Dr. Larue, tells the Mayor that Who-ville is in danger of extinction unless Horton finds a safer home for its citizens. And so begins Horton’s journey to Mt. Nool to provide safe haven for the residents of Who-ville. Along the way, he is harassed by many, especially the Sour Kangaroo, who feel Horton is out of his mind and hallucinating. Moreover, they feel his insistence on the reality of a microscopic Who-ville is dangerous educationally for it suggests to the children the existence of an alternate reality different from their own. Horton perseveres, however, repeating his motto “A person is a person, no matter how small.” In other words, opinions can have merit even if they express a minority view.
As Horton travels to Mt. Nool, he encounters life-threatening dangers. He almost falls off a bamboo bridge into a roaring river and he is attacked by a ferocious buzzard named Vlad, who almost kills him. In spite of these challenges and a hostile population that regards him as a liar and rebel, Horton continues to work on behalf of the citizens of Who-ville, whose perspective counts and who are relevant in spite of their miniscule dimensions.
Things come to a crisis because no one but Horton actually hears the citizens of Who-ville. But then the Mayor encourages everyone to shout “we are here” in the hope of letting the outside world know of their existence. In spite of their diminutive size, they still exist and want to live, albeit in their tiny universe.
In Jewish tradition, debate is good. The Talmud is filled with arguments expressing alternate points of view. Jewish law is decided by the majority of the Sages, but the minority view is still valued and preserved in the text. Why is this so? The Bible tells us that everyone is created in God’s image. This does not refer to a physical image, but rather to matters of the mind and spirit. Just as God is unique, so too is every human being. There is respect for differences and there is no expectation that everyone will think alike or look alike.
That is the essential message of Horton Hears a Who. Horton lives in his own world, but does not deny the reality of other worlds. He may talk to himself but he hears the voices of others. It is good to fit in and be normal, but it is also good to listen to others, to understand that your perceptions of reality are not the exclusive ones. Listening to others, understanding their worlds makes you a more sensitive and complete human being.
Kosher Movies 