All Work and no Play Makes George a Submissive Monkey

by Evelyn Malaver

“I believe as long as man tortures and kill animals, he will torture and kill humans as well—and wars will be waged—for killing must be practiced and learned on a small scale.” Edgar Kupfer Koberwitz.

The previous significant extract was written by Edgar Kupfer Koberwitz. He was a Nazi prisoner and during his captivity he pretended to be not clever and got a clerk’s job. At that time, he wrote a journal describing his relevant experiences. Some of them, as the mentioned before, are related to his genuinely affection towards animals. Innumerable people were escaping from Nazi’s soldiers, one of them was Margaret Rey who was simultaneously writing a set of books, later called “Curious George.” The main character George is a curious monkey who lives in a big city and always tries to help his owner, a person who kidnapped him from the jungle and took him to civilization. This pitiful monkey is involved in highly unnatural situations for an animal. The books written by Margaret Rey naturalize animal’s slavery and portrait the alienation of its main character.

One point to highlight is the submission that the protagonist of the story, George, shows in the book titled “Curious George Rides a Bike”. This book seems to be didactic for children because it would give them a good message: to help others. In the text, a boy is delivering newspapers and suddenly sees George happily riding his new bike. After some flatter to the gorgeous bike, the young boy asks George if he could help him with his job. The monkey gently takes the boy’s bag full of periodicals, and the paperboy ends returning home without finishing his work. The book reads “George was very proud as he rode off with his bag”. Very proud?  Read the following definition: “a state of depersonalization or loss of identity in which the self seems unreal; the state or experience of being separated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved.” That’s it! Alienation. Taking into account this concept, it can be appreciated the fact that George is alienated from his jungle life.

For the great majority of people, the most common term associated with animals is “freedom.” It is known that animals which live in their natural environment are supposed to be free. If we look up the word “freedom” in the dictionary, we will find the following: “the condition of being free from restraints;” or “liberty of the person from slavery, detention or oppression.”

Comparing these definitions to George’s attitude, we realize that the main character of “Curious George” breaks the rules of freedom because of the way he is portrayed. A clear example of this can be observed by the manner in which the little monkey is dragged by two policemen on “Curious George” book’s cover. They create the impression to be very proud and decided. However, George seems to be having fun, since a big smile is drawn on his face. This illustration anticipates readers the main problematical issue of this book, that is to say, George is not free and he is alienated. 

When reading “Race Day”, another “Curious George's” book, we can find that the protagonist of the story, the monkey, suffers from animal abuse. This issue is extremely connected to the fact that the monkey is a prisoner and that his owner does whatever he wants to him. A clear example is shown when the man of the yellow hat, his owner, orders George to train professor Wiseman for a race. George asks his boss for some pedagogical ideas as regards Professor Wiseman’s training, after perceiving her disinterest about running. A picture in that page, portrays him recalling his venerable moments when he used to run and play freely in the jungle. His sorrowful remembering is compensated with a visit to the zoo offered by the professor, where he meets his convict buddy, the elephant. As a result of his alienation, George seems to have forgotten his past, and he is really happy to visit the place where he used to live in the first book published.

Despite the fact that “Curious George” seems to be a didactic and enjoyable book for children, it can be affirmed that another message is hidden. George reflects an example of cruel treatment, animal abuse, submission and lack of freedom. These negative issues are frequently seen in zoos and in circus. It is surprising that a person that was about to be a prisoner, wrote a set of books where a monkey is kidnapped and enslaved. It is clear that her experiences were reflected in her writings. “Curious George” shows us that freedom is a submission state, in opposition to the idea that being free is the natural condition that animals need to live their lives.