pyreo:

This man is a failure.

Think about how much he’s given up at this part. Making a Thneed was part of a lifelong dream, he left home specifically to locate the most perfect material in the world for what he envisioned. And he actually managed all of that! Years of his life led up to that moment when he held a Thneed in his hands for the first time. Yeah it was one big marketing ploy, but for him it had huge sentimental value, and he really thought everyone else would see it the same way.

But they didn’t, they made fun of him, while he spent a week trying to change their minds. All the effort he put into this meant nothing to them, and he has to go home and face the reality of his dream coming to a close. He even throws the thing away with an “I quit” to make it final. He’s had enough of being ridiculed for the only thing he ever put his heart into.

And the first thing he does is start cooking. I think cooking’s a stress relief kind of thing, especially since it has a reliable short term effort-reward return, as well as something of an apology and fresh start to the creatures he lived with. A peace offering, now that he has to work out what he’ll do with his life, so he starts by making sure these guys are on his side because, let’s face it, they are absolutely all he has left.

He’s not the kind of person who would mope around or kick himself for trying, and he’s certainly not the type to actually put thought into what went wrong here. He’s an opportunist. There’s nothing to worry about at the present moment, so he can get by. For someone whose only ambition in life just got torn away from him, he’s remarkably chipper. It doesn’t dent his style. He may not realise it, but it’s because he has this safety net. He has others he can focus on and be generous to, so as not to dwell on himself. He’s starting to build relationships that aren’t manipulative or conditional. With all conflict out of the way now, he and the Lorax could grow to be good friends, and actually understand each other. Given enough time to learn from others and space to free his thoughts, he might even figure out that company is a lot more worthwhile than personal achievement, and that’s why he can handle the rejection. The couple of scenes here are the only time when he might actually be able to turn things around, pick a new direction, and realise that some things are their own reward, because there’s absolutely nothing standing in his way.

Before all of Greenville turns up and convinces him he was right all along, he was still happy. Even when all his work appeared to be for nothing, he had enough to be cheerful about. For the first time, his self-worth wasn’t solely tied to his accomplishments. 

This man is a success.