CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION ON THE PLAY
The Historical Context of the Book, The Source for the Musical:
By Jason Abad
To understand the historical context for the musical we must first travel back to the late 1950’s as the musical is based upon a book which predates the musical by just over forty years. In the late 1957, Dr. Seuss published How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The 1950’s was a period of time marked by social repression. It was also a time that was marked by the familial structure that was common place. The 1950’s was a time where the majority of families consisted of a traditional nuclear family.1 Typically there were two parents, two or three children, and a family pet.1 The parents were married in most families and had been married when the children were born.2 The 1950’s picturesque family possessing a single working parent–the father departing in the morning hours with briefcase and hat in hand–is now a thing of the past.2
It has been banished to the black and white, four walled confines of 1950’s television.
The Historical Context of the Musical:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas was first published as a Musical in 1998. The 1990’s was a very different time than that of the 1950’s. The family structure was different. Many families were no longer centered around just a mother, a father, and children. A growing percentage of families included extended family, stepparents, a single parent, and step-siblings.2 An increasing number of families, even when comprised of the traditional members are families where both parents work.2
Although, many situations may to some seem less than ideal. The fact is that many people in society have a great deal more choices than they have before.2 Gender roles within society have become less rigid and culture has become increasingly accepting of diversity which has created greater diversity within the “typical” family to the point that the “typical” or “traditional” family no longer exists.2
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. RL. 4.3.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. RL. 4.4.
Works Cited
1 Marcotte, Amanda. “Non-Traditional Families are the New Tradition.” Slate. 24 Dec. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
2 Schulte, Brigid. “Unlike in the 1950s, There is No ‘Typical’ U.S. Family Today.” The Washington Post. 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
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