Masks

Silverstein is associated with children’s writers who don’t sugarcoat life. Like a lot of his work intended for young readers, “Masks” confronts problems that all people—regardless of age or gender—tend to face. William Honan, who published Silverstein’s 1999 obituary in The New York Times, compares Silverstein to “masters” of children’s literature, such as Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) and A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne. These writers published children’s stories and poems that aren’t always comforting.

Milne wrote Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne’s two novels feature a donkey named Eeyore. As with the boy and girl in “Masks,” Eeyore is glum. In one of Milne’s poetry collections, When We Were Very Young (1924), the poem “Politeness” connects to the idea in “Masks” that it’s typical to pretend things are fine even when they’re not.

Much of Dr. Seuss’s work contains hints of melancholy, loss, and loneliness. The Cat in the Hat (1957) starts on a cold, rainy, blue day. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957) revolves around a character named Grinch who, although his skin is green, is figuratively blue because he’s alienated and doesn’t know how to fit in with his joyous community. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990) speaks to the idea in “Masks” that life is a quest that doesn’t always go swimmingly. Silverstein admired the drawings in Dr. Seuss, praising their detail and action. The illustration for “Masks” is nuanced: The two masks have indeterminate expressions, and Silverstein differentiates between the boy and the girl through their hairstyles and clothing.

At the same time, Silverstein’s poem departs from a tradition of children’s literature that is overly idyllic or silly. Other canonized children’s authors -- Edward Lear (1812-1888) and Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), among them -- published work that’s predominately nonsensical and fanciful. Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses (1885) presents the world of a child as mostly quaint or picturesque. Some of Silverstein’s work is admittedly zany; the title poem, “Every Thing on It,” is about a boy ordering a hot dog with every topping possible, including a bee and a wristwatch. “Masks,” however, demonstrates that Silverstein isn’t only silly. The poem is earnest and spotlights the imperfections of life and challenges of identity.