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.