Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose
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| Author | Dr. Seuss |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Random House |
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Publication date
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1948 (renewed 1976) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 41 pages |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 1386296 |
| Preceded by | McElligot's Pool |
| Followed by | Bartholomew and the Oobleck |
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose is a 1948 children's book by Dr. Seuss.
Thidwick, a moose in a herd numbering approximately sixty who subsist mainly on moose-moss and live on the northern shore of Lake Winna-Bango, grants a small bug's request to ride on his antlers free of charge. The bug takes advantage of the moose's kindness and settles in as a permanent resident, inviting various other animals to live on and in the moose's antlers. The moose acquiesces to the unexpected living arraingements, considering the animals 'guests' even though he never told them explicitly that they were allowed to live there, and the situation quickly gets out of control. When one of the guests, a woodpecker, begins drilling holes in Thidwick's horns, the other moose give Thidwick an ultimatum: either get rid of his guests or leave the herd. When Thidwick's sense of proper etiquette forces him to forgo the comforts of herd life in favor of being kind to his guests, his herd leaves him. When winter comes, the herd swims across the lake to find fresh supplies of moose-moss, but before Thidwick can follow them, his guests strenuously object, preventing him from taking "their home to the far distant side of the lake". Even facing starvation, Thidwick refuses to break etiquette, and remains on the cold, northern shore of the lake where his guests prefer to reside. The residents of Thidwick's antlers, paying no regard to the increasing physical or psychological load that the moose has to endure, once again continue inviting other animals to live with them.
The situation comes to a head when hunters attack Thidwick with the goal of mounting his head on the wall of the Harvard Club. Thidwick attempts to outrun the hunters, but the heavy load, which is coupled with his guests' strictest rule because of their unwillingness to travel across the lake, prevents him from escaping. Just before his imminent capture, however, Thidwick remembers that it is time for him to shed his antlers. He does so by promptly shedding his antlers, making a snide comment to his former guests, and swimming across the lake to rejoin his herd. His former guests are captured by the hunters and are stuffed and mounted with his antlers on the Harvard Club wall.
The story explores the limits of hospitality and sharing. Neil Reynolds had discussed it as a parable of immigration issues and the social welfare state. Aeon J. Skoble discusses Thidwick at length as an exemplification of the idea of property rights, and particularly of Locke's formulation of property rights. Skoble argues that Thidwick is badly mistaken in viewing the other animals as "guests", and that the story demonstrates this. In a later essay in the same volume, Henry Cribbs makes a similar point, considering whether "Thidwick" is a case of squatter's rights.
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