Three Monsters

McKee’s latest fable opens up with a red and a blue monster, the lazy, xenophobic and malicious inhabitants of a wilderness, refusing sanctuary to a newly arrived yellow monster whose home has been destroyed. Instead they attempt to enslave the newcomer, forcing him to work on the land that they have neglected. However, through guile and hard labour, the refugee triumphs over his would-be oppressors. I’ve made this sound a bit more political than it looks. McKee’s monsters resemble milder versions of Sendak’s wild things, while the newcomer has a servile but shifty demeanour that presages his triumph, so the story can be read as a straightforward trickster tale rather than an allegory. The fact that this short and simple tale can work at different levels is a tribute to McKee’s conciseness and humour.