A Qabalistic Interpretation of Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham

By Darren Mc Govern
The book begins with the innocent sentence,
"I am Sam."
This simple phrase is perhaps the most sublime. Sam can be seen as an abbreviation of the sacred Sanskrit mantra from Vedic literature, So'Ham, which means "I am that." Thus we have the Hebrew God name Eheieh or I Am That I Am. Sam can also be seen as one of the the root words of Samadhi, which means "together with," sam, "the Lord," Adhi. Thus we have together with, I Am. Either way this is certainly Kether; the uppermost sephiroth on the tree of life--complete unity. This blissful state is secretly betrayed by the repeating of it. Here also, we have the appearance of a new character. He is the witness to the statement repeated,

"I Am Sam."
Dualism has been evoked and heaven will never be the same. The negative veils of existence have been shattered. Kether has given way to Chokmah and Binah, the Yin And Yang of creation. There is nothing left but to look to where this new consciousness emanated and to speak what now appears in reverse.

"Sam I Am!"
Like an inverted pentagram, the truth is seen improperly due to the faulty perspective of the viewer. Immediately, we see the second character resist. He states,
"That Sam-I-Am! That Sam-I-Am! I do not like that Sam-I-Am!"
Here we have it! The Ego separates from the now Higher-Self (Sam-I- Am) and begins to resent it, not realizing he is it! This resentment is the root of all human error as Nietzsche so exactly examines in Will to Power. Yes, the original sin is committed. The observer posits himself separate from the observed. But the Higher-Self is ready with a solution, an offering, a Holy Eucharist,

"Do you like green eggs and ham?"
He offers. Again, the Ego resists.

"I do not like them, Sam-I-Am."
In an act of compassion or perhaps some sort of Zen joke the Higher- Self asks,

"Would you like them here or there?"
But it is too late. The Fall from Grace has begun. Adam is banished from the Garden by his inevitable refusal to cooperate. But the Higher-Self follows and asks,

"Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?" Here the Ego has descended to Malkuth and is presented to himself, the mouse or mus, which means ego, in its small pathetic symbolic form. Yea! And the Ego resisteth.

"Would you like them in a box? Would you like them with a fox?"
Now the house has turned into a box and the Ego, a fox. In typical reverse meaning like the Chinese finger torture toy I used to get at carnivals that would tighten the harder you would pull, the further the Ego separates from the Higher-Self the more confined it becomes, as represented by the box, and the more wily the ego becomes, as it is represented by the fox. Yea! And the Ego resisteth.

"Would you? Could you? In a car? Eat them! Eat them! Here they are."
Here, they have found themselves in a car. A car, symbolic of the body, has four wheels, like the four elements. It is in motion, like the swastika, which is a cross in motion. And Yea! the Ego resisteth.

"You may like them. You will see. You may like them in a tree!"
The car now drives up a tree, obviously the Tree of Life itself. And Yea! the Ego resisteth.

"A train! A train! A train! A train! Could you, would you on a train?"
They rapidly fall down from the tree to the train. Trains have forever been associated with the sex act and verily they are sped off into a tunnel.

"Say! In the dark? Here in the dark! Would you, could you, in the dark?"
The chakra roller-coaster ride continues. This descent into darkness by means of the sexual act is familiar to all and would be an insult to the reader for me to comment further. And Yea! The Ego resisteth.

"Would you, could you, in the rain?"
In a moment of Grace they are freed from the tunnel and are exposed to the rain. Ah! the sweet, sad, beautiful rain. But even this blessing is spat upon by the now lost Ego who begins to believe he is master in his separation. And Yea! The Ego resisteth.

"Could you, would you, with a goat?"
Now of all characters, of all possibilities, who would he now meet at the near end of his travels, but the old goat himself, Satan, King of the Fallen, Lord of this World, Master of Illusion and Separation.

"Would you, could you on a boat?"
And finally the boat, the blessed ark, or perhaps the Egyptian Henu boat, is sent as another act of grace for his return but Yea! the Ego resisteth. Finally, the Higher-Self makes one last plea.

"You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say."
Then, not because of faith, not because of wisdom, not because of divine revelation, but because of a long slow evolutionary process he accepts the Eucharist just so he will no longer be tormented and Lo and Behold! He is awakened by the divine sacrament.

"Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am! And I would eat them in a boat. And I would eat them with a goat, etc. etc."
The Ego realizes fighting his divine will is not only futile but that giving in is bliss!

For his tormenter was himself, his Higher-Self, his Holy Guardian Angel. The torment came from the Ego's perception of being separate from The All.

But what are the Green Eggs and Ham? Are they symbolic of the fear of the unknown? Are they the delicious rewards of selflessness? Or is the ham the forbidden fruit of bodily existence and the two eggs the symbol of rebirth? Are they green for fertility and growth? After all, God's creation is creation and is meant to perpetuate itself by its own nature. Maybe it is a koan, not meant to have one answer, but meant to inspire the seeker on his path.

Yea! Verily there is nothing left but to rejoice with a prayer. For all is one. I am Sam! We all are Sam!

"I do so like green eggs and ham!
Thank you!

Thank you!

Sam-I-Am!"