Imagination
Imagination is a central theme of Where the Wild Things Are. When Max's anger gets the better of him and he is sent to bed without supper, he turns to his imagination for solace. Alone in his bedroom, he creates fantastical "wild things" as his company. Using his powers of imagination, he plays with them, satisfying his angry impulses and ultimately resolving them. In other words, imagination is Max's tool to process and successfully handle his emotions and his temper.
Independence
Independence is a significant theme in Max's world. Seeking independence, Max imagines a forest growing in his bedroom that transports him far away from his mother's discipline. A private boat arrives for Max alone, allowing him to sail off on an individualized adventure. Max then becomes king of the wild things, flipping roles from a child subject to the rules of adults to a king able to set his own rules. At the pinnacle of independence, he gives the same order to the wild things that he received from his mother: go to bed without dinner. Yet in the end, his love for home, his mother, and a hot dinner trumps his desire for independence, and he gives up his kingdom to return home.
Anger
When Sendak first published Where the Wild Things Are, it was met with some criticism for its unflinching portrayal of child anger. At the time of its writing, Sendak's work stood out in contrast with the usual style of children's books, which contained dogmatic moral lessons and featured children behaving properly. In this story, Max's wild behavior is featured prominently. When subject to his mother's discipline, he reacts with anger. Rather than subduing his anger in favor of obedience, he shouts at his mother: "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" Max's mother promptly punishes him for his terrible behavior, but Sendak never shows Max apologizing, or directly addressing his wrongdoing in a way that would directly provide a moral lesson. Instead, Max works through his anger on his own terms. Left to his own devices, he regains control by embarking on an imaginary adventure and only then returning home. Max's anger is not the only emotion to dissipate: he finds his hot dinner waiting for him upon his return, showing that his mother has forgiven him as well. Thus Sendak seems to break the taboo of anger, indicating that it is a normal emotion for adults and children alike and that when treated with patience and respect, it takes its leave.
Home
Where the Wild Things Are revolves around the importance of home. The story's exposition and conclusion are set in Max's home, which appears to be a classic middle-class American suburban home. There is a dog in the home, and Max has a bedroom to himself. But at the beginning of the story, home is a site of conflict. Max and his mother get into a verbal altercation, and she sends him to bed without supper. Max then travels far away from home, to the land of the wild things. The story ends, however, with Max returning home—now a site of comfort rather than turmoil.
