George's Marvelous Medicine

Physical size plays a key role in the narrative. Early on, Grandma warns George not to grow up, suggesting that he grow down instead. Grandma’s disapproval stems not from George’s size in the abstract, but rather from the comparison between his size and hers: “You’re nearly as tall as me already,” she complains (4). Her use of size as a basis of comparison continues when, after taking the medicine, she proclaims herself “the tallest of them all” (47). To Grandma, size is associated with strength and importance. When Grandma shrinks and vanishes at the story’s climax, her reduction in size finally matches her role in the family, where she contributes little or nothing.

Closely related to size is the question of proportion. Notably, when Grandma takes the medicine and grows taller, she becomes “thinner and thinner” (47) whereas the hen “stayed nice and plump all along” (47). George’s second and third batches of medicine have imbalanced effects, causing growth in some body parts but not others; these are regarded as failures. The implication is that balance and proportion are more important that sheer size. Thematically, this illustrates that George’s balanced personality and behavior is healthier than Grandma’s exaggerated, extreme actions.

Animals feature in the narrative literally and figuratively. Since the narrative takes place on a farm, George is “tired of staring at pigs and hens and cows and sheep” (1); he has no trouble finding animal medicines to add to his mixture. As he does so, he considers Grandma’s ailments as comparable to the animal afflictions listed on the medicine containers. He even refers to Grandma as “the old bird” (23), “that grumpy old cow” (24), and “that miserable old pig” (25), revealing a demeaning attitude toward both Grandma and animals. Under Mr. Kranky’s direction, George administers several doses of his medicine to farm animals, both enlarging them as commodities and using them as test subjects. Following the enlargement of George’s pony, Grandma rides the pony around the farm, then spends the night in the barn “with the mice and the rats” (62), further reinforcing the similarity or kinship between Grandma and the animals. In keeping with her tendency to accuse George of her own shortcomings, Grandma calls him a “selfish pig” moments before seizing the cup of medicine from him (79). The portrayal of animals, while not particularly sympathetic, raises the question of whether and how people are or can be different from animals, with Grandma’s animallike behavior depicted as disturbing and unpleasant.