The main character trait of The Grinch in the 2000 film How The Grinch Stole Christmas is that he hates Christmas, which is reasonable considering he's The Grinch. However, it’s possible that The Grinch didn’t actually hate Christmas at all and that, instead, what he truly hated was people. After the way he is treated in the movie by the Whos of Whoville, it would be understandable.

In the film, The Grinch always seemed to give in to the Christmas cheer when it seemed that people were finally accepting him. He was, for example, willing to act festive as a child when Martha May (Christine Baraknski in an unconventional rolei) had a crush on him. Even when he grew up and was awarded the holiday cheermeister, he was able to put aside his so-called “hatred” towards Christmas and in the festivities. If someone hated something as much as The Grinch claimed to have hated Christmas, they wouldn’t be able to push that hatred aside as easily as The Grinch did.

The Grinch Actually Hated People, Not Christmas

After The Way He Was Treated, It Makes Sense That He Would Hate The Who's

There are many moments where The Grinch lets down his guard and accepts Christmas activities. Whether he is mumbling Christmas carols in his sleep, making Martha a tree topper ornament, or having a good time after winning the sack race at a Christmas festival, it’s clear that The Grinch enjoys Christmas to a certain degree. It seems that Christmas was the only constant thing in his life. The Grinch never felt like a Who as they all shunned him, and he ran away, so the festive holiday is the only thing that hadn’t changed in his life.

The mayor awarded him a razor as part of a sick joke, bringing back all of those traumatic childhood memories.

Every time he gave into the Christmas spirit, the Whos turned on him. This first happened when he was a child, and he shaved his face, leading to all the other children and even his teacher laughing at him. Even as an adult, when he took part in the Christmas festival and won a prize, the mayor awarded him a razor as part of a sick joke, bringing back all of those traumatic childhood memories. The Grinch felt alone and betrayed, so he shut himself away from society and understandably began to hate all the Whos.

The Grinch Only Targeted Christmas Because It’s What The Whos Loved The Most

He Wanted To Hurt The Who's Like They Hurt Him

Christmas is the Who's favorite time of year: the square is always packed, the shops are crammed, and the town is always beautifully decorated. So it makes sense that The Grinch wanted to hate Christmas so badly; he wanted to hurt The Whos for hurting him. When he developed the plan to steal Christmas, he did it because he wanted to take away the one thing they loved, just like they took away his family and happiness growing up. After the stunt at the Christmas festival, the Grinch realized they would never change, so he wanted to get revenge.

By the end of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Grinch’s heart grew two sizes because Cindy Lou showed him love and friendship for the first time in his life. He decides to give into the holiday spirit and return Christmas to everyone, realizing his mistake. He began to accept people into his life and gave them all the opportunity to change and treat him better, falling in love with the festival holiday when he finally stopped hating people.