Dr. Seuss is well known for his entertaining children’s books that demonstrate ethical values regarding serious subjects. In 1961, he wrote The Sneetches” to communicate the serious subject of racism. He uses present, real-world, timely subjects that may be difficult to fully comprehend, but Seuss uses silly animals and situations in a realistic manner to make such subjects easier to relate to. He demonstrates the morality within such situations and subjects. In “The Sneetches,” Dr. Seuss uses sarcasm, allusion, and fable to communicate the serious subject of segregation that exists within the Sneetch society.
In the narrative The Sneetches,” Dr. Seuss uses sarcasm to address the subject of racism in a humorous manner, making it easier to understand and learn a moral. Seuss immediately distinguishes between the Sneetches: “Now, the star-belly Sneetches had abdomens with stars. The plain-belly Sneetches had none upon thars.” This differentiation demonstrates the societal divide among the Sneetches, with clear evidence of racial segregation: “When the star-belly Sneetches had frankfurter joints, they never invited the plain-belly Sneetches.” The star-belly Sneetches continue to make prejudiced statements, such as “We are the best sort of Sneetch on the beaches” and “We are still the best Sneetches, and they are the worst.” They also continue to segregate the plain-belly Sneetches, saying “You only could play if your abdomens had stars” and “They kept them away. They never let them come near.” Seuss uses amusing images to represent real-world situations and make the pathetic subject of racism easier to relate to. This shows that Seuss does, in fact, use sarcasm in “The Sneetches.”
Allusion is a connection to a larger thought, frequently related to human behavior. In “The Sneetches,” Seuss shows allusion through the illustrations. Seuss draws amusing-looking birds that stand for human beings. The Sneetch society represents human society, which tends to segregate into upper, lower, and in-between categories. This narrative was written during a time when racism was most present. There is clear segregation between the Sneetches – “We’ll have nothing to do with the plain-belly kind” – and there is clear segregation into “classes.” During the Civil Rights Movement, segregation was prominent, and in the Sneetch society, it is just as prominent. We all want to be equal and will do whatever it takes to achieve equality. The plain-belly Sneetches wanted to be equal: “You want stars like a star-belly Sneetch? My friends, you can have them for three dollars each!” The desire for equality is a human behavior, and Seuss demonstrates it in the Sneetch society. When Seuss introduces racial tension, he introduces human behavior into the narrative.
Seuss uses fable to illustrate the morality within racial tension. The Sneetches attempt to do whatever it takes to become a part of the upper class” Sneetch society in order to achieve equality. However, Mcbean takes advantage of their situation by saying “Just pay me your money and hop right on board.” In the end, Mcbean inadvertently unites the Sneetches as a society. As he departs, he says “They will never learn. No. You can’t teach a Sneetch.” However, he was incorrect; Sneetches can learn. In the end, the Sneetches become enlightened and find their equality. They initially faced segregation, saying “We are the best Sneetch on the beaches,” and ended up in a terrible mess trying to maintain segregation by racing around the machines. However, in the end, the Sneetches realized that equality is not a bad thing. Seuss demonstrates the absurdity of the Sneetches’ behavior and human behavior.
Dr. Seuss wrote The Sneetches” with the purpose of conveying the absurdity of racism. He uses sarcasm to make this topic easier to understand and relate to, allusion to show our human behavior and errors, and fable to demonstrate the lesson within the errors we make and that there is hope in situations no matter how hopeless they may seem. Seuss was infamous for writing based on current real-world situations and was frowned upon because of his style of communication.
