In the story by Dr. Seuss, The Sneetches, there are two types of creatures living together but separate. The two groups are those with stars on their bellies and those without stars on their bellies. The Sneetches who have stars believe themselves to be above those without stars; these ‘elite’ Sneetches segregate themselves and the ‘others’. One day, Sylvester McMonkey McBean comes along and notices the bad treatment of the plain bellied Sneetches and offers them a higher quality of life with the Star-On Machine. Soon all of the Sneetches have stars on their bellies and there is nothing that separates Sneetch from Sneetch; however, when the original Star-bellied Sneetches catch wind of what happened they don’t hesitate to pay to go through the Star-Off Machine. This on and offing of the stars continues until all of the Sneetches have spent all of their money and can no longer tell which Sneetch was originally what Sneetch. By the end of the story, the Sneetches realize that it really doesn’t matter if they have a star belly or not; they are all the same. During Hitler’s reign of power, anti-Semitism separated the majority of the German people from Jews.
Anti-Semitism is the prejudice towards the Jewish people and religion; this is most demonstrated throughout the Holocaust. During this time, the Jewish people were forced to wear a yellow star on their clothing at all times. This was to distinguish Jews from the German people. Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler, decided that all people with Jewish beliefs are the reason Germany lost in World War 1. Like the Sneetches on the beaches, the Star of David was a physical barrier between ‘us and them’. Without the distinguishing article, no one would know the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew. By the end of Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches, no one could distinguish who from whom because there are no more alienating features that the Sneetches could discriminate against. The Sneetches without stars on their bellies represent the Jewish people because like them, the plain-bellied Sneetches where alienated and pushed out of society controlled by the star-bellied Sneetches.
In conclusion the Jewish people relate to the plain- bellied Sneetches for the following reasons: both are segregated from the rest of society, both have alienating qualities, and both where oppressed by the majority. The only way that these two differ is their ending; Dr. Seuss chose to see a brighter future for the Sneetches and left the story with all Sneetches coming together in the end. Unfortunately, the Jewish people where ultimately victims of a genocide by the German Nazi’s. Despite the tragic events that have occurred, there is always hope that we too may have the same happy ending as the Sneetches.