​RACE RELATIONS DURING WW2

            Although Dr. Seuss is primarily known for his lovable children’s books, he created several hundred pictures used for war propaganda. One of these pictures depicts Adolf Hitler and a female caricature of Japan, along with a menacing child named Hashimura Frankenstein.

            Adolf Hitler is drawn rather normally, with his iconic bar mustache and swastika armband. There are no exaggerated facial features, indicating that the attack of this picture is not directed specifically at Hitler. Standing next to Hitler is a sitting Japanese woman, with several dramatic features. Starting from the top of her hair is the Japanese flag, illustrated by the rising sun. The style of her hair, accessorized with two flowers, is similar to the way Japanese geishas do their hair. Her outfit resembles a female kimono, while the wooden clogs are symbolically known to define the Japanese race. The most noticeable features of this woman are from her face. Slanted, thin eyes, a piggish, stout nose, buckteeth, a thin mustache, along with a very round and plump face, all represent the typical stereotypes of the Japanese people. Compared to Hitler, her features are much more stereotypical and dramatized, indicating that Japan is the main enemy of this picture.

            On the side of the beloved couple, there is a child in a crib named Hashimura Frankenstein with a swastika. Arguably, “Hashimura” may represent the character Hashimuro Togo, created by Wallace Irwin, who wrote stereotypical letters in broken English.