The Sneetches and Other Stories

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The Sneetches
Author Dr. Seuss
Cover artist Dr. Seuss
Country USA
Language English
Genre(s) Children's literature
Publisher Random House
Publication date 1961
Media type Print (Hardcover and paperback)
OCLC 470409
Preceded by Green Eggs and Ham
Followed by Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book

The Sneetches and Other Stories is a collection of stories by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel). It is composed of four separate stories, unrelated except in the fact that most of the stories have important morals. The four stories are:

  • "The Sneetches"
  • "The Zax"
  • "Too Many Daves"
  • "What Was I Scared Of?"

The first two stories in the book were later adapted, along with Green Eggs and Ham, into the animated TV special Dr. Seuss on the Loose.

Contents

[edit] "The Sneetches"

Sneetches are a race of odd, yellow creatures who live on a beach. Some Sneetches have a star on their bellies, and in the beginning of the story the presence or absence of a star is the basis for discrimination. Sneetches who have stars on their bellies are part of the "in crowd", while Sneetches without stars are shunned and consequently mopey.

In the story, a "fix-it-up chappie" named Sylvester McMonkey McBean appears, driving a cart of strange machines. He offers the Sneetches without stars a chance to have them by going through his Star-On machine, for three dollars. The treatment is instantly popular, but this upsets the old star-bellied Sneetches, as they are in danger of losing their method for discriminating between classes of Sneetches. Then McBean tells them about his Star-Off machine, costing ten dollars. The Sneetches formerly with stars happily pay the money to have them removed in order to remain special.

However, McBean does not share the prejudices of the Sneetches, and allows the recently starred Sneetches through this machine as well. Ultimately this escalates, with the Sneetches running from one machine to the next,

"until neither the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew
whether this one was that one or that one was this one
or which one was what one... or what one was who."

This continues until the Sneetches are penniless and McBean leaves a rich man. In the end, the Sneetches learn that neither plain-belly nor star-belly Sneetches are superior, and they are able to get along and become friends.

This story is referenced in punk rock band Dead Kennedys' song Holiday in Cambodia.

[edit] "The Zax"

"The Zax" is a lesson about the importance of compromise. In the story a North-going Zax and a South-going Zax meet face to face in the Prairie of Prax.

Because they refuse to move east, west, or any direction except their respective headings, the two Zax become stuck, as they refuse to move around each other. The Zax stand so long that eventually a highway overpass is built around them, and the story ends with the Zax still standing there.

Like "The Sneetches", "The Zax" is written in anapestic tetrameter and follows a strict rhyme scheme.

[edit] "Too Many Daves"

"Too Many Daves" is a very short story about a mother, Mrs. McCave, who named all 23 of her sons Dave. This causes problems in the family, and the majority of the story lists unusual and amusing names she wishes she had given them, such as "Bodkin Van Horn," "Hoos Foos," "Snimm," "Stuffy," "Stinky," "Buffalo Bill," "Biffalo Buff," or "Zanzibar Buck Buck McFate". The story ends with the statement that "She didn't do it, and now it's too late."

Although this story could have a lesson related to individualism, it primarily focuses on all the funny names, and may well just be a fun story.

McFate would reappear in Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

[edit] "What Was I Scared Of?"

"What Was I Scared Of?" tells the tale of a character who repeatedly meets up with an empty pair of pale-green pants. The character, who is the narrator, is initially afraid of the pants, which are able to stand on their own despite the lack of a wearer. However when he screams for help and the pants also start to cry, he realizes that "They were just as scared as I!" After that the empty pants become good friends with the narrator. Now the boy and the pants are no longer afraid of each other.

This story teaches the lesson that you should not be afraid of things with which you are not familiar.

Unlike the other three stories in this collection, "What Was I Scared Of?" is written in trochaic tetrameter, which is the other meter that Dr. Seuss typically used.

[edit] Further reading