Readers and critics alike have criticized Dr. Seuss for employing racist imagery and stereotypes throughout his career. As a political cartoonist during World War II, Seuss used troubling racialized imagery to monolithically portray Japanese Americans and Japanese citizens as evil, conniving invaders and enemies. His dehumanization of people of color extended into his foray into children’s literature; for example, If I Ran the Zoo portrays two African characters as monkeys and characterizes a group of Asian characters as “helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant.” Moreover, the book's narrator expresses his objective to display a man wearing a turban in the zoo. As of March 2021, the publishing company Dr. Seuss Enterprises is no longer publishing six of Seuss’s books because of their insensitive depictions of racialized characters. The shelved books include If I Ran the Zoo, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer.
While a less explicitly racist text in Seuss's career, The Cat in the Hat contains troubling racial imagery. In Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books, academic Philip Nel argues that the story’s conflict hinges on the tension between two white children and a black cat who doesn’t belong in their world—but wishes to become a part of it. Nel also makes note of the central inspiration of the Cat’s iconic costume: Annie Williams, a black elevator operator who wore white gloves. In addition to Williams, Nel argues minstrelsy and blackface influenced the Cat’s character and look. He writes,
The Cat’s umbrella (which he uses as a cane) and outrageous fashion sense link him to Zip Coon, that foppish “northern dandy negro” (Lott 15). His bright red floppy tie recalls the polka-dotted ties of blackfaced Fred Astaire in Swing Time (1936) and of blackfaced Mickey Rooney in Babes in Arms (1939). His red-and-white-striped hat brings to mind Rooney’s hat in the same film or the hats on the minstrel clowns in the silent picture Off to Bloomingdale Asylum (1903). Such garish costumes signal the Cat’s and the blackface character’s aspiration to and unawareness of bourgeois acceptability.
Interestingly, while some of Seuss's books perpetuate racist caricatures, others have unapologetically liberal political messages. Horton Hears a Who celebrates inclusivity and is often featured on anti-racist curricula for young children, and The Lorax is widely considered a foundational environmentalist work of fiction. In an interview with The Washington Post, Nel explains that the coexistence of liberalism and racism in Seuss’s career is “a great example of the insidiousness of racism…[and] a reminder of how racism infects our minds in ways we’re not aware.” In other words, racism is so pervasive that it can subliminally permeate the minds of even the most well-intentioned individuals—including Seuss.
Literature shapes young children’s ideas of the world and thus has the power to implement change and create a more tolerant, inclusive population in the future. Because of the medium's profound influence on children's minds and the popularity of Seuss’s work, the world of children’s literature is currently re-evaluating what role Seuss’s work should continue to play in the genre. Many critics argue that parents and adults must introduce literature that promotes cultural sensitivity, anti-racism, and inclusivity to children—rather than work (such as Seuss’s) featuring insensitive, damaging stereotypes. Nel argues that adults must recognize and address, not avoid, the offensive images and ideas of favorite books from their childhoods, even if it is uncomfortable for them.
“I don’t think nostalgia is a defense. Affection is not a defense,” Nel has remarked. “What you have to do is take a deep breath, step back, and realize that the culture in which these books live and in which these books were written is a racist culture and a sexist culture.”
