- Living on beaches, there are some Sneetches, some with stars and some without. Sorry, we're just channeling our Seuss here.
- Moving on.
- Sylvester McMonkey McBean arrives on the scene, and vintage Seuss chaos ensues—of the muddled-fuddled-wuddled variety no less.
- Now we are introduced to our two types of Sneetches: the Star-Belly and the Plain-Belly.
- As it turns out, the Star-Belly Sneetches are a wee-bit snooty about having those belly stars. They won't walk or talk with the Plain-Belly Sneetches, and their children won't play ball together.
- This sounds like some flat out prejudice to us.
- Speaking of prejudice, here's a little tidbit for you: Dr. Seuss was not Jewish.
- Wait, that's not the tidbit. The tidbit is this: Seuss faced quite a bit anti-Semitism in college. Apparently, some guys thought he was Jewish and, while thinking this thought, decided they didn't like it very much. Not the smartest bunch, that's for sure.
- This event left its mark on the young Seuss, and his work denounced bigotry ever since, from his early political cartoons (well, mostly—see "Brain Snacks") to "The Sneetches" (source).
- Back to the story. The grandest insult in Sneetchville is when the Star-Belly Sneetches have beach parties and leave the Plain-Belly Sneetches out in the cold. No frankfurters, no marshmallows, no nothing.
- Enter: a stranger in a strange car.
- He announces himself as Sylvester McMonkey McBean (we kid you not), and he announces that he has a machine. This machine, it turns out, will solve all the Plain-Belly Sneetches' problems.
- McBean quickly creates a machine that will give the Sneetches belly stars for a mere three dollars each.
- Bit of a niche market, sure, but the machine actually works.
- And just like that, the Plain-Belly Sneetches get them some stars on their bellies.
- Super content, the once Plain-Belly Sneetches go to show off their brand new stars and get accepted into the group…
- Yeah right. As if it ever works out that way.
- Surprise, surprise, the Star-Belly Sneetches, the ones who had the stars first, know they are still the best Sneetches. If only they had a way they could tell again…
- Hello, McBean.
- Yeah, this guy has a way to make them "the best Sneetches on beaches" (Sneetches.56), and it'll only cost them ten dollars apiece.
- And that, Shmoopers, is called "Supply and Demand." Learn to love it.
- So what's the plan? Well, McBean has a star-off machine that he uses to remove the Sneetches' stars. It works as advertised.
- Now, in a surprising twist, the original Star-Belly Sneetches strut their now Plain-Bellies.
- Oh my.
- As you can imagine, the now (i.e., new) Star-Belly Sneetches are miffed. But not for long.
- Soon enough, McBean slyly invites them for a go in his star-off Machine.
- Let the chaos begin.
- The Sneetches go back and forth between the two machines, trying to outdo each other and become the best on the beach. Yes, this would make a phenomenal slapstick routine.
- As for McBean, well, he's going to need a rake to pile all that cash.
- With every dollar of the Sneetches' money in tow, McBean clears out, saying, "They never will learn. / No. You can't teach a Sneetch!" (Sneetches.91-92)
- But guess what, McBean?
- You were wrong. The Sneetches do learn their lesson and decide to not care about who has a star upon thars.
- Booya.