This political cartoon, drawn by Dr. Seuss, depicts Hitler and a Japanese man. The fear preyed upon here is the exagerated idea that their faces will be carved on Mount Rushmore as opposed to American founding fathers. I am not sure if the Japanese man is meant to represent a specific person, but is interesting to note that he does not like the Japanese emperor during the time of WWII in my opinion. It’s crazy to think it might just be a stand-in figure for all Japanese people. This just goes to show why people may still have been hesitant for a book critical of anti-Japanese racism in 1956. Japanese people, and racist charicatures of Japanese people, were a bonafide symbol of villainy.

 

What does it mean to read No-No Boy in this class? In this time period?

This novel is still extremely relevant today, and goes to show how universal the immigrant experience in the US can be. Ichiro feels alienated and isolated as an outsider due to his nationality. This theme is particularly relevant in the context of modern politics and the rise of alt-right xenophobia. There has been a growing sense of nationalism and a backlash against diversity and immigration. In the US, this is particularly relevant for immigrants from Latin America and the Middle East/North Africa, and in Europe it is especially focused on the Middle East/North Africa. In the last few years, the rise of fascism internationally has occurred parallel to this backlash against multiculturalism, meaning both the discriminatory practices against immigrants/people of color/foreigners and the global threat of fascism are still present. Racism and anti-immigration movements, both in policy and socially, reject many individuals who try to find a place in Western societies, mirroring Ichiro‘s personal struggles with being an outsider. This novel is still very important in reflecting the experiences of people of color and immigrants in the West.