A popular children's tale that cautions against despotism. Yertle is the grandiose king of the pond who decides he rules whatever he can see—and makes the turtles stack up to the sky. Mack is the turtle at the bottom who ultimately rebels and brings the stack crashing down.
A tortoise crosses the road to get to the sea. Its struggle to do so (even being hit by a car and land on its back) can be read allegorically for the struggles the Joad family has to endure.
The novel takes place in Anschluss-Vienna and features tortoises in which a local craftsman intends to engrave swastikas as sign of welcome to the expected Nazis. Heartbroken about this practice, the Jewish protagonist Kain buys all the untouched ones and takes them home. One of them, however, still naturally features a swastika-like form on its shell. Kain's brother Werner, a stone specialist, particularly identifies with the tortoises. Yet all Jewish characters appear to do so in some way. Being forced to dine with the SA official Pilz, they present him with mock-turtle soup they do not eat themselves (as it is not koscher), one of them says: "We are the tortoises." Additionally, remarks to other popular uses of the tortoise's body (e.g. for combs) are briefly drawn attention to.
Although the animal itself plays a minor character in the novel, it arguably stands symbolically for the novels characters and their resistance.
In comics
Character
Origin
First appearance
Notes
Arnold
Weber
Best friend of Weber the ladybird in Gommaar Timmermans' comic series Weber. [2]
Bev Gilturtle is one of the main characters who is an energetic box turtle.[4] She tries to entertain the other pets as she can and she loves trying out various kinds of activities.
An anthropomorphic turtle who is the chef and owner of the diner whom "Honeylove" Loretta, of the Street Frogs, works as a waitress and kitchen helper.
