Authors and Books
for Children

Patriotism and Propaganda in Girls' Series: Fictional Nurses of World War II

Girls' series books written during the World War II era offered a tantalizing mix of patriotic messages and romantic heroines that helped young girls understand service to country, the value of sacrifice, and their own duty to help in the war effort. The image of the nurse in fiction for young girls was a potent symbol of both femininity and patriotism.

In the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, women were stereotypically considered homemakers. Though some women worked outside the home, of course, their primary role was generally seen as the guardian of the home and the family--they were the nurturers, the loving arms that embraced and protected. This role was perceived as the essence of "femininity." But the approach of World War II and its personnel requirements necessitated a paradigm shift.

Because women were needed in the war effort, a major propaganda push both encouraged women to fill jobs traditionally held by the men who would be needed for combat, and reassured women that by taking these jobs, they would not be relinquishing their femininity--indeed, they would be enhancing it through selfless service. In myriad media stories and images, such as those of Rosie the Riveter at the factory, the saluting secretaries in the steno pool, the proud WAACs and the WAVES, women were provided with stirring portraits of their peers nobly doing their bit for Uncle Sam. But perhaps the most gleaming and idealized image of all was that of the nurse, the woman in white who might actually go to the battlefronts and serve as surrogate mother, nurturer, and healer of "our boys."

These images of nurse as the ultimate blend of patriotism and femininity were not limited to portrayals targeted for adult women, but appeared prominently in books aimed at young readers as well. Although some highly popular girls' series, such as the Nancy Drew and Judy Bolton books, almost completely ignored the war and wartime demands, series featuring nurse heroines generally focused on the war. In series from Cherry Ames to Penny Marsh, from Ann Bartlett to Nurse Blake, from Susan Merton to Nancy Naylor, young girls were bombarded with images of nurse as romantic heroine to inspire them to serve the war effort and the cause of freedom.

Though the Cherry Ames series by Helen Wells, the Ann Bartlett series by Martha Johnson, and the Nurse Blake series by William Starret all began as wartime series, some other series predated U.S. involvement in World War II but sharply changed direction to reflect the exigencies of the war. Dorothy Deming's Penny Marsh series, for example, begins in the late 1930s with Penny working peacefully as a rural public health nurse; Elisabeth Lansing's Nancy Naylor series originally depicts a nurse employed as a stewardess for a commercial airline; and Louise Logan's Susan Merton series (aimed at older readers and adult women) initially details the romantic machinations of a rather cold-blooded, man-hungry young nurse. (The Sue Barton nurse series, which had begun in the mid 1930s, had effectively ended in 1940 with Sue's announcement of a baby on the way; Helen Dore Boylston eventually wrote additional books in 1949 and 1952, bypassing the war.)

Dr. Bonwit spoke slowly. "The Japs bombed Pearl Harbor this morning. Our Navy, our bombers, our men, were all taken unawares and--"

"Where is Pearl Harbor?" Ginger wanted to know.

"Hawaii."

"Hawaii! Why that's us. Why that is our territory! That means--"

"War," said Dr. Bonwit. (Penny Marsh and Ginger Lee, Wartime Nurses, p. 7)

The Japanese were attacking Pearl Harbor. The war was on. ... "The ship," she gasped. "We've got to get back to the ship." ...

[M]ore and more Jap planes appeared overhead. The crashing thud of bombs, the thin terrifying whistle as they fell through the air was dreadful evidence that Honolulu itself was not to escape the fury of the attacker. Already the air was filled with the acrid smell of smoke and burnt powder as houses in the vicinity burst into flames. The uproar was too great to comprehend; it was beyond hearing, it was the full fury of hell itself. (Ann Bartlett at Bataan, pp. 8-9)

"I'd like to do something for the war--something big and--" She hesitated. Penny feared she was going to say "impressive," but she didn't; instead she said "--real. Nursing would be that, wouldn't it?" (p. 23)