1943 oil on canvas painting by Salvador Dalí. In this painting Dali gives us a large egg-shaped globe of the world out of which a man is struggling to "hatch". This "new man" is coming out of North America -- the United States. There is blood running out of the crack in the egg and the new man's hand has England firmly in its grasp. In the foreground two figures are watching; one an adult the other a small child. The adult, of indeterminate sex, is drawing the child's attention by pointing at the new man being birthed. The child is standing as if afraid -- both hiding behind and holding on to the adult's knees.
The imagery here is fairly clear. America is emerging as the major force in the world. This new power is at the cost of some blood (World War II). The fate of England is in America's hands.
I'm not sure what significance can be drawn from the disproportionately large sizes of Africa and South America on the globe. The child - though much smaller than the adult -- casts a shadow much larger than the adult's. I get the impression that Dali is saying, "This is what you will have to deal with." And in a tone that is not altogether reassuring.
Among Dali's notes as he painted this scene was, "Geography changes its skin in historic germination." Perhaps an alternate or working title?