"Where One Burns Books"

The Nazification of German Culture and the Book Burnings of March 10, 1933

Sources generally acknowledge that the Nazi book burnings of March 10, 1933—as discussed in the texts “Book Burning,” by Louis P. Locher, and “The Auto-Da-Fé of the Mind,” by Joseph Roth—were “a strong, great, and symbolic act”.[1] However, exactly what the burnings symbolized for German society remains a heated topic of discussion.

Roth’s lament that the book burnings marked the capitulation of the European mind[2] asserts the events as symbolic of the anti-intellectualism of Nazism. In following with their ideology of racial characterization, Nazism stressed the value of the “unsophisticated mass mind” over the Jewish intellectual mind. Traits such as faithfulness, tenacity, and stability would strengthen the German nation more, it was said, than the uncertainty and wavering that came with Jewish intellect.[3] With this mindset, Nazism sought to purge anything detrimental to the pure German spirit from culture and society. Jewish contributions in the German language were labelled a form of treason, as German culture could only be expressed by “true” Germans of Aryan descent—thus validating the burnings of “un-German” literature on March 10, 1933 and the events that followed. According to Gilmer W. Blackburn, “Hitler’s hostility to intellectualism and his hostility to Jewry were almost indistinguishable.”[4]

In an essay analyzing the Nazi antagonism toward un-German literature, Leonidas E. Hill comments that the world’s reaction to the March 10 book burnings remained ambiguous for some time.[5] While the world seemed to agree that the burnings were a shockingly radical event, international reaction made the then-vulnerable Nazi regime quiet down to an extent, leaving the significance of the events unclear to onlookers. Some critics argued that since the burnings were planned and executed primarily by university student groups and not officially by the government of the Third Reich, they did not truly reflect Nazi racial policies, and could be written off as “student highjinks.”

While the book burnings could potentially be perceived as mere raucous student larks, further investigation into the events of March 10 fail to support that theory. The students organizing the burning belonged to a Nazi student group (Deutsche Studentenschaft) attempting to upstage another such student group (Deutsche Studentenbund) and to gain favour with the Nazi government.[6] Nazism sought to rally the younger generation, as they were fresh and were less likely to harbour the liberal or socialist attitudes that might still be carried by their parents.[7]

 The burnings were not, as some discourse could lead one to believe, single-handedly executed by students for students; Nazis raided people’s homes, confiscating un-German literature and throwing it into the street; non-university civilians attended the rallies, showing support; military troops paraded through the streets to the scene of the fires; policemen and firemen were controlling the crowds.[8] The rallies were less a display of rebellious adolescent spirits than they were a public example of the effect of the Nazi indoctrination fed to the students by their instructors. The lack of resistance to the burnings as well as the wide support they generated are testaments to the degree to which the Nazi ideology was pervading the state. “[Regimentation] was accomplished less through terror,” says Hill, “than voluntary capitulation by stores, libraries, schools, universities, and public consensus.”[9]

While each take different approaches to describing March 10, 1933, both Hill and Blackburn have quoted Heinrich Heine, “There where one burns books, one in the end burns men.”[10] The book burnings were most certainly not isolated events of student life, but were “only the beginning of the end”[11] as heard in Joseph Roth’s cry. While the Nazis burnt the literary embodiments of “un-German” culture, they prophesied the extermination of the living un-German threat that was to come.[12]

It is true that the Nazi political party did not devise or directly effectuate the burnings, but the student-organized events illustrate the growth in public adoption of Nazi ideals and the shared impact of the German community as a whole on the Nazification of their society. While potential exists for the degree of Nazi involvement on March 10 to be debated, the student rally as a reflection of Nazi ideology cannot be denied: the book burnings and the Holocaust shared a common objective in the destruction of the Jewish un-German spirit.

---

[1] Joseph Goebbels, quoted in Louis P. Lochner, The Goebbels Diaries 1942-43, cited in “Book Burning,” in Sources of European History Since 1900 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2000), 165.

[2] Joseph Roth, “The Auto-Da-Fé of the Mind”, cited in Sources of European History Since 1900 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2000), 166.

[3] Gilmer W. Blackburn, Education in the Third Reich: Race and History in Nazi Textbook (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1985), 141.

[4] Ibid, 143.

[5] Leonidas E. Hill, “The Nazi Attack on Un-German Literature, 1933-1945”, The Holocaust and the Book: Destruction and Preservation, (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2001), 9.

[6] Ibid, 13.

[7] George L. Mosse, Nazi Culture: Intellectual, Cultural and Social Life in the Third Reich, (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1966), 263.

[8] Hill, 16.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Almansor: Eine Tragödie, quoted in Leo Löwenthal, “Calibans Erbe,“ in “Das war ein Vorspiel nur...,“ Berliner Colloquium zur Literaturpolitik im “Dritten Reich," ed. Horst Denkler and Erberhard Lämmert (Berlin: Akademie der Künste, 1985, 14.

[11] Roth, 167.

[12] Hill, 33.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 7

• Part 1, "Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men"
• Part 2, "He's Rather Tasty"
• Part 3, "Can Your Friends Do This?"
• Part 4, "The Curves"
• Part 5, "Ultimate, Cosmic Power"
• Part 6, "I'm the Most Famous Person in all of Greece! I'm an Action Figure!"

A Whole New World?

Beginning at a very early age, all aspects of our society aim to socialize boys into a narrowly defined window of heterosexuality, violent and dominating behaviour, and  stunted emotional growth. If young boys idolize fictional characters to such an extent, and the influence of cultural media is increasing, is there any hope for their healthy gender socialization? With the rise in popularity of non-traditionally masculine actors - such as Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse - stepping into principle media roles and children's programs featuring an increased variety of body types and skill sets, such as Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon, one can be hopeful that a new, more inclusive definition of masculine heroism is dawning in the media. 


On the other hand, the generation that was primarily influenced by the Disney cartoons and gender implications of the 1990's are now entering the process of rearing the next generation. It is as important now as ever that parents be constantly aware of the extraordinary influence of cultural media on children's socialization and to critically evaluate child-directed programming so that young boys may be offered an increased variety of role models to follow. This will provide them with greater opportunities to develop all aspects of their identities beyond the limited and limiting representations of the masculine experience as offered by the heroes of classic Disney animated films.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 6

• Part 1, "Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men"
• Part 2, "He's Rather Tasty
• Part 3, "Can Your Friends Do This?
• Part 4, "The Curves"
• Part 5, "Ultimate, Cosmic Power"

"I'm The Most Famous Person in all Greece! I'm an action figure!"
Capitalism in Disney films is treated as a reality with which every hero needs to contend. Aladdin, born into devastating poverty, is forced into a life of crime in a society that privileges those with wealth while denying any form of social security to those without it. He attributes the hopelessly cyclical nature of his criminal lifestyle to uneven distribution of wealth with the line, “Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat, otherwise we’d get along” (Clements and Musker, 1992). 

Adding to his woes, street urchin Aladdin is prevented from marrying the princess he loves because of his lack of wealth and consequent lack of social status. It is clear from their first meeting that Jasmine is fond of Aladdin, but this is irrelevant. Who Jasmine marries will be decided, not by whom Jasmine loves, but by whom her father deems most able to provide for her. In this way, the traditional role of male breadwinner is a source of extreme pressure for Aladdin (Nelson, 2010: 100). Aladdin manipulates this system by masquerading as a prince with enormous wealth, impressing the sultan sufficiently to gain his approval, but also setting him on a course of constant fear that his secret will be revealed and his ability to marry Jasmine will be lost.

 Money and fame do not solve Hercules problems as easily as they did for Aladdin. Assigned the mission of becoming a hero at the beginning of the film, Hercules embarks on a path that results in his acquisition of enormous celebrity and wealth. Zeus’ continued denial of divine status to Hercules convinces him that money and fame are not the keys to his fulfillment, but his coach, fans, and colleagues insist that he is successful and should be happy. Unable to reconcile his internal dissatisfaction with his materially-centred society, Hercules is driven to frustration, helplessness, and alienation.

The most evident conflict with consumerism is present in Tarzan, as the Victorian  capitalist Clayton sets out to kill each member of Tarzan’s gorilla band for the profit of “300 pounds sterling a head” (Arnold, 1999). To protect his adoptive family’s lives from this ruthless European capitalist ideology, Tarzan engages the hunter in a battle that results in Clayton’s death. Tarzan, an inhabitant of an environment void of Western contact until this point, was not a participant in capitalism like Aladdin and Hercules, but he was still affected to an alarming degree by the far-reaching, globally pervasive influence of those who did. Capitalism is portrayed in each film as an oppressive and alienating system, however the conclusions Disney suggests regarding the ideology is that men’s only choices are how they react to it and that the effects of capitalism are ultimately inescapable.

Sources 

Tarzan. Dir. Chris Buck and Kevin Lima. Perf. Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, and Brian Blessed. 1999. Walt Disney. DVD.

Aladdin. Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker. Perf. Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, and Linda Larkin. 1992. Walt Disney. DVD. 

Nelson, Adie. Gender in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 5

• Part 1, "Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men"
• Part 2, "He's Rather Tasty
• Part 3, "Can Your Friends Do This?"
• Part 4, "The Curves"

Part 5: “Ultimate, Cosmic Power

The overlying theme of conflict running through Disney narratives  is consistently one of power struggle. A villain possesses or is ambitious for a position of power that he can abuse for personal gain, resulting in a violent, climactic encounter with the hero. In Hercules, Hades plots to overthrow the gods of Mt. Olympus and usurp control of the universe for himself. Hercules attempts to do battle with the monstrous titans serving Hades, but by this point he has lost his superhuman strength, and is beaten to a pathetic pulp, emphasizing the notion that it is in one’s best interests to be extraordinary, rather than “normal” like everyone else. Hades’ plans are only thwarted when Hercules reclaims his immortal status, attaining a level of power superior to Hades’ own as a god in Zeus’ favour.

Jafar, the villain of Aladdin initially desires the political office of  sultan of Agraba, but he later seizes magical and spiritual abilities as well, making him the most powerful man in the world. Aladdin does battle with him, ultimately exploiting Jafar’s lust for power by persuading him to adopt a degree of power beyond his limits to control.

Kerchak represents Tarzan’s initial opponent as the leader of the gorilla band and Tarzan’s oppressor. In a celebration of wild, animalistic violence, Tarzan fights and kills the jaguar that killed his parents and offers the carcass to Kerchak, seeking approval through this symbol of deference and athletic skill. Then, Tarzan causes extreme social conflict when he violates Kerchak’s leadership authority and directly challenges him to fight.

Violence is celebrated as a vehicle to male success and fulfillment, with scenes of battles and fights as pivotal moments of climaxes of the films, earning them sexual attention, material rewards, and status within their communities. Violence is also portrayed as an explicitly male domain; the Disney heroines play active roles in contributing to the heroes’ social and emotional benefit, but during the battle scenes, the women are always compromised or incapacitated and do not participate.

Following these models, boys are lead to believe that every aspect of their world can be defined in terms of power, and that one’s primary goal is to either be the one in possession of power or to prevent others from acquiring too much. Boys are additionally encouraged to adopt the realm of violence the natural vehicle to maintaining this power balance. This message exacerbates the biologically deterministic gender role ascribed to men as dominating and uncivilized, providing no alternate example to facilitate any development in areas of sensitivity, emotion, and vulnerability inherent in all human beings, including men (Nelson, 201: 98). 

Source

Nelson, Adie. Gender in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 4

• Part 1, "Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men"
• Part 2, "He's Rather Tasty"
• Part 3, "Can Your Friends Do This?"

“The Curves”

Despite their cunning and strength in battle, the area in which no Disney hero boasts experience is that of romance. The heroes take turns bumbling through pitiful gestures and stuttering inarticulate compliments to win over the film’s heroine. The three women remain cool and collected when faced with the hero’s awkward advances, suggesting to the audience that in matters of love, women have the upper hand over men. Women are presented as a mystery that men are not expected to understand; “There are no trails through a woman’s heart,” Clayton tells Tarzan, “Women – you’d be lost even if you weren’t raised a savage” (Arnold, 1999). In the end, the three heroines respond to the hero with attraction, suggesting that women appreciate innocence and vulnerability in men – a confusing message that contradicts earlier emphases on male independence and power (Nelson, 2010: 99).

Disney proposes that attractive women are characterized by three qualities: fragility, in need of protection, and in the possession of men. The women are miniscule in size, with waists no larger than their necks. Jane is an intellectual who romps around the dangerous jungle, but it is her father’s research she is supporting, not her own, and she has hired a robust gunman for protection. Jasmine proves to be without need of Aladdin’s assistance on the rooftops by vaulting over chasms instead of using the planks he set down for her, but this is depicted as a surprising action – nothing suggests that Aladdin was wrong to assume she was in need of his help. Megara is the most wilful of the heroines, but she is also the most directly subjected to male dominance, as she is enslaved to the god Hades who is quite literally in possession of her soul.

An  ideal of love is portrayed in which men are the women’s saviours, rescuing them from unfortunate situations. It may seem that the men are freeing the women from patriarchal control, but instead, they are perpetuating it. The women escape their misery only in marriage, by trading their bonds to one man to another. Tarzan does not free Jane of her need for protection in jungle, but merely replaces the protective role previously occupied by Clayton. The sultan alters the law so that Jasmine may be free to marry whomever she chooses, freeing her from a dreaded obligation of marrying a suitor she does not love, but if the sultan possessed the power to change the law all along, then he could have just as easily created a law long go freeing Jasmine of having to marry at all. These images have the potential to socialize boys toward a patriarchal idea of love that does not include two independent agents joining together into a union of equality, but one in which the man takes over the role as the woman’s benefactor with the object of taking better care of her than her previous owner did. 

The definition of Disney romance is also exclusively Western conservative in nature. Each relationship consists of a monogamous, heterosexual union, despite cultural contexts in which such unions would be unlikely to occur. Aladdin’s Agraba is likely situated in a medieval Middle Eastern Islamic region, and Hercules is set in ancient Greece. Marriage practices in both cultures were habitually political arrangements and were often polygamous. Nonetheless, the Western convention of monogamous romantic marriage has been appropriated to the cultures in the films, sacrificing accuracy and cultural sensitivity in favour of Western appeal. Greek mythology attributes not only numerous female wives and extramarital lovers to Hercules, but an extensive number of male lovers as well (Lahanas, “Herakles”). 

This conspicuously limited picture of Hercules’ sexuality promotes a very narrow image of sexual normality for its young male viewers to internalize. Without being offered evidence of sexual or romantic practices outside the Christian Western-European norm, viewers will be socialized to consider alternate practices and sexualities as deviant, unnatural, or non-existent (Hagin, 2011). This risks the creation of men at odds with their own culture and sexuality as well as with those of others, limiting their ability to embrace individual identity and perpetuating social ills such as homophobia and racial intolerance.

Sources

Tarzan. Dir. Chris Buck and Kevin Lima. Perf. Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, and Brian Blessed. 1999. Walt Disney. DVD.

Hagin, Fern M. “Lectures; Soc 212.” University of Regina, 2011.

Halanas, Michael. “Herakles.” Hellenica: Information About Greece and Cyprus. Web. <http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Heracles.html>

Nelson, Adie. Gender in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 3

• Part 1, "Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men"
• Part 2, "He's Rather Tasty"

“Can Your Friends Do This?”

All three featured Disney men depict a steadfast image of independence. None of the three have supportive or involved family networks. Hercules has been separated from his biological family of the gods and was raised by a peasant couple, whom he later leaves behind on journey to find his original parents and place in the world. Tarzan was orphaned in his infancy and adopted by a female gorilla, who, though she provided him with love, was not sufficient to dispel Tarzan’s experience of alienation. Aladdin’s family history is unknown, but his family’s absence is directly blamed for his criminal behaviour by the owner of a harem, who muses, “I’d blame parents, but he hasn’t got’em” (Clements and Musker, 1992).

Without the stabilizing, supportive influences of family members, the heroes turn to their friends for companionship. The friendship characters in these Disney films follow a pattern of characterization and role fulfillment. Firstly, none of the heroes’ friends are humans. This pattern has the potential to denigrate the friends to a status inferior to that of the hero. Hercules’ two sidekicks consist of Pegasus, a winged horse, and Phil, a satyr; Tarzan is befriended by a gorilla and an elephant. The “sub-human friend” phenomenon is most evident with Aladdin, whose following comprises a monkey, a supernatural genie, and a carpet – a tapestry with the gifts of movement and sentience, but without the capacity for speech. 

The friends are not only degraded in terms of their species, but also in their personal qualities. The friends never share the virtues of the protagonist, but instead, fill roles of either comic relief or foils to the hero’s excellence. Each of these supporting characters is riddled with flaws; none can match the dignity and stoicism of the protagonist, but possess traits that render them weak or unfavourable in comparison. 

Instead of relating to the hero on an equal personal level, the friends fulfill roles of servility to the hero. While serving few other functions throughout the narratives, the friends always come through in moments of crisis to break the hero out of jail or fight by his side in battle. Each set of friends is mistreated by the protagonist at a point in the story, causing them to reject him; however, they never fail to return to his side in his most desperate hour. This suggests not only that friends exist to serve, but also that they will continue to serve no matter how disrespectfully they are treated. 

The most disturbing example of these friendships is that of Aladdin and the Genie. Genie is the only of the heroes’ friends to possess power and skills that surpass those of the hero, but Aladdin is clearly identified as the Genie’s master. Genie describes their relationship as one in which Aladdin is “the boss, the king, the shah” (Clements and Musker, 1992).  Genie tells Aladdin, “you’ve never had a friend like me” (Clements and Musker, 1992). What makes the Genie a superior friend? He can give Aladdin anything that he wants – indeed, he exists to grant Aladdin’s wishes. 

I don't get any respect.

These supporting characters offer a very distorted concept of friendship to young boys in which relationships are defined in terms of power and subordination. Friends are not equals, but tools to be exploited for one’s own success; the best friends are those with the greatest services to offer. The Disney depiction of friendship does little to teach children how to form intimate, personal relationships, but more how to exploit one’s friends for personal gain, perpetuating the stereotype of men who dominate others with independence and emotional restraint (Nelson, 2010: 99).

Sources

Aladdin. Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker. Perf. Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, and Linda Larkin. 1992. Walt Disney. DVD.

Nelson, Adie. Gender in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 2

• Part 1, "Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men"

“He’s Rather Tasty"

While Disney heroes come from a range of ethnicities and  historical periods, they consistently adhere to a common body type that promotes an ideal of unrealistic physical prowess. The most noticeable feature of the heroes’ appearance is their bodybuilder-like physiques, prominently displayed by amount of nudity allowed by the men’s apparel. Aladdin’s tiny vest highlights his large, square pectorals – anatomically incorrect with their conspicuous lack of nipples. 

"This is where your nipples should be!"

Tarzan’s entire body ripples with muscles given added definition by the jungle shadows that continuously play off of him; his arms and thighs rival the trees around him in size. Hercules’ body is the most exaggerated of the three. The son of the divine Greek patriarch Zeus, Hercules boasts the gift of superhuman strength, as demonstrated by extraordinary arms, legs, and abs. Indeed, Hercules’ strength and body are admired as his principle assets, as “folks lined up just to watch him flex...this perfect package packed a pair of pretty pecs” (Clements and Musker, 1997). It can be argued that Hercules’ divine parentage should prevent human boys from aspiring to Herculean physiques, but in this version of the myth, Hercules is rendered mortal, making him a very human character to whom boys still can and will relate

The Disney universe is one in which the tall, heavily muscled body type is idealized by the virtuous hero, while all other shapes and sizes are “othered.” The supporting, human, male cast of Tarzan consists of an aging old man and a barrel-chested hunter whose muscular shape does not rival Tarzan’s in grace. The townsmen populating Hercules’ villages are all either lanky and skinny or lumpy and fat. They are portrayed as cynical, bad-tempered, and physically weak. The supporting men in Aladdin are the sultan, a miniscule, tubby, old man, and the antagonist Jafar, who is tall, dark, and extremely thin. Rotund characters tend to be jovial, dim-witted, and are not taken seriously. Skinny characters are portrayed as weak, both of body and of integrity.

The trend in which oversized muscle-men are associated with success and goodness while all other body types are associated with inferiority is a dangerous one in this age when muscle dysmorphia is becoming apparent in younger and younger men (Nelson, 2010: 145). This is a psychological distortion that generates unwarranted fear in individuals, usually boys, that their body is unacceptably weak and small, and can lead to harmful abuse of steroids, food supplements, and compulsive exercise in an effort to reach an unhealthy and unrealistic size. Popular concern for the “drive for muscularity” (Nelson, 2010: 195) has criticized fitness magazines for exposing adolescents to hypermasculine images that create body dissatisfaction, but the unfortunate reality is that boys are exposed to these unrealistic ideals as early as childhood and infancy in the form of cartoon heroes.

Jafar’s henchmen who chase Aladdin are also muscular, but they differ from Aladdin’s trim figure with pot bellies, top heaviness, beards, bulbous noses , and slack jowls. These characteristics, coupled with heavy Arab accents, create a distinctly negative image of Middle Eastern men that contrasts sharply with Aladdin’s curiously Western European face and Americanized speech (Giroux, 1999: 105).  The physical traits shared and advertised by the male Disney characters impart a clear message that successful and attractive men are exclusively muscular and Western in appearance, regardless of ethnicity – an ideal with potentially disastrous psychological, emotional, and physical effects on young boys of all backgrounds and body types as they inevitably fail to achieve it or harm themselves trying.

Sources

Tarzan. Dir. Chris Buck and Kevin Lima. Perf. Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, and Brian Blessed. 1999. Walt Disney. DVD.

Aladdin. Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker. Perf. Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, and Linda Larkin. 1992. Walt Disney. DVD.

Hercules. Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker. Perf. Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, and James Woods. 1997. Walt Disney. DVD.

Giroux, Henry A. The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999. Print.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You: Disney Heroes and Male Gender Socialization," Part 1

Of Iconic Mice and a Global Corporation of Men

In his book  The Mouse That Roared, Henry A. Giroux argues that growing media culture has become the primary educational force of meanings, values, and identity in children. This is hardly surprising, given that in 1999, the American Medical Association reported that the single largest stretch of time in an American child’s life was spent in front of a television screen, with the average American spending four hours a day watching television alone (Giroux, 1999: 3). If television and the media play such a significant role in instructing North American children, then it is important to examine these media to understand what lessons their programs are imparting on children in their impressionable, developmental childhood years. 

The Disney Corporation is one of the best examples of child-targeting media. Disney’s influence permeates global culture through advertising, theme parks, television programs, and consumer merchandise. Arguably the most beloved branch of Disney’s extensive industry is its whimsical, animated feature films. Disney has broadcasted for all its products the objective of spreading joy and wonder to people of all ages; however, the true effects of the industry are far more complicated and unsettling.

The wide distribution and popular appeal of Disney movies allows them to spread images, values, and ideals to children across the world, including messages regarding gender. A study by Lonial and Van Auken on message dissemination to children indicates that children wishfully identify with fictional characters. Furthermore, male children are more likely to identify with male characters, while female children exhibit a more flexible range of identification in terms of gender. This study suggests an enormous potential for male fictional characters to influence young boys, emphasized by the evidence that children in grades one to three view their favourite television characters as behavioural role models (Lonial and Van Aucken, 1986: 4).

Critical examination of three title hero characters from popular, animated, Disney feature films released between 1992 and 1999, Hercules, Tarzan, and Aladdin, reveal a rigid collection of gendered messages that could present harmful effects to the early socialization process experienced by young boys. If boys are internalizing the values of their favourite fictional characters to the degree proposed by Lonial and Van Aucken, then the behaviour, relationships, and social roles of Disney heroes will lead them to develop gender identities that are narrowly-defined, restrictive, and ultimately, destructive.

Sources

Giroux, Henry A. The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999. Print.

Lonial, Subhash C. and Stuart Van Auken. “Wishful Identification with Fictional Characters: An Assessment of the Implications of Gender in Message Dissemination to Children.” Journal of Advertising, vol. 15, no. 4 (1986): 4-11, 42. Web. JSTOR. 23 Mar. 2011.