"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.