Lo$ / The Dream Of A Lifetime / Scrooge as banker / brave ducks

Daniel van Eijmeren dve at kabelfoon.nl
Mon Apr 5 00:00:39 CEST 2004


Here's an addition to the Barks references in my previous email, 
in connection Rosa's 'The Dream Of A Lifetime' (D 2002-033), in 
which the 'Life of $crooge' is shown as one big dream. 

In panel 7.1, of Barks's 'The Cattle King' (US 69), Scrooge flies 
away from his desert ranch, saying to Donald and the nephews: 
"I'm leaving you lads to learn the cattle business by EXPERIENCE!"

And in the next panel, he continues, thinking: 
"I learned that way! That's why I became a BANKER!"

This could mean that Scrooge never really was the cowboy superhero as 
shown in, for example, 'Life of $crooge' part 3. 

Instead, Scrooge could have left the cattle business as fast as he 
could, having decided to earn his money in a much *easier* way, by 
becoming a banker. A bragging old banker telling about all the dreams 
he has, about having been on a sinking Titanic, known by presidents 
like Roosevelt, etc. etc. etc. etc.

Already in his debut, Barks's 'Christmas on Bear Mountain' (OS 178), 
Scrooge is introduced as a coward. On page 18, he hides after the sofa 
when he sees a little bear. Then, on page 19, he gets himself together, 
bragging(!) that he doesn't know the "meaning of fear", but when he 
sees his nephew Donald sleeping in the arms of a sighing bear, he just 
flees away in panic.

In panel 1.1 of 'The Cattle King', Donald is hmffing about Scrooge's 
"brazen ARROGANCE". And on page 3, banker Scrooge fails to keep his 
ranchers, which seems to prove Donald right. After that, Scrooge lets 
his problems be solved by his family. Just like he very often lets his 
family do the difficult work for him. (Otherwise he wouldn't have taken 
them with him, in most cases.)

This is another reason why I doubt that banker Scrooge really is the 
brave person as he often wants us to believe.

In Scrooge's second adventure, Barks's 'The Old Castle's Secret' 
(OS 189), the not-so-bravery of both Scrooge and Donald is present 
again, throughout the story.

Maybe Barks intended the not-so-bravery to be an obvious part of 
Scrooge's and Donald's characters?

--- Daniël, making some spelling mistakes "from time to to time" :-)




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