Summary Of Stephen Gould's A Biological Homage To Mickey Mouse

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In Stephen Gould’s “A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse” (Writing Conventions 279-289), Gould has a biologists’ form of appeal towards Disney’s fascination with changing the character of Mickey Mouse. With Mickey Mouse almost having a type of personification over each of Walt Disney’s characters in relation, Gould as a researcher was drawn to the idea of why viewers have acquired a sense of interest to the gradual changes in Mickey Mouse’s character. Claiming that the stages of Mickey’s alterations cause him to appear more youthful, Gould takes a stab as to how these juvenile traits appear to spectators who have been pleased by these changes over the decades. According to critic Christopher Finch, Mickey Mouse had become a national symbol with many expectations as a character. Finch further stated “he was expected to behave properly at all times… Eventually he would be pressured into the role of straight man.” (279-280) By Gould using factual information of the measurements as well as drawn out examples of the evolution of Mickey Mouse’s being, Gould progressively demonstrates how each transforming character throughout the years have proven to appear juvenile. By comparing the appearances of Disney’s original “Steamboat Willie” to present day Mickey Mouse, the transformation has proven to be astoundingly obvious when…show more content…
In Mickey Mouse’s stages of development, Gould discusses the distinct growth in Mickey’s head size, large eyes, and extended cranium dimensions. In fact, Gould points out that, “He stands impervious to the ravages of time.” (280) By taking this into account, one must question the word environment Gould attempts to portray by using the phrase “Mickey’s creeping juvenility.”

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