The article, How to Read Donald Duck, focuses on the cartoon characters of the Disney comic strips. It delves into their relationships or lack thereof. Although there is an absense of the father figure, there still exists an authorative role to take it's place. Such is the case with Scrooge and his nephews. Despite the many adventures the characters go through, there is no growing for them. Dorfman explains that because none of the characters were born, they have no past and no future, and are therefore will continue living at precisely the same age for as long as they are drawn.
While the male roles usually fall under authorative (such as Uncle Scrooge) or weak (such as Donald Duck) figures, the female roles are fairly consistant. They are portrayed as temptresses. Though this may seem a strong word, it is used because they maintain control over the guys who seek them (such as Donald and Daisy) by never being full committed to them. In the Disney comic world, just like age, relationship status is at a freezepoint. So Donald continues to try to court her and give her gifts and fend off other love interests Daisy might spot.
One of the significant questions the author is posing for his reader to consider, is what kind of effect seeing characters like this has on the young impressionable minds who witness them. Disney's male characters are either demanding or dim. Their female counterparts' power lies in the role of temptress, and likewise demanding, often displaying bouts of vanity and jealousy. Are these traits that we want to see embedded in our children? As far as examples go, Disney is an exemplary model of what kids today watch and use for entertainment. Perhaps the fact that it is aimed at them is what we should be concerned about.
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