Gooding WIlliams vs Morton

Concerning The Lion King, John Morton makes a much stronger argument than Robert Gooding-Williams. Williams’ argument suffers from a narrow and biased scope that does not resonate with a reader who does not hold the same mindset or opinion. In essence, Williams does not entice a reader to agree with him. Many of Williams’ main issues are highlighted in Morton’s work. Firstly, the claim that “Africa is historyless” and mainly that Scar is the only form of history on Pride Rock is not well substantiated. Williams paints Scar almost nobly, as a revolutionary trying to “enfranchise” the underprivileged in society.  Williams then extends this argument as being almost anti-immigration or anti-class mobility by claiming that the destruction that comes to Pride Rock as a result of the hyenas is an advocation for elitism. However, as pointed out by Morton, Williams fails to acknowledge not only the inherent traits of the hyenas and scar, but also fails to recognize Timon and Pumbaa. Scar is no working class revolutionary, as he is simply using the hyenas in order to obtain personal gain and power. Scar is “at the top of the food chain”, and his goals do not concern the enfranchisement of lowly scavengers. As well, as Morton points out, the system Scar implements is “equally static and cyclical as the one it replaced”. Scar did not break the mold of history in Pride Rock. Instead, he simply redirected it into “a cycle of death”. Timon and Pumbaa prove to be the main counterargument to Williams’ theory.

 

While Williams points to the hyenas as the sole embodiment of the lower class, and how their demonization is representative of the view on all of the lower class. However, Timon and Pumbaa’s relationship with Simba breaks this entire theory. Timon and Pumbaa are satisfied with their lowly status, and have learned to enjoy the carefree lifestyle of their lives. Simba’s relationship with the pairing, however, shows a joining of forces between the upper and lower classes of society. They learn to appreciate the upsides of both roles and eventually Timon and Pumbaa step up to assist Simba in regaining his rightful place. This represents “an alliance between the productive working class and the legitimate ruling class.” They fight against people that are “scroungers and those who would seek power for its own sake.” Scar and the hyenas are no noble proletariat that will rise based on Marxist theory. Instead they are scoundrels who are selfish and lazy, and lack the means to rise in the world so they rise through deceit. Lastly, Morton’s paper obviously gets a boost in credibility as it is serving an easier purpose. As established, disagreeing with a formerly made point presents less of a challenge than making that original point.