Disney vs. Reality

Growing up, I always thought of Johnny Appleseed as a heroic young man with a love for apples, which is what most children are taught. After reading Pollan’s description of the “real” Johnny Appleseed, John Chapman, I now realize just how much Disney romanticizes him. The Disney version of this story is focused on Johnny’s love for apples and his strong desire to share that love with the world. They portray him as a man who wants to give the gift of apples to everyone for the good of mankind. Although this story is more politically correct for young children, Disney’s main audience, it is very sugar coated as it leaves out all of Johnny’s negative qualities. The story is geared toward promoting good values, such as love of nature and kindheartedness. However, on Pollan’s journey through Ohio we discover that Chapman did not just start planting trees everywhere for the love of it, rather, using them as real-estate investments at the time. Chapman was also known for planting other seeds and creating medicines. A major difference between the two is that Pollan talks about Chapman’s issues with love. It appears that Chapman was a bit strange (psychologically) and lonely. He even refers to Chapman as an American Dionysus, stating he was at one with nature, all mighty, and powerful. Pollan seeks out the truth while traveling around and states the negative as well as positive qualities that John had. Pollan’s version of the story makes Chapman seem psychologically unstable, but still a cherished local hero. Pollan’s story is geared to prove that there are two sides to every story and that although Chapman was a great historical figure, he was not the saint everyone believed him to be. I honestly think both versions of the story are somewhat of a stretch, however, I believe Pollan’s version is slightly more plausible.