Johnny Appleseed

The Disney and Pollan versions of John Chapman’s life story are both interesting, and each is aimed at different audiences; however, Pollan’s telling of the story is truer than Disney’s. The Disney version emphasizes how Johnny Appleseed was a religious man, and how his planting of apple seeds essentially fed the pioneers. It also emphasizes the wholesomeness and versatility of apples. Basically, the Disney version portrays Johnny Appleseed as a hard worker that should be respected, and as a hero who did no wrong. The Pollan version of John Chapman’s life takes a more scientific approach, in that Pollan gives what he believes to be a factual telling of the story, and does not hesitate to provide possibly degrading information. Pollan portrays Johnny Appleseed as a man who planted apples not to feed the growing country, but for real estate profits and to bring alcohol to the expanding west. Pollan also mentions Chapman’s child bride and possible obsession with young girls. Pollan’s audience is learned adults who want to know the facts about Chapman’s life, despite the facts possibly casting a bad light on the American Legend.
The two stories, themselves, are even told in a different manner. The Disney version is told in a tall tale fashion, where guardian angels, laughing chipmunks, and souls exist. Pollan’s version is told from a first person point of view, where the facts are plainly laid out as he discovers them. The goal of the Disney telling is to provide wholesome entertainment for children with mild educational content. Pollan’s goal is simply to find out how John Chapman contributed to the spread of apples across the Midwest, and due to the more scientific, unbiased nature of Pollan’s telling of the Johnny Appleseed story; it is the truer of the two versions.