A Christmas for Shacktown
Encyclopedia
A Christmas for Shacktown is a Donald Duck
/Uncle Scrooge
story written and drawn by Carl Barks
and first published in the comic book Donald Duck
, #367 in January, 1952. The story line revolves around the Duck family attempting to raise money to throw a Christmas
party for the poor children of the slums of Duckburg. A key plot element involves Uncle Scrooge losing his fortune stored in his money bin when the floor of the bin collapses and the contents fall into a seemingly bottomless pit. The story is generally considered to be one of Bark's best works during the period when he was at the top of his craft.
They ask for the help of Daisy Duck
, president of a local ladies' society, and their friends in the Junior Woodchucks
. Soon, however, it becomes evident that raising enough money is harder than it sounds. With all their efforts, they are still a hundred dollars short. Donald Duck
has the idea to ask his Uncle Scrooge
for the money. Scrooge refuses his nephew's request for a donation, but nevertheless offers to match Donald's own fifty dollars, if he can manage to raise that much.
Donald soon learns that asking for charity during the holidays, when every family struggles with its own increased expenses, is extremely difficult. He tries to trick his Uncle into making the donation, but he is unable to do so. Only when he swallows his pride and asks for his cousin Gladstone Gander's help does he finally succeed in raising his fifty dollars. When he arrives at his uncle's money bin, an apparently shocked Scrooge tells him it is too late. Enraged, Donald opens the vault door and discovers that inside, the overloaded floor had collapsed, and the money has been lost in the caverns below Duckburg. Now Donald still is fifty dollars short and has to take care of a shocked and depressed uncle.
Finally his nephews find a way to reach Scrooge's money and Scrooge promises them the first money to reach the surface, which happens to be thousands of dollars. The story ends with a great Christmas celebration for the children of Shacktown.
Another theme of the story is the difference between a will for charity and the effort needed to raise money for it. Though focused on his own problems in this story, Scrooge makes a valid point in proving to his nephew how hard the money he's so quick to ask for, actually is to earn. Scrooge's belief in hard work, often evident in his stories, is here seen from a negative light as he seems to disbelieve in charity and feels no obligation toward Shacktown's inhabitants.
Though the story has a happy ending, Barks has left the fate of the Shacktowners deliberately vague. They get to celebrate Christmas, but the question of what happens once the celebration ends and the rest of the citizens of Duckburg choose to forget them again is left unanswered. Fans of Barks' work have read this as a deliberate attempt by Barks to undermine the happy ending and pose some questions. It is considered the Barks story that comes closest to focusing on social commentary.
Don Rosa wrote a sequel to this story called Gyro's First Invention
even though Gyro Gearloose didn't appear in the original story.
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
/Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge is a comic book with the stingy Scrooge McDuck "the richest duck in the world" as the main character. The series also featured Donald Duck and his nephews as supporting characters. The first 70 issues mostly consisted of stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, the creator of Scrooge...
story written and drawn by Carl Barks
Carl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
and first published in the comic book Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, #367 in January, 1952. The story line revolves around the Duck family attempting to raise money to throw a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
party for the poor children of the slums of Duckburg. A key plot element involves Uncle Scrooge losing his fortune stored in his money bin when the floor of the bin collapses and the contents fall into a seemingly bottomless pit. The story is generally considered to be one of Bark's best works during the period when he was at the top of his craft.
Plot
The story begins with Donald's nephews passing through Shacktown, the most impoverished area of Duckburg. They progressively get more depressed as they see the living conditions there, children of their age dressed in rags and having tired expressions, hunger and sickness evident in many of them. They feel responsible for it and want to help those poor children find some happiness. The Ducks have the idea of organizing a Christmas celebration.They ask for the help of Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
, president of a local ladies' society, and their friends in the Junior Woodchucks
Junior Woodchucks
Junior Woodchucks are the Scouting organization to which Huey, Dewey, and Louie belong. They have a uniform with a coonskin cap. The Junior Woodchucks were created by Carl Barks in 1951, in the story "Operation St. Bernhard"...
. Soon, however, it becomes evident that raising enough money is harder than it sounds. With all their efforts, they are still a hundred dollars short. Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
has the idea to ask his Uncle Scrooge
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
for the money. Scrooge refuses his nephew's request for a donation, but nevertheless offers to match Donald's own fifty dollars, if he can manage to raise that much.
Donald soon learns that asking for charity during the holidays, when every family struggles with its own increased expenses, is extremely difficult. He tries to trick his Uncle into making the donation, but he is unable to do so. Only when he swallows his pride and asks for his cousin Gladstone Gander's help does he finally succeed in raising his fifty dollars. When he arrives at his uncle's money bin, an apparently shocked Scrooge tells him it is too late. Enraged, Donald opens the vault door and discovers that inside, the overloaded floor had collapsed, and the money has been lost in the caverns below Duckburg. Now Donald still is fifty dollars short and has to take care of a shocked and depressed uncle.
Finally his nephews find a way to reach Scrooge's money and Scrooge promises them the first money to reach the surface, which happens to be thousands of dollars. The story ends with a great Christmas celebration for the children of Shacktown.
Analysis
This is often considered the most memorable of Barks' Christmas stories, as the scenes in Shacktown are often described as depressing and even haunting in contrast with the other areas of Duckburg.Another theme of the story is the difference between a will for charity and the effort needed to raise money for it. Though focused on his own problems in this story, Scrooge makes a valid point in proving to his nephew how hard the money he's so quick to ask for, actually is to earn. Scrooge's belief in hard work, often evident in his stories, is here seen from a negative light as he seems to disbelieve in charity and feels no obligation toward Shacktown's inhabitants.
Though the story has a happy ending, Barks has left the fate of the Shacktowners deliberately vague. They get to celebrate Christmas, but the question of what happens once the celebration ends and the rest of the citizens of Duckburg choose to forget them again is left unanswered. Fans of Barks' work have read this as a deliberate attempt by Barks to undermine the happy ending and pose some questions. It is considered the Barks story that comes closest to focusing on social commentary.
Don Rosa wrote a sequel to this story called Gyro's First Invention
Gyro's First Invention
Gyro's First Invention is a Gyro Gearloose story by Don Rosa that also features Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie. It is a 50th anniversary story for the character of Gyro Gearloose, as well as a sequel to A Christmas for Shacktown by Carl Barks, and tells of the creation of...
even though Gyro Gearloose didn't appear in the original story.
External links
- A Christmas for Shacktown in Carl Barks guidebook