To demonstrate social stratification in life, the cartoon Despicable Me chose. The separation of the actors takes place according to the family principle. The film has so-called “parents” and “children” and clearly shows the process of communication between them. The viewer will see the classic model of the family, where the “parent” feels his superiority and authority, and “children are forced to listen to them at all. Although some are not related by blood, all the characters fit into the mentioned behavioral mannerisms. This fact especially attracts attention because it is more convenient to track the transformation of each character.
Despicable Me reveals such a problem as domestic violence, which is still considered the norm, despite a “culture of abolition” and separate laws that provide for real punishment for the use of violence. Violence in this cartoon is expressed in two forms: psychological and physical, in other words, comprehensive abuse (Lin, 2020). Gru’s relationship with his mother illustrates psychological violence through various humiliations and irony. A similar model is transferred to his relationship with the minions, whom he considers his children. Both family ties include an important component, expressed because family love is still present. At first glance, such relationships seem unhealthy and need social control to influence the situation through various levers. Each of the relationship models leads to the development of deviant behavior, in one case in Gru, in the other in minions. The main character became a villain precisely because his mother destroyed his childhood dreams. The minions’ behavior deviation was expressed in physical violence to each other, for which they do not bear any moral responsibility.
The structural and functional approach in Despicable Me is expressed through orphans, who turn the parent-child model into a real family, where violence does not manifest itself. At the initial stage, there is conformity between Gru and little orphan girls who are only trying to evoke a real parental instinct. Then there is a mobilization when the main character forcibly and at will saves children. The cartoon ends with a general consolidation, through which Gru learns healthy interaction with minions and his mother.
Reference
Lin, L. (2020). Family, parochial, and public levels of social control and recidivism: An extension of the systemic model of social disorganization. Crime & Delinquency, 66(6-7), 864-886.