Tralla La
Encyclopedia
Tralla La is a Scrooge McDuck
comic book
story by Carl Barks
. The story was first published in Uncle Scrooge
#6 (June, 1954). In the story, Scrooge searches for a utopia
in which money plays no role.
for whatever reason. The stress of this way of life gets to him and he suffers a nervous breakdown
. Though he improves, he can't stand to see or hear about money, as he now associates it with all the troubles that got him to this point. In order to heal, he searches for a place where money has no influence. Tralla La may be such a place, where a peaceful society without a monetary system is rumored to exist.
Scrooge and his nephews, who are there to support his healing, finally locate the mythical place in a deep valley high in the Himalayas
and arrive by parachute. There they get acquainted with a more peaceful existence than to which they were accustomed.
However, as Scrooge seems to be healing he doesn't realise he brought his troubles with him. He brought bottles of his medication along; the bottle cap
s he discards are considered rare treasures in Tralla La and become the basis of a new monetary system! The Ducks must flee, as they apparently cannot find peace even in an Earthly paradise.
Scrooge's effort this time is not to gain treasure but find some peace and regain his health. But, as so often presented in Barks tales, in trying to escape his problems he only manages to carry them with him. Tralla La (based on Shangri-La
) inhabitants prove to share the human characteristic of greed and Barks is allowed some bitter commentary on human nature.
The theme of never finding peace no matter how hard the characters try is a running theme in Barks' tales but here it takes center place. It is considered among Barks' most memorable because of its view of humanity, paradise
s and the vulnerability of his characters.
Don Rosa
wrote a sequel to the story, Return To Xanadu, in which Tralla La is revealed to be the valley of Xanadu
. Return to Xanadu was first published in the United States in Uncle Scrooge #261-262 (October-November 1991) and reprinted in #357 (September, 2006).
The story was later adapted into an episode of DuckTales
.
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...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story 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...
. The story was first published in 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...
#6 (June, 1954). In the story, Scrooge searches for a utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
in which money plays no role.
Plot
Tralla La begins with Uncle Scrooge having a hard day at his office, and it doesn't get better when he attempts to walk along the street to relax. He is followed by someone who wants some of his moneyMoney
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
for whatever reason. The stress of this way of life gets to him and he suffers a nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. Though he improves, he can't stand to see or hear about money, as he now associates it with all the troubles that got him to this point. In order to heal, he searches for a place where money has no influence. Tralla La may be such a place, where a peaceful society without a monetary system is rumored to exist.
Scrooge and his nephews, who are there to support his healing, finally locate the mythical place in a deep valley high in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and arrive by parachute. There they get acquainted with a more peaceful existence than to which they were accustomed.
However, as Scrooge seems to be healing he doesn't realise he brought his troubles with him. He brought bottles of his medication along; the bottle cap
Bottle cap
Bottle caps are a type of closure used to seal the openings of bottles of many types. They can be small circular pieces of metal, usually steel, with plastic backings, and for plastic bottles a plastic cap is used instead. A bottle cap is typically colorfully decorated with the logo of the brand...
s he discards are considered rare treasures in Tralla La and become the basis of a new monetary system! The Ducks must flee, as they apparently cannot find peace even in an Earthly paradise.
Analysis
A number of previous stories by Barks presented Scrooge's way of life as rather stressful but this is the first story where this seems to be getting on his nerves. It is certainly not the last but subsequent stories rarely focus on it.Scrooge's effort this time is not to gain treasure but find some peace and regain his health. But, as so often presented in Barks tales, in trying to escape his problems he only manages to carry them with him. Tralla La (based on Shangri-La
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains...
) inhabitants prove to share the human characteristic of greed and Barks is allowed some bitter commentary on human nature.
The theme of never finding peace no matter how hard the characters try is a running theme in Barks' tales but here it takes center place. It is considered among Barks' most memorable because of its view of humanity, paradise
Paradise
Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
s and the vulnerability of his characters.
Don Rosa
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
wrote a sequel to the story, Return To Xanadu, in which Tralla La is revealed to be the valley of Xanadu
Xanadu
-Description of Xanadu by Toghon Temur :The lament of Toghon Temur Khan , concerning the loss of Daidu and Heibun Shanduu in 1368, is recorded in many Mongolian historical chronicles...
. Return to Xanadu was first published in the United States in Uncle Scrooge #261-262 (October-November 1991) and reprinted in #357 (September, 2006).
The story was later adapted into an episode of DuckTales
DuckTales
DuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
.
External links
- Tralla La in Carl Barks guidebook