Analysis of Superman in The American Context

Have you ever wondered why human imagination would push them to the point where they produce films characterizing some individuals with exceptional qualities? Well, the driven notion to such action is the need to demonstrate to the society the ideal traits that every person needs to assume. Over the course of film history, exceptional characters such as Batman, wonder woman and superman among others have graced the comic films and publications with their exemplary skills and capability. The desire to demonstrate the differences between various aspects of the society such as gender, class and strength fuels the success of the superheroes. The superman has been very conspicuous in the American comic shows since mid-twentieth their adaptability with the changes in the social, political and economic aspects of the society.

Films are integral platforms that the society uses as a platform for expressing the cultural trait that they practice. Through movies, characters get created to represent ideal social expectations and values. A character may assume a villain character or superhero deliberately depending on the main themes the producer intends to demonstrate to the audience. One of the household names in the film industry is the superman; he assumes the superhero character. Superman uses his unique character traits to underscore the social expectation and values that otherwise the society repress. The behavioral tendencies of Superman are a representation of advances of technology, gender relations and the social values of the people.

Superman assumes the role of a superhero based on the psychological belief that American society. For a long time, the United States of America of dominated the world's geopolitical arena by their actions, technology and culture. Washington by far is the strongest military powers and can project that strength anytime anywhere by their forward operating bases in the oceans and overseas. Superman comes out as a unique character with extreme and unimaginable qualities that ordinary human beings can only dream of having. Similarly, Superman is a representation of the American dream of conquering the world and eliminates the threats that come from Russia. Superman's superhero traits in which he demonstrates great resilience resembles the ability of the US to bounce back from harsh conditions. In the second world period when Pearl Habor was attacked, Washington managed a great come back. Jeffrey Johnson, a Second World War two historian, notes that “Superman has endured the trials of time mainly because of their abilities to bend so as not to break” (Franco 9). Therefore, the psychology influencing the actions of Superman arise for the behavior Americans have demonstrated in the face of adversity.

Superman’s attitude comes from the challenges that the society goes through in their daily life. His violent conduct depicts the height of hopelessness similar to that of the homeless and hopeless Americans who have no unemployed or go through a series of social and economic problems. Franco argues that "Superman reflects the state of millions of Americans, adult men out of work ‘who had descended into hopelessness and Superman served as a bright spot in this bleak depressing age" (3). Some of the actions demonstrated by superman resemble those with deep psychological challenges go through. In the recent times and throughout the history of America, a violent character such as mass shooting have been experienced and their root cause is linked to the increased psychological stress that the culprit goes through. Some of the violent and bully like the character of Superman borders the psychological dimension of individuals believed that the society is not giving them a chance to live or do not get concerned with their affairs. Superman demands the attention of the people.

Superman assumes the attitude of male chauvinism in which women are and men are not treated as equal. His attitudes advance the theme of imbalance gender relationship in which men have nearly absolute control over essential aspects of the society. Superman's on gender especially men's role in the society is anchored in his masculine body. The superhero presents the perception of an ideal man through his body morphology suggesting that men should at all time be muscular, strong and powerful. Monica Mueller, Jessica Rauch and Tatyana Kaplan argue that “males do not need to consult others or require help, in sum; media research suggests that there might be important gender differences in the roles of male and female superhero characters.” In the perspective of Superman, a man should be huge, domineering and skilled able to assert themselves in a very tough situation and walk out of them smiling. In expressing strong masculine character, Superman believes that he not only draws a distinction between men and women but also underscore the values that distinguish men from women.

Superman has portrayed the sense of radicalism so common only among the youths and the young generations. Superman's characters are more associated with the instant justice practiced by the youths whereby they take immediate action and demand similar response to the action for challenges facing them. Scott Vollum and Cary Adkinson note that "for decades, young Americans have looked to the world of comic book superheroes for a sense of justice” (96). Superman embodies unique traits in which most of the action actions are characterized by extreme impatient, radical actions and demand for instantaneous responses. Generally, Superman has retained his relatively young and cool stature depicts having graced the film industry for more than sixty years. The aspect of the superhero in which he appears liveliness and full of energy best demonstrate the superman psychological inclination. In a similar way, Franco notes that since the assassination of the John F. Kennedy, superman transformed to radical changes that the society demanded of its citizens (1). Moreover, Superman resembles such traits through his dressing code. Like the modern youths who get attracted by fit in clothes that show off their muscle and body physic, Superman exemplifies such traits by his usual trademark and red and red cover cloth with a few yellow strips. Arguably, superman psychology best identifies with the youthful generation.

Finally, Superman assumes the American notions of dominants social norms and morals and the feeling that they have the responsibility to steer the world towards justice and good morals. The American involvement in a series of wars beyond their nations especially in the Middle East where they were driven by the call to end terrorism and instill democracy are in tandem with superman behavior and actions. Similarly, Superman depicts harsh criticism that Americans have directed to other countries, groups and individuals who threatened their peace and security. Franco argues that "Superman representing mostly the moral standards of the conservative side of American society" (3). Similarly, Superman is more concerned with pushing along his interest rather than serving that which all the people like. In most cases, superheroes are presented as the representative of their national interests and everything possible and within their means to ensure the safety and comfort of their people.

Superman psychological traits represent aspects of American people ranging from their social, economic and political aspects of life. At the economic level, some of the superman's behavioral tendencies point out the consequences of the actions likely to be taken by individuals who are jobless and lacks the opportunity to contribute to nation building. Such actions are demonstrated through the arrogance and belligerent actions by Superman. On the political front, superman thinking is in tandem with the American foreign policies of pre-emptive strike where its strong military demonstrates a show of force against groups that threatened the peace and security of the country. It is the social fronts that superman's thinking best represent. Superman has further complicated the gender debate in which his actions and behavior seems to align with a section of the American society championing the dominance of the male gender. Therefore, understanding the psychology of Superman requires interpretation with the confines of American cultural practices and behavior.