Superman and the Ideologies of the Middle Class

Superman and the Ideologies of the Middle Class

Christopher Reeve once said of Superman, the character whom he portrayed in a series of films:

It's very hard for me to be silly about Superman because I've seen first hand how he actually transforms people's lives. I have seen children dying of brain tumors who wanted as their last request to be able to talk to me, and have gone to their graves with a peace brought on by knowing that their belief in this kind of character is intact. I've seen that Superman really matters. It's not Superman the tongue-in-cheek cartoon character they’re connecting with; they're connecting with something very basic: the ability to overcome obstacles, the ability to persevere, the ability to understand difficulty and to turn your back on it. (“Superman Through the Ages”)

The fact that a character carries such weight with our nation’s youth makes him a worthwhile subject for discussion, regardless of his seemingly harmless or silly nature. Author Les Daniels notes that Superman has been “re-created for generation after generation” (9). Therefore, as he is so popular, and has been, until recently, solely a corporately owned and produced character, by understanding the various stages of Superman’s existence, one can get an idea of the ways the bourgeoisie uses popular culture to subtly exert its influence and encourage its ideologies during different eras.

Superman was created with the best of intentions by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and his earliest adventures, as produced by the two, reflect that fact. Superman’s creators “reached out to the audience... by dealing with the social problems of the day. [The first Superman story alone] includes episodes centered on unjust imprisonment, s...

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...sum equal to half of the revenue generated by Superman products since 1948 (O’Neill 6). Only time will tell what kind of Superman will be created by the Siegels of 1999, but at least fans of the first super-hero can now adhere to the hope that victims of the bourgeoisie will produce a character that better reflects the evils of capitalism instead of one that encourages the status quo.

Works Cited

Catron, Michael. “Superman Creator Jerry Siegel Dies at 81.” The Comics Journal 184 (1996): 25-39.

Daniels, Les. Superman: The Golden Age. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1999.

O’Neill, Patrick Daniel. “Siegel Estate, DC negotiate Superman rights.” Comics Buyer’s Guide 29.39 (1999): 6-8.

Shuster, Joe, and Jerry Siegel. The Superman Archives Volume One. New York: DC Comics Inc., 1989.

“Superman Through the Ages.” 21 Oct. 1999. <http://www.fortress. am>