Spiderman In Love

Journal Analysis

            As the title of the journal notes, “Spider-Man in Love: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation” is exactly what the title describes; a psychoanalytical interpretation of the 2002 film “Spiderman” directed by Sam Raimi.  The author Richard L. Kaplan divulges into deep psychoanalytic theories regarding the film. He explores the role of hypermasculinity, the “father” complex, and the Oedipal Complex. He brilliantly dissects the movie and correlates them to hypermasculinity, the “father” complex, and the Oedipal Complex. He exposes genre patterns, and gender roles in the film. This brief analysis of Richard L. Kaplan’s “Spider-Man in Love: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation” will summarize his findings; show my viewpoints on his findings, and the relevance I find in them.

Being the naïve reader that I am, I searched for an article that would have some meaning and interest to my taste. I have always had a love for anything superhero related. So when scrolling through the “Journal for Popular Culture”, I came across the word Spiderman. I immediately downloaded the article; emailed it to my instructor, without ever glancing at the entire title or reading the article itself, an action I should have taken. After reading the article, much to my surprise, I was completely baffled; this article was not what I expected. 

As I noted before I was baffled, not upset. Upon reading the introduction I find myself intrigued, as he notes that “Spiderman” is a love story in disguise. He goes on to tell how the classic formula: boy meets girl, then loses her, saves the world, wins the public’s acclaim, and captures his love, is broken, and instead ends in tears with love stimulated but unrequited. (Kaplan, 2011). I am now seduced into his article. I question myself, is “Spiderman” not an action film? Was I tricked into watching a love story? And after contemplating on it, I was. It was after the introduction that I found out what I had gotten into: psychology!

Oh, the horrendous memories of taking Introduction to Psychology from sophomore year. (Just a note, I am an accountant) I had to remember what Freud’s five stages of psychosexual development were. I had to “wiki” several complexes, and use the dictionary for some of the vocabulary used. Before I go into any summarizations, I need to describe some terms. The Oedipal complex is a complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved. (Farlex, Inc, 2012) Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on strength, aggression, body hair, odor, and virility. (Farlex, Inc, 2012) The “father complex” is a term I; myself use to describe any psychological problems caused from having an inadequate, or absent father. Now that you have an understanding of these terms, I can start my summary.

The Summary

            Kaplan’s article describes the hypermasculinty of the villains, Mary Jane’s boyfriends, and her father.  He goes on to talk about how these villains and other men have been neglected of the softening, socializing effect of women and or family. This serves as the threatening image of the male within the pervasive American beliefs about masculinity. This has become known in popular culture throughout history, and is prevalent in melodrama. Kaplan quotes that “this fear of men echoes one part of the traditional oedipal fantasy: the bad menacing father, the arbitrary vindictive older man who stands outside the requirements of morality and social compassion”. (Kaplan, 2011) His article describes the attributes of Peter Parker, AKA Spiderman, and how he does not fit this hypermasculine stereotype, and later because of this wins the heart of the beautiful Mary Jane Watson.

 Let us not forget what intrigued me about this article; that this film is a deviance from other love stories. Parker is depicted as the softened male, who has feelings and compassions. He is not the stereotypical, hypermasculine action hero that we have all come to know. He is soft and empathetic. He is human, with flaws, but has compassion; this eventually trumps the other males in the film. However Parker is also Spiderman and is continuously battling the hypermasculine villain, internally and externally. This hardens Parker, his empathy and compassions start to slip away, and become replaced with feelings of fatherly instincts; protection. (Kaplan, 2011) Parker ends his relationship with Mary Jane, in fear of her being hurt. He has transitioned himself from lover to protector, i.e. “father”. The Oedipal Complex has as much to do with maturing and replacing your father’s role in life as sexually desiring your mother. Mary Jane’s interactions with menacing men reinforce the desires for Parker to protect her. Her father was abusive, her first boyfriend was a “jerk”, and her rebound was non supportive. His article goes on in greater detail how these conditions all interact with each other.

My Viewpoints and the Relevance of the Article

            In my opinion the article is very well written with the exception of one flaw, the author misspells Mary Jane’s last name, Watson. With her being a very important topic in the story, I find this to be a horrible mistake. I believe this article was written for students, professors, and scholars of the psychology field. This article used a lot of technical jargon and psychoanalytical theory. This article required side research for me to fully comprehend its points.  I find the only relevance of this article is to stimulate those groups of people I mentioned earlier. As a general film viewer this article went into too much detail and for some who have brash feelings against any type of incest, may reject the oedipal complex, and be turned away from this film.

References

Farlex, Inc. (2012). The Free Dictionary . Retrieved August 29, 2012, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Oedipal+complex

Kaplan, R. (2011). Spider-Man in Love: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation. Journal of Popular Culture , 291-292.

Superhero Rituals & Stereotypes

Rituals and Stereotypes

Stereotypes concern peoples behaviors. They are typically used negatively, but nevertheless they are still used. They generalize characteristics of a single person or group, and usually are incomplete. (Browne, 2005) We are all guilty of laughing at or using stereotypes. Have you ever pressed the corner of your eyes down to resemble and Asian? Or spouted out complete sentences in slang? Chances are that you have, or at least have laughed at someone who has.  Stereotypes have been, and are still currently being used in popular culture.

Rituals are events or passages a person takes in life. They compose of secular and religious. They may be as simple as moving from elementary school to high school, or complex, such as becoming a monk.  Editor of “Profiles of Popular Culture” Ray E. Browne notes rituals as “stereotypes and icons in action”. (Browne, 2005)

Superheroes are stories regarding humans or human-like beings who share the same culture with non-superheroes (note: there may be some exceptions).  Their stories, especially their origin stories, encompass many rituals and passage of rites. Their writers have used stereotyping on many occasions.  Pick up comics from the 1940 and 1950, where are country was a war, I guarantee you will find examples.  

Theories Applied

As mentioned earlier, every superhero has an origin, and with superhero movies being at the height of their popularity, we have witnessed the origin of many heroes. Heroes like Captain America, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Batman, Thor, and The Avengers have graced us recently with their presence on the big screen. To describe superhero rituals, let’s take a closer look at Captain America. Steve Rogers aka Captain America completed a ritual that many Americans have took part in, which is he joined the United States Army and completed boot camp. (Marvel, 2012)  Boot camp is full of rituals that bring together and strengthen a group of men and women.  If you relate to Captain America outside of the big screen, there is a vast amount of stories written about him. There have been comics written about Steve Rogers getting married, graduating school and even dying. Many superheroes did not gain their powers of identities until later in life; therefore they have taken every ritual that an average person has taken.

Superheroes are not innocent; writers who sought to gain popularity by gimmicks used stereotyping in their stories.  Film makers are notorious of this as well. In the first Iron Man film depicts Arab terrorists in the Middle East, a stereotype which has increasingly grown since the attacks on 9/11. Comics and movies seem to have more usage of stereotyping during war times. The Vietnamese are depicted stereotypically and talk stereotypically in “Tales of Suspense # 39”.

Insights Gained

I do believe that some people look to deep into superhero stories to find stereotypes to ridicule them. These stories were created a long time ago, many before the civil rights movement.  Adaption does need to be made, however the story line cannot be manipulated past a certain degree. This manipulation, in my opinion ruins the story that I have been accustomed to. For those that gripe about Tony Stark’s assistant being an African American, I give you Sergeant Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).  I myself will watch these films and enjoy watching the heroes’ progress through their rituals, and save the world. 

References:

Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Marvel. (2012). Marvel Universe Wiki. Retrieved August 28, 2012, from http://marvel.com/universe/Captain_America_(Steve_Rogers)

Superhero Myth

Superheroes

Super Heroes are not an American concept. They date back to ancient civilization, where stories of gods and goddesses were told to explain the world. (Hubpages, 2012) Similar to ancient civilization modern man construct stories of individuals with godlike abilities, with many stories being based of Greek and Roman mythology. Several characters have been created, withstood the test of time and have become American icons. They represent the American dream, and the American values. Heroes like Superman, Batman, and Captain America.

Superman: Theories, Icons, & Myths

Superman and Batman, labeled as DC comics “big two” are two of the most iconic fictional characters of all time. Superman is the most recognized superhero in popular culture. He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joseph Shuster, and made his first appearance in 1938’s Action Comics #1. (DC Comics, 2012) Superman has fought every villainous foe on earth, including Hitler and Y2K. He has given hope to the American people in times of need, and disparity.  He is an immigrant who came to the land of America. Which is very much part of the American dream myth: that America is the land of opportunity; with hard work you can achieve anything. He represents “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”. Superman has had numerous blockbusters made about him. With the new Superhero movie craze at an all time high, he is due to hit the big screen on June 14, 2013. (DC Comics, 2012)

Insights

      Being the son of a boomer where comics where at their peak, I have been enshrined in their stories since I was very little. This is the very idea of myths, stories being passed down from one generation to another, forever making their mark in history. I have embraced this new superhero movie phenomenon with open arms. Technology has grown to all time highs and it is able to recreate every comic book reader’s most inner dreams. Long live Superman!

3 Contemporary Icons

Charles Chaplin is a comic legend. He has surpassed the level of celebrity and has gained icon status. His image will be forever associated with comedy.  The Simpsons are one of the longest running television shows, and is still currently on the air. Elvis is labeled as the king of rock and roll. He has greately shaped rock and roll music, and has entertained millions. Along with Charlie Chaplin Elvis has surpassed the level of celebrity, he is a rock icon.  All three are great examples of contemporary icons.

I chose Charles Chaplin as my first Icon because of his impact on the film industry. His slapstick comedy has accumulated millions, if not billions of laughs. Although his height of success was over eighty years ago, he is still considered one of the greats. He is one of my favorite actors and he will always have a movie shelf dedicated to him in my house.

I chose the Simpsons because of the effect it has had on the cartoon industry.  Cartoons no longer have to be just for children. In my household Simpsons have represented Sunday night for almost 20 years. The Simpsons have been enshrined into American culture.

Elvis’s influence on the music industry cannot be measured.  His home in Graceland has been open for tours since the 1980s and sees thousands every year.  It is recognized as a national historic landmark.  Elvis Presley is known worldwide simply by “Elvis” or ‘The King”.  He is one of the greatest examples of an Icon in American History. I have listened to Elvis since I was a little child and I will never stop. 

Pop Culture Artifact

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?

Like blogs there is not an exact definition for popular culture. Pop culture is all around us. It is the music we listen to on the radio, the television we watch, the magazines or books we read, the websites we visit, or the constant status updating on Facebook. It is considered mainstream. It influences our decisions. The majority of the population favors it. Popular culture can be both intangible on tangible. 

To me pop culture is a supernatural force that influences me to eat, sleep, and think, I am influenced by popular food joints to eat at, such as Chipotle. I am influenced to sleep in the most comforting beds possible, and to think or believe a certain beliefs or tastes e.g. politics, music.

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?

I think popular culture is very important to business, especially in advertising. Pop culture addresses the main stream or a large population. Advertisements strategically placed in pop culture help build profits. For example millions of people watch football on Saturday and Sunday. Placing commercials during the game help raise people’s awareness to a product, and might persuade them to purchase that item. Companies pay big money for air time during games. Air time during the Super Bowl can cost over a million dollars. Advertising to the most people possible is a great way to increase revenue. Having a career in business, I am always studying numbers, how to decrease some and increase others. Pop culture will always play an important role in this.

What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?

I would choose the Super Bowl and an example of a pop culture artifact. It is one of the most watched events in the United States. Millions of dollars are spent on promoting it. It is so popular that its commercials become popular. It also represents the pinnacle game for one of America’s favorite past time.