Cultural influences on Superman
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This article examines some of the Cultural influences on Superman, the popular comic book character.
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[edit] Friedrich Nietzsche
Some people[citation needed] incorrectly[citation needed] believe that Superman is partly based on philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s Übermensch, which literally translates to “overman” but could also mean “superman.” Nietzsche’s Übermensch is any person who rejects unfounded thinking, while Superman is super for his special powers. Some people argue that Kryptonians’ mental and physical superiority when compared to humans is meant to indicate that they are racially better, as eugenics would teach.
[edit] Philip Gordon Wylie
Superman is believed to have been inspired in part by Philip Gordon Wylie's 1930 science fiction novel Gladiator, about a man whose superhuman strength inspires him to help the human race, but who is instead spurned by humanity precisely because of his power. Other sources cited as inspirations include Doc Savage and The Shadow. Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars might have also been an inspiration. Like Superman, Carter gains super human powers after being transported to an alien world.
[edit] Superman and Religion
Creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel were both Jewish, and while there are Jewish influences on the character Superman has never declared what religion he prescribes to, if any. His story mimics that of Moses as both characters are saved by their parents by being placed in a vessel to carry them to safety. Also, both characters were found by adults who adopt them as children. Both Moses and Superman later rise to prominence and do good.
Superman's origin also has similarities to that of Jesus Christ: both are sent by their fathers (Jor-El and God respectively) to Earth to help mankind. The comparison is especially apparent in The Death of Superman, in which Superman's body disappeared from his coffin, mirroring Jesus's resurrection. Additionally, some have hypothesized[citation needed] that the first initials of Superman's parents by adoption, Jonathan and Martha, are an allusion to Christ's earthly caregivers, Joseph and Mary. Other have noted that both Superman's Kryptonian name, Kal-El, and his fathers, Jor-El, are "Hebraic sounding", containing the word element "El" often used to represent God in the Hebrew language. Many people have made much of these comparisons, though it is unknown how much Shuster and Siegel intended for people to read into them.
Clark Kent and his family celebrate Christmas, which would indicate that the Kent family (who reside in Kansas, a state with less than 1 percent Jewish population) is Christian. However, this does not prove that fact, given the secularization of the holiday.
In the Golden and Silver Age Superman stories, the people of Krypton wear headbands resembling those worn thousands of years ago by the Hebrews.
[edit] Real-life immigration
Superman's origin has often been compared to the tales of many immigrants who came to North America, often because their lives at home were in jeopardy (mirroring Krypton's danger and destruction).
[edit] References
Weinstein, Simcha Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History, Culture And Values Shaped The Comic-Book Superhero (Baltimore : Leviathan, 2006)
