Assignment 1-3 - Article analysis summary

This article appears to be intended for a college level audience. It is published in The Journal of Popular Culture, which is a peer-reviewed academic journal. It is the official journal of the Popular Culture Association and the particular article I chose, The Gospel According to Spider-Man, was written by Niall Richardson. He is a PhD student in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Ulster, located in Northern Ireland. The main theory of the article is that the movie Spider-Man is a Biblical allegory. The thesis alone is sufficient to indicate that the target audience is the writer’s peers.

The parallels provided by Richardson for his theory
Superhero narrative in Spider-Man in relation to Christianity
1.) Unlike Superman, Spider-Man does not represent a paragon of goodness that protects the innocent and weak simply because it is the right thing to do. The author suggests that Spider-Man is forced into being a hero because he is trying to atone for his sins and transform the shame of his longing after Mary Jane into guilt. That way, it is possible for Spider-Man to manage this guilt.

Motto: “With great power comes great responsibility”
1.) This motto is repeated several times throughout the movie and Richardson suggests that it represents the idea of Christian humility. The fact that it is first told to Spider-Man by his Uncle Ben is of significance as well. Uncle Ben is seen to be a very religious man and has one of his lines in the film taken directly from the Bible. The author further goes on to say that the phrase summarizes the Biblical motif of Christ, who used his power for the good of mankind, not for self-gratification. This is one of the tenants that is taught by the Christian faith. All Christians should aspire to maintain humility and meekness while in possession of great power, which are Christ-like qualities.

Christian Shame / Guilt
1.) At this point in the paper, the difference between shame and guilt are explained. Basically, shame is described as a part of one’s being and you cannot get rid of it, no matter how hard you try. It is a part of you. Guilt, on the other hand, is something that the Christian faith allows to be atoned for, thus eliminating the guilt from the person’s conscience. It is in this respect that the author describes Christianity as a convenient religion because it allows shame to be transformed into guilt.
2.) It is the guilt of allowing his uncles death that is the driving force behind Spider-Man. As mentioned before, Superman protects the innocent out of a moral obligation to do good and help mankind. Spider-Man, on the other hand, is obligated by the death of his uncle. He feels that if only he had stopped the criminal that killed his uncle when he had the chance, his uncle would still be alive. Instead, Parker let the criminal pass out of spite toward the fight organizer for short changing him on his winnings. The criminal went on to carjack and murder Peter Parker’s uncle, leaving his aunt a widow. This need to atone for his guilt drives Parker/Spider-Man to protect the innocent from the criminal element in the city.

Spirituality versus Flesh
1.) In the final pages of this paper, Richardson Niall discusses, as he describes it, “the Christian tension between spirit and flesh.” He surmises that Christians are “ashamed of their physical, lustful bodies… a key teaching of Christianity dictates that the subject should attempt to transcend the body and foreground the spirit or Biblical word.”
2.) Spider-Man faces the supreme dilemma at the end of the movie when he is forced to choose between saving Mary Jane or a trolley full of innocent children. In this scene, Mary Jane represents the lustful desire while the innocent children represent the greater good of Christianity. This point is driven further by the Green Goblin quoting scripture directly from the bible when he says “suffer the little children” when outlining the dilemma to Spider-Man.