Spiderman

Spiderman




Abstract
Like all great American literature Spiderman, the movie, is based on biblical illusions because it makes it easy for the general public to understand and relate to the plot. The formula for Spiderman is similar to the story of Jesus Christ. God so loved the world he sent his only begotten son. The son will be bit by an empowering spider. The son will perform miracles to endear him to the masses below him. The son will destroy the great evil among you.

In the beginning
Like all great American literature Spiderman is based on biblical illusions because it is easy for the bible believing public to understand and relate to the plot. All Americans at one time shared a common thread and the thread was a puritanical upbringing. Writers and artistic types use the common thread, consciously or unconsciously, to weave-create their work and give it depth. The Bible becomes the formula garden where great adventures are grown. As in the Bible, Peter Parker of Spiderman fame becomes endowed with great powers to adjunct his puritanical (adherents) upbringing that has heretofore been unblemished by evil. In other words, the belief is that Peter’s parents are part of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) (adherents) culture and so Peter is a good person; it is a stereotype used throughout literature and movies.



Praise Jesus
The formula for Spiderman is similar to the story of Jesus Christ. God so loved the world he sent his only begotten son. The myth being that Peter’s father left his only begotten son whom upon reaching adulthood becomes a savior to the city. The creator stray from the Bible by having an uncle and aunt raise Peter By using the Biblical illusion of the messiah the movie uses the assumed prior knowledge of the viewer to gain their acceptance of the plot. In the days when the majority of Americans were exposed to the bible it was easy for writers to appeal to a large audience because they had a built in library of knowledge with every consumer.

With the Rib of Adam

The son will be bit by an empowering spider. To get the consumer to buy into believing a spider bite could give a person supernatural powers the creators used the mystery of DNA which was discovered just 10 years prior (Lemonick). People were fascinated, then as now, and could easily see how a change to the DNA could cause Peter, and anyone for that matter, to become a superhero.

Water into blood

The son will perform miracles to endear him to the masses below him. Just as Moses performed miracles that God enabled him to do, Peter Parker could spin webs, have superhuman strength, climb walls, and have precognitive senses. The Spiderman creators spun the biblical formula for believing into a spider tale. Just as the masses accepted the bible they could and continue to enjoy the similar formula for a good mythical Spiderman, and Superman. It is interesting to envision these men and women creators of tales sitting around discussing how to get the consumers to buy into different fantasies and myths buy using societies favorite stereotypes and beliefs.

Forty days in the desert

Just as Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray for forty days before her died on the cross for the sins of man and defeat Satan, Peter Parker over comes the green goblin. Of course Spiderman doesn’t die in the end because the money must continue and who has time to keep creating superheroes. When Parker collapses on the floor in his bedroom and has his visions, this in actuality is a biblical illusion to Jesus/Moses fasting and praying forty days in the desert along with their visions of their destiny.

Conclusion
Spiderman, like Superman, comes from a WASP upbringing belief, shared a myth in the father figure who gave them the advice which would carry them through their adventures, both are explored in current day settings, both are nerds in their human form, both perpetuate the strong save the day white male stereotype, while the formula for both is constant illusion to the Bible or for the sake of this course is Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth Theory - Heroes Journey formula (monomyth.org): Home, supernatural aid, call to adventure, cross the threshold, reluctant hero. Superman’s formula might be: Home, call to adventure, supernatural aid, reluctant hero, trials.
The formulas are not as readily lapped up by consumers today due to the lack of biblical understanding and acceptance but with minor adjustment will still work well.


Reference:
http://www.633main.com/dev23.htm
http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/SpiderMan.html
Lemonick, Michael, http://www.time.com/time/80days/530228.html, March 31, 2003
http://monomyth.org/teach-the-monomyth/joseph-campbells-monomyth-heros-journey/