Red Son Q\'s - Homework notes PDF

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Julia Heasley HIST 3866

Dr. Siddiqi 25 March 2019

1. “Had fate been less kind, perhaps the superhero would actually be a supervillain” (Verano 14). I feel that this statement describes Millar’s approach to the relationship between Lex Luthor and Superman in Red Son. The basic premise of the novel is that fate decides what kind of person one becomes. The graphic novel does not offer much information about whether Superman grew up with loving parents, but he does imply that the education and culture of the Soviet Union badly shaped Superman’s moral code. In contrast, without Superman in Metropolis, Lex Luthor won the love of Lois Lane, and enjoyed it at least for some time, which gave him the support to elevate his political status and strengthen his ties with the legitimate government. Lex also enjoys being the smartest man in the United States without Superman’s presence in a state that celebrates exceptionalism. Their relationship does not lack in the competition that justifies each of their existences, however. They merely reverse roles. One example from the novel that highlights this point is Brainiac’s revelation that he is still evil. He tells Superman that they are the “exactly the same kind of creatures.” This is not really the case, however, because in an alternate universe (the traditional narrative), Superman is not a tyrant. In other circumstances, he has Lex Luthor and other villains that he must fight. He is able to be a reactionary figure, thanks to fate placing him against evil-doers, and he can thus perform moral actions and be a hero. 2. Pizarro and Baumeister use the term ‘moral pornography’ to describe how comics give us pleasure. They explain that young men in particular enjoy pornography because it presents them with an exaggerated fantasy in which something that is difficult to obtain in real life is easy in the fantasy. They know in that any example of pornography, the characters will engage in sex. Similarly, they can read any comic or watch any superhero movie and know that good will triumph, even if it takes time. Pornography lacks ambiguities, just as superhero comics tend to lack ambiguity in terms of morality. The good and the evil are almost always distinguished very clearly. It is more difficult to apply this concept to a story like Red Son that reverses our typical characterization of the hero, Superman. Superman is, however, still a hero at the end of the novel. He is the one to save the world and give the Luthor the opportunity and power to advance science civilization. He is the hero when he is a reactionary figure, and not a proactive figure. Readers are still satisfied with his act of saving humanity and recognizing where he was wrong. He ends up overcoming evil within himself but also the evil of the Soviet Union (as it is characterized as such.) We might also spot some support for moral pornography in the character Pyotr, the son of Stalin, who cannot measure up to the successes of Superman. Pyotr declares it impossible to compete with a fantastic figure like Superman. Pyotr represents the reality; Superman the pornographic fantasy. Pyotr is frustrated and driven to alcoholism and evil deeds, like causing his father’s death, because of the limitations he faces as a regular man. The novel concludes, as do the authors of the article, that these unrealistic expectations are unhealthy and should be restrained. 3. I think the alternate history presented in Red Son is useful for an analysis of historical moral complexities to an extent. I think the novel exaggerates the potentiality of the human race. Lex Luthor’s amazing accomplishments listed at the end of the novel seem

to be a stretch, especially since he lacks any real superpower; he is simply an extremely intelligent man. These events aside, telling a story in which the American enemy triumphs for some time allows us to think about what might have happened if events had gone differently. While Superman is president of the Soviet Union, many countries enjoy peace and prosperity, thanks to his powers. The United States and Chile were the only states left facing despair. Millar comments on the lack of autonomy and selfdetermination in those states and suggests that countries are not successful if they lack that freedom and ability to support themselves without intervention, even if the people are happy and healthy. In that way, the novel may function as an argument against extreme aid and intervention in weaker (third world) nations’ affairs. It is, however, in the end, Lex Luthor’s ingenuity that brings about worldwide prosperity. The successes of a single man seem no different when Lex Luthor performs them than when Superman does, except that Lex Luthor does so democratically. Based on that point, I think the novel is useful in analysis to some extent, but it does not suggest that a different course of action might have been better, or really any different, as democracy is understood to triumph in real life. 4. I think that applying the concept of “moral pornography” to Watchmen highlights the novel’s complexities and explains why this novel is so striking. The novel is unique because it does not follow the formula of moral pornography we see in most superhero narratives. The “good guys” are less definitively good – readers share the feelings of incomprehensibility toward a hero like Doctor Manhattan, whose powers are so awesome and influential that the line deciding whether his acts are good or evil is blurred. As Doctor Manhattan might be challenging to define as a hero, Ozymandias is another “hero” who is difficult to paint as a villain. The other heroes struggle to disagree with Ozymandias’s evil actions. Only Rorschach is unable to justify the “means through the end,” and perhaps seeing Rorschach, the morally correct character at the conclusion of the novel, somehow victorious would give readers the satisfaction in moral pornography, but he is killed. The novel leaves readers with feelings of discomfort or misunderstanding because it deviates so far from what we would expect from other superhero narratives. “Saving humanity by struggling across the backs of murdered innocents” seems clearly wrong, and yet, it is the right thing in the novel. Another example is Laurie’s acceptance of Blake as her father. Because she views him as an evil person, she is shocked and unable to cope with their relationship. By the end, she visits her mother and accepts the truth. There is no way for her to reconcile her perception of Blake with the reality. The discomfort this causes for her and for readers is part of what makes Watchmen so intriguing....