Sometimes a Lasso is Just a Lasso

Admittedly, there is something to be said for being able to find things worth celebrating in any character but I recently finished reading Do the Gods Wear Capes?: Spirituality, Fantasy, and Superheroes and I have to admit, it was well worth cramming it into the nearly nonexistent free time I have. The essays covered Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman and Ironman but the one that struck me the most was the essay that dove into the connections between Wonder Woman, Sexual freedom and identity and  the multitude of organizations  that have used her as a figure for their movement.

The things I didn't know about her creator: He was a highly educated WASP with degrees in Law and Psychology. He lived in a happily polyamorous relationship for years (until his death in fact). He could be considered one of the first "public professionals" ala Dr. Phil. He was sincerely committed to women's rights and women's liberation. He also saw the comic as a way to advance his own belief in a broader approval of alternative forms of sexuality.  

Now, this isn't to say that he used the comics as a way to create prurient pieces that would stir the libidos and lusts of all the adolescent (and not so adolescent) boys that read them. No, it seems as though he advocated an acceptance of a higher level of equality in general; the birth of a new order where men could be submissive and dominant women weren't seen as "odd" or "deviant". It was a fairly impressive burden to place on even the amazonian shoulders of his main character, who is presented with an amazing amalgamation of mythos and suspended belief responsible for her creation.

In some ways, I think it worked. She became a well known character, and even if her comics aren't selling as well, the character continues to live in the cultural consciousness. My problem with the author's assertion is not the assertion itself, but perhaps the wider insistence on reading into a character in so many ways that are sometimes too contradictory to work well. I know there is a desire to choose role models and identify with them as a way to feel less alone in the grand scheme of things, but I sometimes feel like the characters we choose for these exercises lose something in the process. Wonder Woman is an amazing character and she is responsible for some really awesome adventures, but what is gained by making her take on so many roles (mother, lover, savior, temptress). When I began thinking about his, it seemed so much clearer in my head, but now it's just muddled. I don't dislike the act of interpretation when applied to literature-- it's the point of this class after all-- but sometimes I think that we must be careful not to apply the interpretation so heavily as to lose sight of the thing underneath to which we pin everything.

As an aside, I found this while hunting for an unrelated thing and though it worth sharing: Enjoy!