Superman and Me

Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that is sometimes referred to as the “Man of Steel, or “The Man of Tomorrow”. In the biographical story of Superman and Me, the author depicts the real superhero. As an American Indian offspring he was able to break down the barriers surrounding Native Americans in order to succeed. The author Sherman Alexie was the real “Man of Steel”, because against all odds he leapt and flew high to break down many doors.

Native Americans have always struggled to find their identity. In this story the author expresses how Native Americans feel they are perceived by the world, and with that perception how hard it was for him to become successful without the persecution of his own people and the outside world. The author states that “a smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike” (Sherman, 1997, p. 5) The insertion of this information was to appeal to our emotions, to indicate how he had no one rooting for him to be successful not even his own people.

In the comic books superman is often seeing breaking down doors to save victims, in this case however the author was his own superman. He was his own “Man of Tomorrow”. He was able break to the stereotypical barriers with his ability read and step into powerlessness “We were Indian children we were expected to be stupid. As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world” (Sherman, 1997, p. 5) Being able to read well above his years allowed the author to enrich his life, reading was his tool to succeed in life. “I read books with equal parts for joy and desperation. I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life” (Sherman, 1997, pp. 5-6) Reading allowed him to find solace in books, they provided the encouragement he needed not to become weaken and fall prey to society’s beliefs that Indian children were expected to be “stupid” he wanted to prove that...