Clark Kent and his insight into living as an immigrant

Upon reading Superman, I found myself initially struck by the enormous differences between the world famous man of steel, and his meek alter ego, Clark Kent. Although it makes sense for Clark Kent to try and fly under the radar so as to avoid the possibility of being discovered as Superman, I felt that his seeming avoidance of any and all things heroic to be a bit excessive, and potentially even counterproductive as such a strikingly unheroic disposition could also give rise to unwanted attention. As a result, I found myself struggling to understand what exactly Siegel and Shuster were trying to accomplish with their design of Clark Kent.

I was able to answer some of this question after our discussion on Tuesday when we brought up the idea that Clark Kent is the secondary ego of Superman rather than Superman being a different side of Clark Kent. Being the children of immigrants, at some point in their lives, Siegel and Shuster would have undoubtedly faced issues trying to find their place in a world that viewed them as outsiders, and Clark Kent is their representation of such struggles. Despite his true value being that of a world famous Superhero, when he is forced to conform in day to day life to a world in which he doesn't entirely belong, those around him see him as cowardly and unimpressive. In this way, the comic of Superman doesn't simply describe one hero's various exploits saving the day, but also describes the story of a man trying to find his place in a world that isn't always his own.