Duality Of Spider Man
In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, the character of Peter Parker indulges his Freudian Id, enabling his darkest character flaws to manifest. Peter is in denial of his Id taking control and he struggles to grasp that even a superhero who would make “[his] Uncle Ben proud” (Raimi) is influenced by the corruptive power of his own Id. The evolution of “Black-Spider-Man”, represents that subconsciously the Ego is letting go and the Id is overpowering Peter’s thoughts and causing him to behave erratically. The actions of Spider-Man begin to satisfy the demands of his Id, as we witness “the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” (Raimi) transform into a pleasure driven criminal. The duality of his actions allows the viewer to see the good and evil within Peter.
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The desire for material object and sex is still seen in both Peter’s personal and work life: “You want the photos, I’ll take the staff job. Double the money” (Raimi). By demanding double the pay and a staff job, Peter is acting to serve himself instead of the good of the people. Peter strutting around the city and ignoring the emotions of others allows him to satisfy his Id. Although the Id in Peter is satisfied, the Superego is left crying for help. The Superego buried in Peter is portrayed through Aunt May: “[Uncle Ben] would not want us living for one second with revenge in our hearts. It’s like a poison. It can take you over. Before you know it, it can turn us into something ugly”(Raimi). As the good in Peter arises, the duality of his actions becomes apparent. The sense of duality in Peter’s personality is created by the continuous contrast between the actions of his id and superego. His duality is further visualised by his physical appearance, at one instance in the black suit with straight flowing hair and the other wearing the patriotic suit and a clean part in his hair. By placing the two appearances side by side Raimi shows that Peter is struggling to find a sense of identity and cannot find a balance between his id and superego. Consequently, this confusion is constantly flipping him from one extreme to the other in the battle to find himself once
The desire for material object and sex is still seen in both Peter’s personal and work life: “You want the photos, I’ll take the staff job. Double the money” (Raimi). By demanding double the pay and a staff job, Peter is acting to serve himself instead of the good of the people. Peter strutting around the city and ignoring the emotions of others allows him to satisfy his Id. Although the Id in Peter is satisfied, the Superego is left crying for help. The Superego buried in Peter is portrayed through Aunt May: “[Uncle Ben] would not want us living for one second with revenge in our hearts. It’s like a poison. It can take you over. Before you know it, it can turn us into something ugly”(Raimi). As the good in Peter arises, the duality of his actions becomes apparent. The sense of duality in Peter’s personality is created by the continuous contrast between the actions of his id and superego. His duality is further visualised by his physical appearance, at one instance in the black suit with straight flowing hair and the other wearing the patriotic suit and a clean part in his hair. By placing the two appearances side by side Raimi shows that Peter is struggling to find a sense of identity and cannot find a balance between his id and superego. Consequently, this confusion is constantly flipping him from one extreme to the other in the battle to find himself once