One way to describe the underlying theme of Mad Men, if you look at the stuff that Matt Weiner says, is that it’s the dark side of the American Dream. What is the American Dream, you ask? It’s the self-made man, rise from nothing, become Somebody. Humble origins. Put your belongings on a wagon train and strike gold. In a word, it’s Don Draper.
Don is the ultimate self-made man, because he made not only his success, but his very identity. But what is a secret identity?
Mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent is secretly Superman. This is an ancient story: Stammering Moses is secretly God’s Chosen Prophet. But there’s another version, opposite to this one.
While Clark Kent’s secret identity is Superman, Spiderman’s secret identity is Peter Parker. For Superman, his authentic self is the hero; invulnerable and awesome. The bumbling reporter is just a put-on. But for Spiderman, the science geek with girl trouble and a nagging aunt is his true self; when Spidey looks in the mirror, who he sees is Peter Parker. It’s the hero that’s the put-on.
The question is, who does Don see in the mirror? Is it Don Draper, or Dick Whitman? Maybe the real dark side is that he himself does not know.
3 Responses to “The Superhero and the Self-Made Man”
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And unlike Clark and Peter, Don has no respite. He does not go back and forth between identities.
That's why this has been such a significant year for him. All of a sudden Dick is being called to the surface; by the man who recognizes him on the train, by Rachel saying her mother died while having her, and of course, by Adam's appearance.
These days I've really been identifying with the Don who is INTENT on leaving the past behind, to the point of hurting his little brother. You know, that part of yourself that says, I wish that had never happened to me.
By destroying Dick Whitman, he's killing the family that never loved him. He hurts himself in the process, true. I wish I could express myself more clearly today. For whatever reason, I'm having a bout of aphasia or something. Sigh. Anyway, those are the thoughts that your post triggered. The self-made man and the imposter–aren't they related, in a way?
No, Eme, I know exactly what you mean. Don is wiping out abuse and neglect, he's erasing unhappiness. It's terrible to wipe out Adam along with that, but it must seem a reasonable price to pay.