Ed King Split Personality Analysis

Criticism of Masculinity in “Split Personality” Ideal masculinity is depicted everywhere in our society from movies to books to comics. It is a socially constructed set of attributes for boys and men to achieve. Some common characteristics include: strength, heroism, audacity, control, lack of emotion, superior, fearlessness, honor, and heterosexuality. In a 1950’s issue of the Vault of Horror, the horror comic, “Split Personality,” depicts the male protagonist, Ed King, as a character of great strength and fearlessness who commits the acts of polygamy and deception. Ed King exhibits similar masculine qualities as those of Superman in Action Comic including strength, fearlessness, and his appeal to women, however, unlike Superaman, Ed’s ideal …show more content…
In contrast, Ed king’s version of ideal masculinity is criticized through his strength, fearlessness , and appeal to women in Vault of Horror ‘s issue of “Split Personality”. The comic hyperbolizes Ed King’s portrayal of the ideal masculinity to convince the readers to question whether ideal masculinity is desirable. It imposes the unrealistic expectations of it that and boys and men are expected to fulfill. In fact, the comic contends that Ed’s version of ideal masculinity is the reason for his demise. The comic conveys ideal masculinity as unobtainable, undignified, and falsified. . For example, his “split” body in the end translates into something that is in fact undesirable. Furthermore, he becomes a something instead of a someone. His reputation as an ideal man is devalued. This commentary of the ideal masculinity in the comic indicates that socially constructed ideals and qualities expected of men to achieve including strength, heroism, audacity, control, unemotional, superior, fearless, honorable, and heterosexual, are flawed and thus should be