Where Do I Fit In?

In life as in literature, females are supposed to be not too tall but not too short. They are supposed to have long hair. Now a day’s men in society prefer theory women to be not too fat but not too skinny. With all these classifications that females are being placed in by the people within society, it is difficult for women to be comfortable with their self-much less their body especially when they are judged based on their physical features. In the novel Soon I Will Be Invincible Fatale is a woman that was transformed into a cyborg after a freaked accident in Brazil. Throughout the novel, the author was able to capture how she perceived her body both as a cyborg and woman into the superhero world and the psychological effects it had on who she becomes. Therefore in the novel, Fatale’s body is perceived differently than that of the body of other female superheroes which can lead to negative psychological impacts on who she becomes as a superhero.

In the article “Investigating the engendered Superhero Body” by Aaron Taylor it spoke about how the environment that one grew up in contributes to how their body is perceived by others. It also states that a superhero body is created to express one’s inner desire to look a certain way. Their body is meant to be appealing to the opposite sex. In the novel, Fatale does not seem to be comfortable in her own body since she would often compare herself to Damsel. Fatale is also experiencing psychological issue which can negatively impact her life as a superhero.

The Erikson Stages of Psychosocial Development is a psychological lens that can be used to analysis Fatale’s actions. Erikson’s Psychological Theory of Development is a theory that has eight psychosocial stages of how human beings develop their mind with the help of others. Notes
from psychology headquarters say that “Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development emphasizes the sociocultural determinants of development and presents them as eight stages of psychosocial conflicts that all individuals must overcome or resolve successfully in order to adjust well to the environment” (HQ, 2017). This is a theory that implies that for one to survive they need the help of others.

In Chapter two, Welcome to the Team its states Fatale stated, “I can see myself reflecting in the curvy metal walls of the Crisis Room, a patchwork woman of skin chrome, souvenirs of a bad day in Sao Paulo. I lost a lot of skin and gained four inches of height and a metal skeleton,” (22). This shows that Fatale does not like what she sees in the mirror especially with the words she used it described how she views herself. The word patchwork is defined as needlework in which small pieces of cloth in different designs, colors, or textures are sewn together. In Fatale’s case, she was a patchwork of metals and silicones that was half of her body. This word has a negative connotation because Fatale doesn’t find herself beautiful.

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