The True Victim of the Super

In Eisner’s story “The Super,” the reader definitely has to ask, “Who is the victim in this story?” Is it the creepy Super/pedophile who is banished to the basement? Is it the little ten-year old wanna be prostitute who the Super is accused of molesting? Or could it be the tenants at 55 Dropsie?

I would say that none of these characters are victims. They are all guilty of something in their own way. The Super, even though the young girl took him advantage of, he still was a pedophile. It is true he did show his emotional side to his dog, but still nothing out was pedophilia it is a crime.

As for the young girl, she was guilty of manipulation, stealing and poisoning the dog. Personally, I think she is the guiltiest, but that is just my opinion. Not only did she steal his money and KILL his dog, which is totally unacceptable, but she also started a series of events that resulted in the Super killing himself.

But there is also the tenants of Dropsie Ave. At first read through one might assume that they are the true victims of the story, but I don’t think so. I think they do hold a certain level of guilt in the entire situation. They are responsible for labeling and treating the Super as a “social outcast.” It is almost as if they banished him to the basement, to do their dirty work. Thus resulting in the Super becoming who he was.

In my opinion the true victim here is the poor dog!!!