"The Figure of Elvis"

“Like baseball and the Statue of Liberty, the figure of Elvis guards the way into America.” (Lott, 192) Spigel disucesses how Elvis has been immortalized as an icon and many people have continued to make a great profit off of his persona. So why so many years later is he still so popular? “We’ve had every type of Elvis there is in the world… There are heavily bearded Elvises, four-year-old Elvises, and Elvis duos; Italian Elvises, Greek Elvises, Jewish Elvises, a Lady Elvis, even a Black Elvis.” (194) What is this fascination with Elvis? An entertainer explains that people love Elvis because he made people happy. (Lott, 220) Sweeney discuses Elvis’ place among the “white trash” community and was seen as an icon in different political realms. He appealed to a myriad of different audiences. There is an interesting commentary made on how minorities disliked Elvis because of racism. The Public Enemy Rap claims how they hate Elvis and John Wayne were racists and conveys the issues minorities have with these figures. (Lott, 193) These two men represent the white “American dream’ but fail to represent anyone else. The problem is that they are seen as the image of American male, and that image should not just represent white men. In the current society, Elvis impersonators represent the standard blue collar working man, they trade in their everyday life to impersonate “The King.” (Lott, 193) Society has progressed and we now have modern heroes in films who are not just white, Will Smith is a great example of this type of hero. Elvis’ role in King Creole perfectly represents Elvis’ typical character where he goes from rags to riches and is the most loved character in the film regardless of what he does.

What is one of the attributes that Elvis embodied that made him so popular?

How do you feel about the idea that Elvis represents only the white average male and misrepresents a realistic American male of that time?

Who is another modern day hero who can bring in large audiences simply by their name that might not have been popular during Elvis’ era?