Analysis of Marvin

My childhood "power figure", often inaccurately labeled a "hero", was always Looney Tunes* character, Marvin the Martian. Do you remember him? He was always hunting Bugs Bunny for the purpose of conducting scientific experiments. He always said he wanted to learn more about "Earthlings". Marvin was always studious and quiet, keeping to himself, until Bugs Bunny would make him angry.

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When I was a child, I was not popular as a Marvin the Martian fan, amongst the overwhelming majority of Bugs Bunny fans. This aided, in some small part, the development of my own alienation. As I approached mature adulthood, I became reacquainted with my old friend, Marvin. I was forced to ask myself, "What does Marvin represent in society? What does Marvin represent within myself?"

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Let us begin by analyzing Marvin's appearance. His eyes are green with envy. Who does he envy? Perhaps he envies the overall freedom and popularity of Bugs Bunny? Of course, if he was not always losing his temper, or trying to dissect people (or rather, other characters) then he might have had more friends. The deep black face with no visible features, except the eyes could be an intimidation technique. What if it is not? What if he is hiding his true identity from the rest of the world for fear of rejection? The high contrast colors are a distinct cry for attention. Red is the color of anger; green is the color of envy; yellow is the color of cowardice. These are the prevalent colors in this creature's costume.

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Why is he a Martian? He could be from any of the other planets. As I remember, scientists were searching for life on all planets throughout my childhood, and had finally declared the impossibility of life on Mars. How does this affect Marvin's own reflection of himself? Does this mean Marvin does not have a life? Has he finally achieved complete social invisibility? Or is he experiencing total rejection?

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I think Marvin represents the weak spirited, underappreciated, hard working middle class. Everyone is looking for us, but politically speaking, we are the least represented. When I say represented, I am speaking of our needs actually being met. He is intelligent, albeit lacking some degree of common sense, and he is barely self-sufficient, without gaining popular favor or sufficient monetary overhead. He has one quest: to dissect Bugs Bunny. Bugs Bunny is the star adored by many. What makes him so special? If Marvin could just peek inside - if we could just peek inside the brain of a celebrity- would anything change? Would he be any different? Is there a genetic predisposition to social adaptability and acceptance?

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As a middle child, of the middle class, growing up in the Mid-west, I was always in the middle. I understood social invisibility while struggling to understand social rejection and popularity. Marvin is the cartoon representation of the inner adolescent. Marvin is a representation of all our fears of success and failure, popularity and alienation, acceptance and rejection, all rolled into one. These are the fears I faced when I came of age in a country where I chose my own path.

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If you love Marvin, you may identify with him. You may be one of the few who actually get it. If you despise Marvin, you may be completely unaware that he is the visualization of your own declining self-esteem. Or you may simply be clue-less. I respect Marvin - not because he is an alien, or because he is so different from normal, but because he is not.