Superman has been interpreted and discussed in many forms in the years since his debut.

The
character's status as the first costumed superhero has allowed him to be used in many studies
discussing the genre, Umberto Eco noting that "he can be seen as the representative of all his
similars".[167] Writing in Time in 1971, Gerald Clarke stated: "Superman's enormous popularity
might be looked upon as signalling the beginning of the end for the Horatio Alger myth of the
self-made man." Clarke viewed the comics characters as having to continuously update in order
to maintain relevance, and thus representing the mood of the nation. He regarded Superman's
character in the early seventies as a comment on the modern world, which he saw as a place in
which "only the man with superpowers can survive and prosper." [168] Andrew Arnold, writing in the
early 21st century, has noted Superman's partial role in exploring assimilation, the character's
alien status allowing the reader to explore attempts to fit in on a somewhat superficial level. [169]