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Some of the popular culture elements like rituals, myths, stereotypes and beliefs are exposed in accordance to the time Burroughs wrote the story, giving American society many chapters full of entrainment. John Carter’s actions represent the belief that the American democracy is the only more suitable government and social structure. When he travels to Mars, he founds that the Martian social structure is based mainly in the idea of communism, an idea where there are no social classes and everyone was equal socially and economically. In the Mars society all Martians were equal and their customs were very different from the American.
Mars, also called Barsoom by the green Martians, captures the attention of some myths in popular culture. Some myths of popular culture are affirmed, Mars is focus of study of many scientists and there are theories that there is life in the red planet, Burroughs confirms many of those theories; he travels and encounters with incredible adventures of struggling creatures trying to survive in a dying planet
During 1912, America was suffering many changes, they could still remember the civil war, Edgar Burroughs reflected in his book, and how nations were separated. In his book, Princess of Mars, the red planet was having fights between Martians as the United States was having the struggle within its states causing the separation of a nation and its people. America during 1912 was also suffering social changes, the labor force was fighting to obtain benefits and better working conditions; immigrants, and African Americans were also fighting to obtain equal rights. All these situations relate to what Burroughs wrote in his book, the term, Social Darwinism, the idea of evolution by natural selection applied to the society, will be the term to describe Burroughs idea of survival, the strongest individual will survive. Although, this idea was popularized in America in 1944, it could apply here because Burroughs describes how Martians survival depended on the , strongest, specimens, these specimens will search survive in a dying planet.
In Princess of Mars, there are many believes of the American society reflected by the era it was written, and many of these elements can be seen influencing today’s popular culture. The brave and noble actions of the main character, John Carter, reflect his American beliefs. He saves many times the unprotected and vulnerable Princess of Helium, they fell in love and they married forming a family, which is believed to be the most accepted way of American social life, together they confront many dangerous adventures, finally saving a dying planet, and influencing many of the communist Martian beliefs is part of Carter’s beliefs.
Stereotypes are also important part of this book. The stereotypical hero and princess are characterized by John Carter and Dejah Thoris. John Carter is the noble American hero that saves the unprotected woman, saves the planet, and spreads his ideas of freedom, family, and love. His character’s ability of fighting every evil Martian and easily winning respect is a common characteristic of an American hero. Heroes were important for that era because after the civil war, America was a forming country with many problems, they needed distraction and a hero that could save the day. On the other side, Dejah Thoris was the stereotypical princess in which every American tale has to be saved. Burroughs describes Dejah Thoris as beautiful, and intelligent, these are the characteristics of a woman of that time.
In one of the Chapters of the book, John Carter explains the ritual of rising children. The eggs of Martians are placed in an incubator for five years; they do not meet their parents and they are later distributed to young Martians, who teach them to talk, and the use of weapons of warfare. The use of warfare for Martians is very indispensable because they live in a struggling planet fighting against other Martians. Martians are not taught the value of a family, which in the American society is the nucleus of a social life, they do not show their feelings to other Martians and they do not know the meaning of love. In their ritual of child rising, there is a part, where John Carter explains that Martians select carefully the strongest and the most resistant eggs to incubate. These rituals are very different to the idea of American life, in America; the family is the most important base of the society. The love and support of the family are essential to an acceptable life, but Martian customs do not find the idea of a family important because their existence in the planet is threatened by the slow atmosphere banishment.
