Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

by

Becky Albertalli

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda makes teaching easy.

Superheroes Symbol Analysis

Superheroes Symbol Icon

As Blue and Simon's correspondence continues, they come to view superheroes as a symbol for what it's like being secretly gay. Around Halloween, Blue mentions that he always dressed up as a superhero for Halloween as a kid. Blue and Simon interpret their "superhero identities" as who they are in their emails to each other (out and happy to be gay), while their "civilian identities" are who they are in their day-to-day lives (closeted). Bram and Simon's experiences coming out then serve to merge their two identities into one that's far more comfortable than switching between two identities as superheroes do.

Superheroes Quotes in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

The Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda quotes below all refer to the symbol of Superheroes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Agency and Control Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

“I completely see the appeal of being someone else for the evening (or in general). Actually, I was a bit of a one-trick pony myself when I was little. I was always a superhero. I guess I liked to imagine myself having this complicated secret identity. Maybe I still do. Maybe that's the whole point of these emails.”

Related Characters: Blue / Bram (speaker), Simon Spier
Related Symbols: Holidays, Superheroes
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
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Superheroes Symbol Timeline in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

The timeline below shows where the symbol Superheroes appears in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
Identity and Assumptions Theme Icon
Family, Change, and Growing Up Theme Icon
...someone else for a night. Blue replies that he loves dressing up and was a superhero every year as a kid, but he's not going out this year. He has to... (full context)
Chapter 17
Relationships and Empathy Theme Icon
...golden retrievers. However, Simon forgives this and asks Cal about his drawing. It's of a superhero, which makes Simon's heart clench given Blue's affinity for superheroes. Simon looks up to see... (full context)
Chapter 22
Family, Change, and Growing Up Theme Icon
...just got home from Target, where the Super Sharpies reminded him of Blue's love of superheroes. He also comments on Blue's unwillingness to exchange phone numbers. (full context)
Agency and Control Theme Icon
Identity and Assumptions Theme Icon
Blue laughs at the superhero Sharpies and then says he's not ready to exchange numbers. He's afraid that Simon would... (full context)
Chapter 26
Relationships and Empathy Theme Icon
...to reveal himself before he's ready, but he thinks it's weird that Blue knows Simon's "superhero identity," and Simon doesn't know his. Blue's response is short and says he's happy that... (full context)