Popular Culture Review Vol. 10, No. 2, August 1999 | Page 111

Metaphor and The Shadow

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of “Omphale’s Spinning Wheel” by Saint-Saens, followed by The Shadow’s open
ing lines (Buxton and Owen 201). The hiss and crackle of 1930s radio, coupled
with the ghostly glow from the radio dial, undoubtedly magnified the gothic mood
of the music.
The radio series included other memorable elements that amplified the
basic motif of good versus evil. Many episodes included a statement by the an
nouncer explicitly declaring the moralizing intent of the show, such as “These
half-hour dramatizations are designed to forcibly demonstrate to young and old
alike that crime does not pay!” (“Isle of Fear”). The episodes usually ended with
another frightening warning from The Shadow about the dangers of evil: “The
weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay! The Shadow Knows! [weird
laughter]” (Tollin).
Sometimes other archetypal symbols of good and evil were employed in
The Shadow’s pronouncements: “Let no man tempt you into crime, for crime is
like a strangling serpent: it crushes him who feeds it most. Beware lest the serpent
of crime ensnare you in his fold. Remember, crime does not pay. The Shadow
knows! [laughter]” (Tollin). In this example The Shadow appealed to one of the
most universal metaphors for evil, the serpent, which hearkens back to the Book of
Genesis. The Shadow borrowed archetypal metaphor from biblical sources on
other occasions as well, often saying, for example: “As you sow evil, so you shall
reap evil!” (Tollin). In the pulp novels, the role of The Shadow as a fearsome
vigilante crime fighter was even more pronounced, as he used physical violence
much more freely than in the radio show. Unlike radio’s other great hero, the Lone
Ranger, who never shot to kill. The Shadow of the pulps used his guns with deadly
efficiency.
Magic and Superhuman Ability
A third heroic archetype promi nent in The Shadow myth is the hero’s use
of magic or other superhuman abilities. Reference has already been made to The
Shadow’s extraordinary ability to hide in the darkness (in the novels) or to become
invisible (in the radio series). The radio series described this as the “ability to
cloud men’s minds” and declared that The Shadow was “never seen, only heard”
(“Message from the Hills”). Often, The Shadow manifests hypnotic or even su
pernatural powers to control other people’s actions. He had other abilities as well:
he was a master of disguise, master marksman, incredibly strong, a master of selfdefense, intelligent almost to the point of omniscience, a skilled pilot, and profi
cient in chemistry and other sciences (Eisgruber 7-14).
In addition, the very fact that most people believed The Shadow was a
myth contributed to his power over evildoers, and the unseen nature of the radio
medium enhanced the image: