Superheroes are a key symbol in Flora and Ulysses, characterizing Ulysses himself and serving as a guiding beacon for Flora during a dark time in her life. Incandesto’s name comes from the word “incandescent,” which means “glowing.” Like Incandesto, Ulysses sheds light on dark moments and infuses the world around him with magic and hope. Flora has read dozens of Incandesto comic books, and as a result, she believes she knows what it means to be a superhero. After Flora rescues Ulysses and he lifts the offending vacuum above his head, she is certain he must have transformed into a superhero like Alfred T. Slipper. One of the first observations she makes is “the world will misunderstand him” (22). This turns out to be true, especially in the case of her mother.

Flora shows Ulysses her comic books, and explains what a superhero does: “A superhero is someone with special powers, and he uses those powers to fight the forces of darkness and evil” (33-36). From this moment on, Flora waits to see what other amazing things Ulysses can do, slowly leaving her cynical self behind and opening up to The Possibility of the Impossible.