The Dark Knight of a Postmodern World Essay Example for Free

The Dark Knight of a Postmodern World Essay â€Å"The Dark Knight† is a film based on DC comic book character Batman and his fight to protect his home, Gotham City, from the antagonist, the Joker. Director Chris Nolan provides the viewer with not only an action film, but also a thought-provoking masterpiece. The film focuses on the thin line between sanity (Batman) and madness (Joker) and how anyone can easily turn from good to evil, the example being Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face in such a short time. The film deconstructs previous ideas of the â€Å"hero† by portraying Batman not as a hero, but as an â€Å"anti-hero†. He appears to be the hero, but possesses no superpowers and also causes mayhem in his city, much like a villain would. The Joker represents postmodernism because he threatens our â€Å"givens† (Instead of soldiers who are allowed to die, threaten the mayor and hospitals). He makes people question everything, creating chaos. The Joker also represents post-modern beliefs because he challenges our idea of the conventional villain, who is supposed to represent pure evil, by comparing himself to the hero, Batman, using such examples as how they are both freaks to society and how they were both created by one bad day. The most important instance of post-modern values is the Jokers entire character. He believes the average man lives with a bloated sense of humanity’s importance and a frail and useless notion of order and sanity. He sees human existence as mad, random, and pointless and the world as a psychotic carnival of animals that will kill each other at the first chance; â€Å"When the chips are down, these uh, these civilized people, theyll eat each other. Although his beliefs on others are post-modern, his attitude toward himself seems very naturalist-like. In one scene he explains â€Å"You know what I am? Im a dog chasing cars. I wouldnt know what to do with one if I caught it! You know†¦I just do things†¦Im not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. † This shows how the Joker just forgoes all planning and thinking and just does what feels right. Another belief the Joker has that I believe represents post-mod ernism is that chaos is fair. This quote challenges our pre-conceived notion that order and civility is fair by presenting a good case for his side throughout the movie. The movie itself confuses the viewer by making the Joker (the villain) the only person who logically acted from a clear set of principles, while Batman and Harvey Dent came off as characters without a clear sense of what their principled core might be. Batman, on the other hand, challenges our idea of what a â€Å"hero† is. Although he is the good side to the Jokers bad side, he is not a hero but an anti-hero. Batman is the â€Å"hero† Gotham needs (â€Å"I can do those things because Im not a hero, not like Dent. I killed those people. Thats what I can be Youll hunt me. Youll condemn me, set the dogs on me, because thats what needs to happen. ), but not deserves, so he is cast out, which is the opposite of what happens to guys like Superman or Spiderman, but Batman, unlike conventional heroes, can BE the outcast because it’s a necessary part of society. The irony in Batman being cast out is that it is exactly how the Joker is treated. Another similarity between the two is that they both create chaos in the city, although for Batman it is necessary for the greater good and the Joker believes living in a world of chaos is a good thing. The similarities between the Joker and Batman intrigued audiences, which may have been what made the film so popular. It presented a loved â€Å"hero† like Batman, and focused on the darker side of him, mainly the fact that he is a vigilante, an ordinary citizen who works outside the legal system for a greater cause. The Dark Knight† created its own niche in American cinema by deconstructing our idea of a hero and making us think about our own grip on sanity as individuals and as a society. Heath Ledger’s death didn’t hurt the movie’s popularity either, of course, he played that role perfectly, and so the fame is well-deserved. I personally am a huge Batman/ Joker fan, and â€Å"The Dark Knight† made me rethink Batman as a character and look at the characters involved closer and differently to find out what they truly represent.