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Batman and Justice: Symbolism over Substance?

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Thomas M. Miovas Jr.

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Wow, I have been on vacation in the country for awhile, didn't have relaible internet.

SPOILERS

1) Cat Woman did want to leave her life of crime. She gave indication she felt trapped in her life of crime. She said the following

“Once you do what you have to do, they won't let you do what you want to"

The way in which she said this gave me the impression that she was not satisfied with her life of crime even though throughout the movie she did claim that she was "doing what she had to do", that is acting based on pragmatism, even in order to escape the consequences on her past pragmatism. With this in mind I think her arc is very clear.

2) Bane, did not seem to represent egaltarianism.The Leauge of Shadows was an organization of ninjas. Ninjas in reality were mostly peasants who killed feuadal lords in secret to preserve their way of life. They did this by disguise and appearing to be things or people that they weren't, this is also how batman fights. So we are looking at a society of people with east asian medievalist values. Honestly if you watch the first movie you will understand this. They have a concept of justice, but one based in eastern-paganism rather than humanism/individualism.

Bane was also rejected from the the leauge of shadows for being a broken monster of a man who lived in a prison all of his life. He was too crazy. The only thing he cared about was a little girl in that prison. Although the film never states this it seems he saw something in the girl that was of value and chose to protect her, even at his own cost. The girl escaped from the pit and he didn't get out until he was rescued. Even then he was still fundementally broken and crazy, but still attatched to this woman.

Bane to me represents base altruism.

3) The pit was the most important symbol in the whole movie. At first we are convinced that Batman was weaker than Bane because Bane escaped from the pit. However it was revealed that he did not, he was rescued, the girl escaped. She escaped because she was probably going to be raped to death by prisoners, and wanted to live. In order to escape, Batman had to find a reason to live, not a way to die.

Metaphorically the pit was the fact that his symbol of justice that he had built was torn down in the second movie. Batman didn't represent justice anymore, but villainy. He sacraficed his reputation in order to preserve the good of society (in his mind). Later in the movie this has really bad consequences actually.The love of his life died, and it turned out she didn't even love him back. He lost a lot of his money and was crippled. All of his values were crushed. He was basically coasting without any purpose in life.

At the beginning of the movie, even though Bane has a death wish, he is purposeful and driven, and strong. Batman is physically weaker and has no real reason to fight beyond duty.He will get himself killed. Alfred tries to explain this to him but he won't listen. Late though when Batman reaffirms his sense of purpose and his will to live, he is stronger than bane because a full selfishman against a full altruist always wins. Bane and the girl want to die in order to fufill someone elses wishes and get revenge. Batman "doesn't want to die while my city burns".

Metaphorically Batman got out of the pit by burning the image of batman into the eyes of everyone, faking his death, and continuing to live a personal life in a foreign country while exploring new (hotter) romantic options. He rebuilt his symbol of justice (Batman), corrected the mistakes of the second movie (all the lies), and got over his dead-not-girlfriend.

To me it seems the movie was about how people who value their own life can defeat those who worship death.

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Back in the first movie Bruce Wayne learns by experience during his world peregrination (before he encounters the League of Shadows) that people who either steal food or face starvation are not of the criminal class he wishes to fight. With her "what you have to do" lines the third Batman movie is putting Catwoman among the excusable and redeemable. She is an individual redemption analogous to the entire city of Gotham's course of redemption over the three movies. She is necessary as a character in order for Bruce Wayne's moral victory over Gotham to have a concrete result, i.e. a visible "show not tell" happy ending that Wayne can continue to have after leaving Gotham.

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Why Batman is always unhappy? He never celebrates even when he wins. The achievement of his goals never brings to him any satisfaction or joy. It seems like he acts out of some Kantian duty. He becomes happy only when he quits his self-imposed "job" and reclaims his life. In other words, only resignation from his selfless service to society brings to him a real happiness.

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Why Batman is always unhappy?

Maybe because his parents were shot before his eyes as a child?

For Batman, I would say the final scene in the final movie of this franchise is the definition of happiness that is possible for him. Happiness is different for everyone, and for a cynic/traumatized person, it doesn't entail a lot of smiling or bouncing off walls.

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JASKN

"Maybe because his parents were shot before his eyes as a child?"

In such a case he at least should enjoy the revenge. But what I mean is a different problem altogether. He acts to achieve certain values like justice and doesn't have any joy while he achieves them as like as these achievements are valueless to him. I think it is because he has no selfish motive for his actions. He works for common good.

Edited by Leonid
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I think the grim, brooding Batman is a modern invention. I don't remember him being that way when I was growing up in the comic books, and the Batman of the 70's TV series had a really good sense of life and come-backs to the master criminals, which I certainly miss in the Nolan movies. So, part of my context in evaluating Nolan's work in Batman Rises and the others is how well did he convey a masterful projection of the dedicated man of justice when compared to the earlier versions. I definitely preferred the earlier version, which had more joy in the crusader for justice. But this is partially a sense of life reaction and is the same response some Objectivists have towards Gary Cooper's portrayal of Howard Roark as being too grim for their tastes.

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"I think the grim, brooding Batman is a modern invention."

Rather a reflection of the modern dominant philosophy. One should fight for the public cause without any personal benefits, without to get even one's personal happiness as reward. In the "Star War" prequel films the new Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker required to provide a selfless service to humanity. The moment he acts for his personal benefits, driven by love to his wife and mother he becomes a bad guy and goes to the dark side. The message is clear.

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Anakin Skywalker's entire life course is set by moments when he indulges his emotions. He has a girlfriend when a jedi should not because he feels horny. He keeps his girlfriend a secret because he fears the reactions of the other jedis. He goes on a wild killing spree to revenge his mother's death because of rage. He takes up studying the dark side out of a fear of loss of his pregnant girlfriend. He kills his fellow jedis, who as an influence encouraging emotional restraint and steady professional progress are merely an obstacle provoking frustration. He goes full Darth Vader out of a pit of emotional rage and despair. As Darth Vader, he force chokes to death people who annoy him. He tries to turn Luke to the dark side out of power lust, entertaining fantasies of ruling the galaxy as father and son (and presumably disposing of the Emperor). He actually disposes of the Emperor at the end out of a fit of paternal love and pride.

Playing the role of a pinball to the forces of the emotions is no way to live life. That Anakin attempted to do so and suffered for it is not director George Lucas crucifying a exemplar of rational, ethical egoism.

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As far as I remember he married his girlfriend and at least as it presented in the movie, there was a true love, not just emotional indulgence. As for the rest-it's all true. The concept of movie is based on the altruist premises that selfishness is bad, and a man, driven by selfish motives like love to mother or wife, inevitably turns into the reckless murderer and monster. This is the only alternative which our culture recognizes: one could be or selfless knight or Darth Vader.

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