The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan's movies always
had a troubled protagonist in pursuit of purpose of life, be it ‘Following’, ‘Memento’,
‘Insomnia’ or even ‘Inception’. And when he brought that conflict to Batman, he
truly redefined the man behind the mask for me. While I don’t consider his
movies to be the best literature on Batman, they get me thinking about how Batman's life would actually be. It brings him a little closer to my world. That is what
I’m doing here, trying to summarize how I see Batman, a lost man, a fallen hero.
Bruce Wayne… At a tender age, he sees his parents being murdered by a homeless crook. He is taken over by hatred. That hatred sets only one aim to his life, revenge. The child who was afraid of darkness grows up to be a man who embraces darkness and beats up goons in a bid to clean up the city. And therein lie the roots of Batman, a man of misplaced ideals, a man guided not by purpose but by revenge. His actions are more in the search of peace for himself than for goodwill of others. But he doesn’t realise it. He keeps on fighting until the end. But he never finds what he wants. He never finds peace.
Bruce Wayne aka Batman… He leads a double life. One is a mask, to be what the world wants him to be, a careless, rich, spoilt brat enjoying parents’ legacy. Other side of him is also a mask, to hide what’s inside, a mind torn apart between past and present. In both forms, he lives a life that nobody cares about, except Alfred, the butler and Rachel, his crush. She promises him that she’ll be waiting when he returns, when the world no longer needs Batman. That is the only support that he clings on to; she is his only hope of getting back to a normal life when his revenge is complete. And then she dies. Before dying she leaves a note for Bruce, a note that says she can’t keep her promise because the man she loved would never come back. She knows that the world doesn’t need Batman but he needs the world to find a meaning to his life.
Rachel’s words ring in his head, “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you”. He gives his everything to the city falling apart around him, a city which in return holds him responsible for everything that is wrong. When he comes to know of the note Rachel left, his world is shattered. With bleeding heart and a bruised ego, he sets out on a final search for peace that has been eluding him since long. And then he dies; for people who could never stand up for themselves, for people who blamed him for their misfortunes. In the end he doesn’t get anything, not peace, not love, not revenge.
What he says to Commissioner Gordon while taking blame for numerous murders, sums up the state of that lone man who has nothing to lose. “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be. You’ll hunt me. You’ll condemn me, set the dogs on me. Because that’s what needs to happen. Because sometimes the truth isn’t good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”
His struggle is inspiring. But what’s heart-breaking is for all the hardships that he has to go through, never once does he get what he longs for. And yet he doesn’t give up, that’s what makes him great. Like Gordon puts it, “he is the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.”
Bruce Wayne… At a tender age, he sees his parents being murdered by a homeless crook. He is taken over by hatred. That hatred sets only one aim to his life, revenge. The child who was afraid of darkness grows up to be a man who embraces darkness and beats up goons in a bid to clean up the city. And therein lie the roots of Batman, a man of misplaced ideals, a man guided not by purpose but by revenge. His actions are more in the search of peace for himself than for goodwill of others. But he doesn’t realise it. He keeps on fighting until the end. But he never finds what he wants. He never finds peace.
Bruce Wayne aka Batman… He leads a double life. One is a mask, to be what the world wants him to be, a careless, rich, spoilt brat enjoying parents’ legacy. Other side of him is also a mask, to hide what’s inside, a mind torn apart between past and present. In both forms, he lives a life that nobody cares about, except Alfred, the butler and Rachel, his crush. She promises him that she’ll be waiting when he returns, when the world no longer needs Batman. That is the only support that he clings on to; she is his only hope of getting back to a normal life when his revenge is complete. And then she dies. Before dying she leaves a note for Bruce, a note that says she can’t keep her promise because the man she loved would never come back. She knows that the world doesn’t need Batman but he needs the world to find a meaning to his life.
Rachel’s words ring in his head, “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you”. He gives his everything to the city falling apart around him, a city which in return holds him responsible for everything that is wrong. When he comes to know of the note Rachel left, his world is shattered. With bleeding heart and a bruised ego, he sets out on a final search for peace that has been eluding him since long. And then he dies; for people who could never stand up for themselves, for people who blamed him for their misfortunes. In the end he doesn’t get anything, not peace, not love, not revenge.
What he says to Commissioner Gordon while taking blame for numerous murders, sums up the state of that lone man who has nothing to lose. “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be. You’ll hunt me. You’ll condemn me, set the dogs on me. Because that’s what needs to happen. Because sometimes the truth isn’t good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”
His struggle is inspiring. But what’s heart-breaking is for all the hardships that he has to go through, never once does he get what he longs for. And yet he doesn’t give up, that’s what makes him great. Like Gordon puts it, “he is the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.”
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