Film is a multi-purpose medium in modern society that entertains, educates and philosophizes about the human experience. Of course not all films accomplish, or even strive to achieve these purposes. However, films that both entertain and stimulate thought and discourse become useful vehicles for education. In an attempt to explore complex notions of ethics, integrity and the human condition, filmmakers may not always capture the casual viewer’s interest or imagination. A stunning example of a film which entertains and stimulates thought is Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”. Nolan’s movie dramatizes ethical and moral dilemmas experienced by Batman (and his alter ego Bruce Wayne), as well as those faced by his allies in the fight to save Gotham from crime and injustice. The examples are extreme and involve peoples’ lives being brokered by Batman, the Joker (the chief villain of the movie) and District Attorney Harvey Dent. Though the movie is a fantastical allegory, it nicely parallels health care ethics in terms of lives and well-being hanging in the balance. The themes of “The Dark Knight” include integrity, the common good and justice.
Throughout the movie, the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne experiences numerous challenges to his integrity, the most glaring dilemma being in defining his personal values and staying true to those values in two different roles. Bruce Wayne creates the persona of Batman to be a masked crimefighter who secretly battles the criminals and villians of Gotham. Despite having this cover, Batman refuses to use guns and will not take a human life. Both Bruce Wayne and Batman are able to maintain their personal integrity by stopping short of killing, even though Batman frequently and deliberately places himself in dangerous situations in which violence is not only standard, but expected. The persona of Batman not only enables Bruce to fight crime, but it also protects him, the people he cares about from physical harm and his business interests from criticism.
The theme of justice is another strong thread in “The Dark Knight”. Batman is the secret crusader who fights for good outside the law. His character is juxtaposed with that of Harvey Dent, the District Attorney who is determined to fight crime in Gotham within the constructs of the law and who acts as a metaphorical white knight. In addition, he is romantically involved with Rachel. Despite this relationship, Bruce Wayne does not see Harvey Dent as a foil, rather as a way for him to eventually relinquish the Batman persona so that he can be with Rachel. The characters of Harvey Dent and Batman show the multiple and complicated ways for justice to be exacted and enforced. However, their varied approaches dovetail together in the climax of the movie, first with an ethical dilemma faced by Batman and then with the crumbling of Harvey’s moral code and his adoption of a new system of justice.
At the end of the film, the Joker has been captured and is being interrogated by Batman as to the whereabouts of Harvey and Rachel, both whom have disappeared. The Joker has crafted a scheme in which both Harvey and Rachel are bound and surrounded by explosives in two separate locations. The Joker gives Batman both their locations, but only with enough time to save one of them. Does he save the woman he loves, or the man who can uphold the peace of Gotham and take over as Gotham’s hero? Besides the stakes being high, the decision must be made immediately. Though this decision is made hyperbolically dramatic in the context of a movie, it is not so different from the decisions that a health professional might need to make in an emergency situation. In a short time table, health care professionals frequently have to consider life, quality of life and the values of their patient and themselves.
The Joker, well-established as a character that does not play fair, has switched the locations of Rachel and Harvey, resulting in Batman going to save Harvey when he intends to save Rachel. As a result, Rachel dies and Harvey ends up with half of his face burnt off. Rachel’s death and his disfigurement cause Harvey to go into a mental and emotional tailspin. He then goes after the corrupt cops and mobsters who captured him and Rachel, and upon encountering each offending person, determines whether he will kill them or not by flipping a coin. Harvey argues that the system of justice under which he formerly operated was not fair, but that by flipping a coin each decision is fair in that each outcome has a 50/50 shot. The movie is powerful in the regard that Harvey Dent is initially shown to be a just man whose perspective of justice becomes skewed and his code of ethics is radically changed by traumatic events.
Harvey’s downfall sets the stage for Batman’s final ethical dilemma of the movie. In a final showdown, Harvey wants Batman, Commissioner Gordon and himself to all face the consequences of their decisions in the movie. Using his coin flip system of justice, Harvey is threatening Gordon’s family with a gun. As a result of the ensuing altercation, Harvey dies as Batman and Gordon try to save Gordon’s family. Standing over Harvey’s dead body, Batman realizes that the public will learn of Harvey’s murderous crime spree. This will likely result in the overturning of the convictions of hundreds of criminals, and undo much of the legal justice that benefitted the city of Gotham. Bruce will be then further removed from being able to retire the Batman persona. It is at this point that Batman decides that he will take responsibility for Harvey’s crimes. In order to preserve the good that was done, both by Harvey’s legal work and Batman’s crusading, Bruce allows the persona of Batman to be labeled as criminal, responsible for Harvey’s crimes. The beginning of the movie shows examples of citizens standing up to crime and emulating Batman as a hero. Through the crimes and manipulation of the Joker, Batman is faced with ethical choices that result in him becoming an erroneously-labeled villain. This is further example of Batman’s integrity, as he believes that the value in having a city with less crime and preserving the image of Harvey Dent is more important than Batman being perceived as a hero and just crusader.
There is a point in the movie where Harvey Dent states “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” This statement applies to both Harvey and to Batman. Both characters act with integrity and are driven by a sense of justice. Events in the film cause their individual interpretations of justice shift. Harvey comes to believe that judging individuals through the chance of a coin flip is justice, whereas Batman believes that the larger good is representative of a just society.
Both ultimately become villians in the end, as Harvey literally becomes a villain and Batman figuratively becomes a villain.
The Dark Knight is rife with themes of justice, integrity and the common good. The characters face challenging ethical dilemmas without a lot of time to make a decision. These dilemmas are also faced while having to consider the lives and values of others and avoid personal physical harm. It parallels the situations that many health professionals face in having to address the life and well-being of themselves and patients, as well as adhering to a code of ethics. The discussion prompted about integrity, justice and ethics in “The Dark Knight” is only enriched by multiple viewings. What particularly makes it a dynamic film is that although many questions are raised and dilemmas are presented, no concrete answers are given. It is up to the viewer to decide their own guiding principles.
Throughout the movie, the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne experiences numerous challenges to his integrity, the most glaring dilemma being in defining his personal values and staying true to those values in two different roles. Bruce Wayne creates the persona of Batman to be a masked crimefighter who secretly battles the criminals and villians of Gotham. Despite having this cover, Batman refuses to use guns and will not take a human life. Both Bruce Wayne and Batman are able to maintain their personal integrity by stopping short of killing, even though Batman frequently and deliberately places himself in dangerous situations in which violence is not only standard, but expected. The persona of Batman not only enables Bruce to fight crime, but it also protects him, the people he cares about from physical harm and his business interests from criticism.
The value in separating the personas of Bruce Wayne and Batman is tested to the extremes in the film by the Joker, Batman’s central nemesis. This occurs when the Joker, seemingly in cahoots with the mobsters of Gotham, gives Batman an ultimatum regarding his identity. As Batman has almost completely shut down crime in Gotham, he has stopped the mobsters from making any money. The Joker threatens to murder a person every day that Batman does not come forward to reveal his true identity. To prove his point, he starts by killing a man who was heartened by Batman’s efforts to fight crime, and thus dressed up as Batman to help fight criminals. Batman is now faced with a dilemma. He either allows the Joker to murder a person every day he does not come forward, or destroys the protective cover of Batman and risks his own personal safety as well as those of his loved ones. In addition, revealing Batman’s identity would destroy the powerful image and hero that deters and stops crime in Gotham.
So in the midst of trying to locate and capture the Joker, Bruce Wayne must weigh the consequences of his choices. Should he reveal his identity as Batman to save potential victims from being murdered by the Joker? Or should he keep his identity secret to protect his identity and maintain the peace and law enforcement that Batman provides? Initially Bruce Wayne leans toward maintaining his secret, but after several more people are murdered, that decision becomes more difficult. His butler Alfred (who is the chief supporter of his secret, both physically and mentally), argues that he needs to keep his identity secret, as the persona of Batman enables him to serve the greater good as a symbol and that he should not give in to the whims of a madman. In contrast to that, Rachel (Bruce’s childhood sweetheart and another character privy to his dual identities) argues that he should come forward to prevent innocent people from being murdered. The motivations for her argument are colored by the fact that she has told Bruce in the past that they cannot be together as a couple as long as he is Batman. Rachel herself has her integrity tested in several instances in the film. At one point Rachel is facing the Joker directly, and revealing herself (and her identity as Bruce’s friend) means that she will likely be maimed or killed. Rachel’s commitment to honesty and justice seems to be in contrast with Bruce’s values of maintaining his Batman persona and his affection for her.The theme of justice is another strong thread in “The Dark Knight”. Batman is the secret crusader who fights for good outside the law. His character is juxtaposed with that of Harvey Dent, the District Attorney who is determined to fight crime in Gotham within the constructs of the law and who acts as a metaphorical white knight. In addition, he is romantically involved with Rachel. Despite this relationship, Bruce Wayne does not see Harvey Dent as a foil, rather as a way for him to eventually relinquish the Batman persona so that he can be with Rachel. The characters of Harvey Dent and Batman show the multiple and complicated ways for justice to be exacted and enforced. However, their varied approaches dovetail together in the climax of the movie, first with an ethical dilemma faced by Batman and then with the crumbling of Harvey’s moral code and his adoption of a new system of justice.
At the end of the film, the Joker has been captured and is being interrogated by Batman as to the whereabouts of Harvey and Rachel, both whom have disappeared. The Joker has crafted a scheme in which both Harvey and Rachel are bound and surrounded by explosives in two separate locations. The Joker gives Batman both their locations, but only with enough time to save one of them. Does he save the woman he loves, or the man who can uphold the peace of Gotham and take over as Gotham’s hero? Besides the stakes being high, the decision must be made immediately. Though this decision is made hyperbolically dramatic in the context of a movie, it is not so different from the decisions that a health professional might need to make in an emergency situation. In a short time table, health care professionals frequently have to consider life, quality of life and the values of their patient and themselves.
The Joker, well-established as a character that does not play fair, has switched the locations of Rachel and Harvey, resulting in Batman going to save Harvey when he intends to save Rachel. As a result, Rachel dies and Harvey ends up with half of his face burnt off. Rachel’s death and his disfigurement cause Harvey to go into a mental and emotional tailspin. He then goes after the corrupt cops and mobsters who captured him and Rachel, and upon encountering each offending person, determines whether he will kill them or not by flipping a coin. Harvey argues that the system of justice under which he formerly operated was not fair, but that by flipping a coin each decision is fair in that each outcome has a 50/50 shot. The movie is powerful in the regard that Harvey Dent is initially shown to be a just man whose perspective of justice becomes skewed and his code of ethics is radically changed by traumatic events.
Harvey’s downfall sets the stage for Batman’s final ethical dilemma of the movie. In a final showdown, Harvey wants Batman, Commissioner Gordon and himself to all face the consequences of their decisions in the movie. Using his coin flip system of justice, Harvey is threatening Gordon’s family with a gun. As a result of the ensuing altercation, Harvey dies as Batman and Gordon try to save Gordon’s family. Standing over Harvey’s dead body, Batman realizes that the public will learn of Harvey’s murderous crime spree. This will likely result in the overturning of the convictions of hundreds of criminals, and undo much of the legal justice that benefitted the city of Gotham. Bruce will be then further removed from being able to retire the Batman persona. It is at this point that Batman decides that he will take responsibility for Harvey’s crimes. In order to preserve the good that was done, both by Harvey’s legal work and Batman’s crusading, Bruce allows the persona of Batman to be labeled as criminal, responsible for Harvey’s crimes. The beginning of the movie shows examples of citizens standing up to crime and emulating Batman as a hero. Through the crimes and manipulation of the Joker, Batman is faced with ethical choices that result in him becoming an erroneously-labeled villain. This is further example of Batman’s integrity, as he believes that the value in having a city with less crime and preserving the image of Harvey Dent is more important than Batman being perceived as a hero and just crusader.
There is a point in the movie where Harvey Dent states “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” This statement applies to both Harvey and to Batman. Both characters act with integrity and are driven by a sense of justice. Events in the film cause their individual interpretations of justice shift. Harvey comes to believe that judging individuals through the chance of a coin flip is justice, whereas Batman believes that the larger good is representative of a just society.
Both ultimately become villians in the end, as Harvey literally becomes a villain and Batman figuratively becomes a villain.
The Dark Knight is rife with themes of justice, integrity and the common good. The characters face challenging ethical dilemmas without a lot of time to make a decision. These dilemmas are also faced while having to consider the lives and values of others and avoid personal physical harm. It parallels the situations that many health professionals face in having to address the life and well-being of themselves and patients, as well as adhering to a code of ethics. The discussion prompted about integrity, justice and ethics in “The Dark Knight” is only enriched by multiple viewings. What particularly makes it a dynamic film is that although many questions are raised and dilemmas are presented, no concrete answers are given. It is up to the viewer to decide their own guiding principles.
No comments:
Post a Comment