Good vs. Evil in Batman
Alexis Hamlett
Good and Evil Essay
9/29/12
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is a reflection of how the good responds to the nature of evil. The Joker is the ultimate evil character and throughout the film he puts other characters in a tough situations that force them to choose between right and wrong and ultimately good and evil. Examples of this are seen with the characters Harvey Dent, Batman, and in the lifeboat scenario scene. The Joker’s main goal is to prove that people are truly evil deep down and he manipulates them to bring that evil out and finds pleasure in destroying the good in people.
One of the main characters in The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent, shows one way good reacts to evil. Harvey is the district attorney of Gotham City. Harvey had done much good to the city by putting many of Gotham’s criminals behind bars. Batman once also said to Harvey that he was the symbol of hope that Batman could never be and Batman even referred to him as the ray of light to Gotham. He is one of the pure good in the film and is constantly being called “the White Knight” of Gotham. Because of all of the goodness Dent had brought to Gotham he was considered a hero to the citizens and this made him a prime target for the Joker’s manipulations. “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” Dent said this early in the film during a dinner with Bruce and Rachel. This applies to Dent because if he had died in place of Rachel, he would have died with honor and he would be remembered as a hero in Gotham. Since Harvey was the survivor of the Joker’s deathtrap, he was left finance-less and with half of his face blown-up. The Joker took away the only person he truly had loved and took advantage of Dent at this time and convinced him that no matter how much good you do you will still suffer and live in pain and through this terrible loss and trauma suffered by Dent he turns to evil to seek revenge for the death of Rachel Dawe, his
Good and Evil Essay
9/29/12
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is a reflection of how the good responds to the nature of evil. The Joker is the ultimate evil character and throughout the film he puts other characters in a tough situations that force them to choose between right and wrong and ultimately good and evil. Examples of this are seen with the characters Harvey Dent, Batman, and in the lifeboat scenario scene. The Joker’s main goal is to prove that people are truly evil deep down and he manipulates them to bring that evil out and finds pleasure in destroying the good in people.
One of the main characters in The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent, shows one way good reacts to evil. Harvey is the district attorney of Gotham City. Harvey had done much good to the city by putting many of Gotham’s criminals behind bars. Batman once also said to Harvey that he was the symbol of hope that Batman could never be and Batman even referred to him as the ray of light to Gotham. He is one of the pure good in the film and is constantly being called “the White Knight” of Gotham. Because of all of the goodness Dent had brought to Gotham he was considered a hero to the citizens and this made him a prime target for the Joker’s manipulations. “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” Dent said this early in the film during a dinner with Bruce and Rachel. This applies to Dent because if he had died in place of Rachel, he would have died with honor and he would be remembered as a hero in Gotham. Since Harvey was the survivor of the Joker’s deathtrap, he was left finance-less and with half of his face blown-up. The Joker took away the only person he truly had loved and took advantage of Dent at this time and convinced him that no matter how much good you do you will still suffer and live in pain and through this terrible loss and trauma suffered by Dent he turns to evil to seek revenge for the death of Rachel Dawe, his