Ms. Hillary Johnson
Com 103-D1
January 22, 2014
Failing Shadow
Undermining what a personality possesses, the only real emotion one presents is in the moment when life faces its end. The movie, “The Dark Knight” focuses on the influence that a good has upon bad and vice versa. It shows the change in the decisive power of a person or group of persons when a panic button is triggered in their system. And in the end, as it always does good prevail over bad but not without a price. A price of innocence justified over the tyranny and terror revealing the beautiful and just the good in their truth.
Human beings held chained in an underground den since their childhood who had their vision as a usage to only see their own shadows all their lives were unleashed. Gotham city, a rather crime corrupted city is being cleansed by a vigilante called The Batman. Under Dent act, several members of the mob are imprisoned making the rest of the mob turn themselves to the clown to restore their balance. The unleashed joker then through his diabolical thinking and planning does everything to bring down the heroes down to his level.
The shadow from the fire inside the darkness was the only thing real to the clown. And as every prisoner has a dream of freedom, the joker wanted to reach out to the bright light and see the reality of the shadow. After being hired by the mob, the joker makes his first move to track down Harvey Dent in a charity event. The scene from the movie when the Joker first faces Batman in the party he tests his boundaries by throwing Rachael, Batman’s lover, out of the window. Batman being the vigilante follows the rule of the characteristics a hero should have. He doesn’t harm an innocent or let it get harmed puts his live in danger to save her. That’s when Joker finds the shadows weakness.
The joker was not tied up and forced to do something anymore. Now he can actually reach out and touch the shadow, but still in the bright light that surrounded them he still saw a shadow. The reality behind the familiar shadow he searched for so long now becomes an obstacle on his way. It was not on his side even though it had been around all along. So he tries to destroy it. Getting caught with a bargain of the lives of Harvey and Rachael, the Joker plans his escape sending the heroes to separate directions. Harvey has to listen to Rachel dying whilst burning half of his face. The joker then visits Harvey in a hospital, and explains the pathetic nature of the schemers and their plans of controlling things around them. Proving Harvey that he was in Gordon’s cell while Rachael was killed, he explained his want of anarchy and nothing else. Hence, changing the mind set of Harvey Dent, the white knight of Gotham city.
Held bent on avenging Rachael’s death, Harvey kills the people involved in the planning deciding their fate upon the two faces of a coin. Considering Gordon and his family as the ultimate target, he sways them to the place where his family died. A measurable win for the Joker, showing the evil side of Harvey Dent making the shadow even darker. Putting the life at risk of several individuals, the joker then tests the wits of Batman, keeping him distracted to implement his final win. He wanted Batman to interfere with his plans so he helps him preserve his identity, the mask that separated him.
Joker states that a person shows his true color when he is faces his death. While trying