Batman and marxism essay

Theory is based on the thinking of Karl Marx.

He strongly believed that those who control the means of production control society. In fact, Marx suggested that the means of production control the foundation of a civilization’s institutions and beliefs. The movie The Dark Knight is an accurate representation of this theory where many aspects are portrayed and experienced by characters in the movie. Two aspects are specifically present in this movie; Capitalism and Power. Capitalism is exhibited by the place where the movie takes place and the norms of the society. Power is portrayed through the constant power struggle between to key individuals; the Joker and the Batman. Power and Capitalism are aspects in which the movie The Dark Knight portrays and supports the Marxism Theory. Capitalism is a concept that is widely known to be part of the Marxist Theory.

In this clip, and throughout the movie, the term itself is accurately represented throughout it. The movie takes place in Gotcha City, a city that is modeled after New York or United States itself. It is a conventional capitalistic society where the means of production are privately owned y individuals to competitively produce goods and services for the public.

This is reflected during the party, where only successful and high-class people were invited to attend. The guests are well groomed and well dressed and the atmosphere is professional yet sophisticated. The group attending the party can be classified as the bourgeoisie; individuals that own property and control the means of production. This assumption can be Justified by the place where the party takes place. There are rows of champagne available for guests as well as sophisticated shrimp that the Joker eats while entering the party.

In addition, the walls seem to be replaced by windows as well as a curtain of lights; signs that show the financial status of the host. On the other hand, The Joker and his followers can be classified as the proletariat, the group in a society whose labor produces wealth and they have no ownership of the ways of production. This can be demonstrated by the clothes that the Joker and his followers wear as well as their grooming choices. For example, The Jokers’ hair is messy and looks filthy.

In addition, an old guest confronts the Joker by saying, “ We are not intimidated by thugs,” this shows the social division caused by the presence of Capitalism in this society. The belief within the Marxist theory is that eventually the proletariat would notice the unbalanced role of the bourgeoisie and unleash a revolution. This seems to be taken place in this scene as the Joker invades a bourgeoisie party and demands to talk to Bart who is an important and influential figure in Gotcha city. He can be interpreted as the revolutionary spirit against the bourgeoisie system. It appears that his assault on Gotcha is to undermine any faith in the bourgeoisie system, its rules or its heroes. Power itself is another aspect that plays an important role in Marxist Theory.

At the beginning of the clip, The Joker seems to have the power and control over the situation. He and his men have the element of surprise by walking in uninvited to the party loaded with guns. In addition, the guests seem to fear them which increases the level of control the Joker holds. Throughout the clip, two characters confront the Joker and fail to stop him due to his use of violence. The real power struggle, however, takes place between the Joker and Batman. These two figures are both feared by the individuals present at he scene.

They both use physical violence to achieve their goals so a fight immediately breaks out. Nevertheless, they differ from each other in the way they use their physical strength or power. Batman does not use guns while the Joker main form of violence are guns. This is proven when Bruce attacks one of Jokers’ followers and instead of taking his gun, he disables it. The Joker seems to sustain the power throughout the clip due to the fact that he enforces violence that Batman does not support; the killing of the oppressed. The movie Batman Begins depicts the Marxism Theory by incorporating two main aspects; Power and Capitalism.

The place where the movie takes place is an excellent demonstration of the concept of Capitalism. The constant power struggle between two infamous characters portrays the aspect of power. In other words, the movie Batman Begins is an excellent representation of the Marxism Theory. Karl Max created a the basis of a theory that has been the basis of many governments and has impacted literature and art. His concept around the control of the means of production has revolutionized the social order of governments and the opinions of the people.