The Dark Knight Character Analysis Essay

Dinesh A/L Tamil Selvam

Adriel Wong

ENL 102

22 October 2015

The Iconic Character in “The Dark Knight” Of all the villains in the history of pop culture, the Joker is without doubt one of the most enduring and iconic, sharing ranks with the likes of such immortal fiends as Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter. And though he has always been popular, it is Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger’s mesmerizing interpretation in 2008’s The Dark Knight that has indelibly branded the character onto our consciousness forever. But why, despite being a psychopathic, nihilistic murderer, is the character so popular – so loved, even? Why do people see that freakish red scar of a smile on so many t-shirts, posters and memes even to this day, years after the film? Why do

They like to think of themselves as noble, honest, and good, especially in comparison to other people. People like to believe they would never hurt someone, or cause any damage of any kind. Psychologists tell people of what’s called “illusory superiority,” the cognitive bias in us all that causes a person to think far too highly of their positive qualities, and far too little of their negative ones. In their heads, they’re much better people than (let’s be honest) they really are.

Again, this doesn’t make people bad or wrong. It’s just something their minds need to do in order to get through the day.

During the English Civil War of the 1600s, a guy named Thomas Hobbes was a bit ahead of the curve in terms of this “illusory superiority” thing, even if he never exactly recognized it as such. He didn’t agree with most people’s idea that they’re inherently moral and righteous. Instead, he theorized that without enforced rules, humanity would revert right back to a brutish and immoral nightmare of a society – one chaotic, hellish and burning. One in which you’d blow up a ferry full of innocents to stay