Understanding The Modern Medieval Hero Essay

The film opens with a young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) playing with his childhood friend, Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). In the course of a game, Bruce falls down a well where he is attacked by bats as they fly up and out of the well into the sky. Bruce is rescued by his kindly father, Thomas Wayne. Bruce begins having nightmares about bats, one night the Waynes went to a production of the opera Mefistofele, where Bruce is frightened by the portrayals of bat-like demons. After begging his dad, Bruce and the family exit into an alley where they were confronted by an armed mugger named Joe Chill, who shoots his dad and kills both Bruce parents, Thomas and Martha. Moments later, Bruce is comforted by James Gordon when Commissioner Gillian B.

There are many other reasons as to why Bruce Wayne is not just a superhero but rather a person who has a disorder. When he "switches" from Bruce Wayne to Batman, he does not even notice. It is almost as if it is automatic. Nobody realizes that the respectable businessman Bruce Wayne is Batman by night. It appears that he is Batman for many reasons but a major one is that he fears that something terrible will happen to other people just like it happened to him when he was younger. He tries to save others from getting hurt from outlaws and evildoers.

Bruce using his alter –ego Batman tries to break up a drug deal and in the process gets drugged. Dual help of Alfred and Lucious picking him up off the streets and creating medicine for him saves Bruce. When he wakes up after three days, his view has been changed by his new knowledge of the drugs. He starts to piece together the plan for the destruction of Gotham. The Ultimate Boon comes forth when Ras al Ghul and the League of Shadows shows at his house for his birthday party. It is here where full awareness of the situation comes together and he knows how he can save Gotham from Ras al Ghul and his plan of devastation.

Committing himself to a life of seeking justice following his parent’s death it can be implied that Bruce Wayne channels himself into what Mara Weis refers to as the ‘Christ Complex’. Weis explains the Christ Complex as an “individual fixed on superiority and claim of being a savior” (Weis). Disregarding the obvious extreme of this which includes psychopathic murders, Weis claims there are varying ranges of ‘subtle conditions’. This addiction of subtle conditions can play into Bruce’s alternate identity by swearing to avenge his parent’s death and “rid Gotham of crime” (Origins). Bruce Channels this almost profound responsibility into his alter ego Batman which creates an image of superior stature. Weis confirms the logic by stating as one grows spiritually “development allows us to realize our full potential behind the innocence and loss of the child we once were”. (Weis??)

The artistic representation of the Batman myth is an important cultural artifact of our time because it represents modern society's thirst for heroic ideals in popular entertainment. Since his creation, readers and viewers have admired Batman's unique ability to battle villainy, transcend the law and administer justice. As cultivators of the noir genre in film as well as in literature, Americans have always identified with this enigmatic hero, who exists on the margins of society and yet represents one of the largest corporations in the world. The evolution of Batman in particular and the superhero genre in general (from comic book to television to film and back again) has seen in the latest adaptation from Christopher Nolan's Batman revamp a veritable tilting point for the character once known as the World's Greatest Detective. This paper will analyze why Batman is an important cultural artifact of our day, how he came into being, what he means for society, and how he will be treated in the future.

Modern day heroes and classical heroes are not the same and their differences are more important than their similarities. The way I describe heroes may be different than others, but I feel the two kinds of heroes have a difference between the two weather it be minor or major. Heroes are all around us from old times to modern times.

Throughout time and literature hero’s have not changed physically but the people who are looked to as hero’s has. A hero is someone who goes above and beyond what is required to help someone in need. Hero’s come in many shapes and sizes, and carry many similar but different qualities. Hero’s are kind people who truly care for others without any alterrior motives. People who care and donate their time, energy, love, and kindness to others. Also a person who is brave, daring and courageous are considered hero’s.

Batman is one of the many fictional superheroes which appears in the “American comic books” that is published by the DC comics. The character is a secret identity for Bruce Wayne, the only heir to Wayne Enterprises. Bruce Wayne swore an oath of vengeance when he witnessed the death of his parents;Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne (Diamond, 2015). Bat man combats criminals in Gotham: a fictional city, with assistance from various characters, for example, his butler Alfred and Gordon; Gotham city police commissioner. Unlike many of the superheroes characters, Batman possesses no powers .Bruce Wayne trained himself intellectually and physically .it is from dedication to training he possessed the useful traits of physical prowess, martial arts skills, detective skills and indomitable will to fight for justice. Though his motive is to combat crime and protect people of Gotham city from criminals, the justice system in most of the times views Batman as a villain and vigilante. He can inflict fear to Gotham city criminals thereby bringing calmness to the city. I identify myself with the Batman character through his selfless will for justice, his strong determination to do good

Bruce Wayne was an only child born to his parents, Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, in an upper class SES background. His father was a medical surgeon and owner of the billion-dollar company Wayne Enterprises. His mother came from a wealthy family that owned a million dollar chemical company. So for Bruce Wayne’s life prior to the death of his parents, money was never an issue. Money was never an issue after the death of his parents either because he inherited everything. However his parents never chose to indulge young Bruce Wayne in the life of a celebrity. Instead they raised him with society’s ideal perspectives of family, love, and care.

Batman and Beowulf are both heroes in different places, but in the same

Many of us consider Batman the emotionless dark knight, the one who fights crime under the cover of darkness, the one superhero to uses a fear factor to play in his role. What most people don’t see is his everything good that he stands for. As a child, Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered during a mugging, right beside Bruce. Bruce was spared and the complications of that night would reach down, deep into his core lasting with him forever. Bruce uses this internal struggle as a way only to make him stronger and in that moment he instantly becomes the symbol to all of mankind as the growth of strength in the face of tragedy and despair. Throughout Batmans career, he fails on multiple occasion being beaten down mentally, emotionally, physically

Another work by Crutcher emphasizes that ‘Many Lives of the Batman’ and ‘Batman Unmasked’ are bought in three areas: popular culture studies, popular culture as it relates to marketing and consumerism, and the nature of the comic publishing industry. Most writers have examined the impact of Dark Knight Returns on cultural consciousness, politics, and so on. This antihero construction sparks centuries old dialogues on ethics, the kind of business that comprises the bulk of Batman. “The complexities and graphics in the novel and comic of Batman have been defined as his duality with his villains” (Crutcher 66). Due to popularity and the existence of Batman, people began using the Batman symbol as paraphernalia on personal belongings such as clothing, equipment, and supplies.

An Analysis of Bruce Wayne Through the Theories of Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson Bruce Wayne is a fictional DC Comics character from comic books, television shows, and movies. He is better known as “Batman” and was originally created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939 (Warner Bros Entertainment, 2014). Some may say he is a hero, some a superhero, and some a vigilante, but everyone knows that he has one goal… to keep crime off the streets of his city, known as Gotham. Bruce was an only child, and an heir to the fortune of his family’s multibillion-dollar company, Wayne Enterprises. Once his parents were brutally murdered right in front of his eyes the company immediately became his - a company now owned by an eight year old boy (or 6 according to The Dark Night Returns).

The ever-changing situations in England create a wide assortment of literature. As circumstances in England shift so does the “essence of [the heroes]” that the people create to protect themselves and their ideals (Jokinen). Throughout the Middle Ages the culture and government in England shifted many times. Consequently, the heroes shift through a series of traits, such as fearlessness, rebelliousness, and chivalry, in order to fit the needs of the common people in England at the time. During the Anglo-Saxon time period the people needed a fearless warrior, such as Beowulf. During times of great oppression Robin Hood serves as a hero outlaw while Sir Gawain is the hero knight for those who remain loyal to the King.

For many, a superhero must have certain qualities. People want a superhero that is loyal, selfless, smart and strong. These characteristics are what many superheroes in comic books have; and in the early twentieth century, many teen boys were turning to for guidance. Batman was created for the kids who did not have it very easy. Batman saw both of his parents murdered and became a vigilante to fight off crime. Bruce Wayne changes into Batman for the better and portrays the better qualities of a hero as opposed to Dr. Jekyll in the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr. Jekyll changes himself from a good man to an evil man. Much like many other superheroes, Batman is the alter-ego of Bruce Wayne. Some heroes may not have an alter ego like mythological heroes. Heroes are able to have all different sorts of characteristics; it just depends on their story. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde, Dorian Gray has used his portrait to be eternally young and learns to see evil as beautiful (150). Unlike Dorian, Batman is everything but selfish and risks everything for the better of man-kind. Batman will always be the superhero that kids can look up to and know is going to give everything he has to better this world.