The Joker is a character that, unlike Batman, is very
one-dimensional and Burton supports the concept of a trickster character by
making the Joker this way. The fact that his only goals are to not only get rid
of Batman, but also destroy Gotham city are classic qualities of a trickster
whose ultimate purpose is to destabilize society. What also is very supportive
of the notion of a trickster character is how greedy he is. In the movie his
greed is shown in several ways, a few of them being his desire to have Vicky
Vale all for himself and also the fact that he kill his boss. By having that
intense amount of greed within himself, the Joker is able to do the tricks he
wants because he knows that ultimately there is something in the end for him
whether it be having Vicky all for himself of destroying all of Gotham. The
trickster character is very self interested and highly motivated to get what
they want, even if it means to going to the extremes of destroying an entire
city.
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| Jack Nicholson's Joker |
Burton’s use of film noir elements helps
to further bring out the darkness of the Joker and not just the actual setting
itself. The film noir elements help to highlight the true disturbance that lies
within the Joker’s consciousness and further add to the fact that he is as evil
as he comes off being. There were a few moments where Burton undermines the
trickster character, namely the fact that he does not make a deal with anyone.
No one is asking him for something and he expects anything in return, the Joker
is pulling his pranks solely for his own entertainment. There is no bargaining
involved and if anyone does decide to question his authority the Joker has no
problem with killing that person right on the spot. This adds to the idea that
he is very self interested, but also undermines the idea of a trickster because
he is not willing to make deals with anyone who questions him. Another part of the film where Burton
undermines the idea of a trickster character is in the fact that the Joker has
henchmen where as the traditional trickster character works alone. This goes to
show that the Joker is not able to function without the help of others and does
not completely rely on his cunningness to get his way.
The things you pointed out here about Burton's undermining of the classic trickster character are very interesting. I did not think about this when watching the film, but you're correct in saying that unlike most tricksters, the Joker does not make deals with anyone. When he wants to do something, he just does it - if someone is unwilling to go along with him, he gets rid of them instead of bargaining. This also plays a part in his use of henchman, which you also mentioned as being unlike the usual trickster character, because these men who help him do whatever the Joker wants with no questions asked. They do not ask for a deal with the Joker, they just do what he says.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting that you pointed out that "the trickster character is very self interested and highly motivated to get what they want, even if it means to going to the extremes of destroying an entire city." I agree, although I do not think the Joker (or any trickster) really cares whether or not he destroys a whole city, because, as you pointed out, he wants to destabilize society.
- Ashley Lay
You did a great job of laying out exactly how Burton undermines the trickster character. Different from most tricksters in different cultures, The Joker is a more powerful figure. Unlike the story of the Pied Piper, the Joker doesn’t make any deals. He does what he wants and can cause chaos and destruction perfectly on his own. This was not something that crossed my mind when I was watching this film. The fact that the Joker is so powerful allows him to do whatever he wants. He has an army of henchmen that would never cross him and a whole city at his disposal. He doesn’t bargain because he doesn’t have to. He kills people whenever he feels like it to utilize peoples’ fear. Even though his goal is to cause imbalance in society, his methods are unpredictable. The Joker is more malevolent than most tricksters because you never know what impulse he’s going to act on.
ReplyDelete-Yamato O'Connell