This concept of duality in Miller's graphic novel is one that I seem unable to shake. Reading the entire thing, I only see more connections. The most obvious of this duality is Bruce/Batman.
In class we had a mini debate over who was the 'real' deal- Bruce or Batman. I argued that they are one in the same while some of my classmates disagreed, claiming Batman was the 'real' person and Bruce simply a façade. Bruce is a performance, so it was argued, because he conforms to the ideology of his society and hides his 'true' self. But what he hides is his inner demons- just as Jekyll hid all of his inner demons from his high society world (it is interesting that both Bruce and Jekyll were from higher social circles and ended up with split personalities but that is another topic).
Instead of Bruce being a performance, I see it more as a struggle for dominance. This goes back to the beginning of Miller's work, when he has Bruce talk about the past. Bruce is seen more in the first two books than in the last two but that is because of the change in dominance between Bruce and Batman. Bruce has kept Batman buried inside for ten years, saying he will never let him out again in remembrance of Jason Todd, the previous Robin. Bruce maintained control for so long but going back to Gotham, to Crime Alley, and seeing the corruption that made him want to fight in the first place gives Batman more power- it is his time to take control and 'shine' in the darkness of Gotham.
Batman being the physical manifestation of Bruce's inner demons creates a connection between the two figures; a connection that is more than just 'I am one. You are the other'. Bruce states that Batman emerged because of the death of his parents, to deal with the trauma and the nonsensical aspect of why his parents had to die. Alfred saw this need for justice when he read Poe's "The Purloined Letter" to Bruce as a child(37). Before drifting off to sleep, Bruce "so frightfully FORMAL, his dark eyes FLASHING, asked---no, DEMANDED 'the killer was CAUGHT and PUNISHED'. Alfred assured him that the villain had met justice" (37). The trauma of his parents death manifests in the form of the bat- hence Batman. It was through this trauma that Batman was 'born' and that trauma is part of what makes up Bruce Wayne. Therefore, Batman and Bruce as parts of one whole person. This also means that Bruce can never escape from needing Batman, or vice versa.
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Miller, Frank. "The Dark Knight Falls." Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York: DC Comics, 1986. 1-51. Print.
In class we had a mini debate over who was the 'real' deal- Bruce or Batman. I argued that they are one in the same while some of my classmates disagreed, claiming Batman was the 'real' person and Bruce simply a façade. Bruce is a performance, so it was argued, because he conforms to the ideology of his society and hides his 'true' self. But what he hides is his inner demons- just as Jekyll hid all of his inner demons from his high society world (it is interesting that both Bruce and Jekyll were from higher social circles and ended up with split personalities but that is another topic).
Instead of Bruce being a performance, I see it more as a struggle for dominance. This goes back to the beginning of Miller's work, when he has Bruce talk about the past. Bruce is seen more in the first two books than in the last two but that is because of the change in dominance between Bruce and Batman. Bruce has kept Batman buried inside for ten years, saying he will never let him out again in remembrance of Jason Todd, the previous Robin. Bruce maintained control for so long but going back to Gotham, to Crime Alley, and seeing the corruption that made him want to fight in the first place gives Batman more power- it is his time to take control and 'shine' in the darkness of Gotham.
Batman being the physical manifestation of Bruce's inner demons creates a connection between the two figures; a connection that is more than just 'I am one. You are the other'. Bruce states that Batman emerged because of the death of his parents, to deal with the trauma and the nonsensical aspect of why his parents had to die. Alfred saw this need for justice when he read Poe's "The Purloined Letter" to Bruce as a child(37). Before drifting off to sleep, Bruce "so frightfully FORMAL, his dark eyes FLASHING, asked---no, DEMANDED 'the killer was CAUGHT and PUNISHED'. Alfred assured him that the villain had met justice" (37). The trauma of his parents death manifests in the form of the bat- hence Batman. It was through this trauma that Batman was 'born' and that trauma is part of what makes up Bruce Wayne. Therefore, Batman and Bruce as parts of one whole person. This also means that Bruce can never escape from needing Batman, or vice versa.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miller, Frank. "The Dark Knight Falls." Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York: DC Comics, 1986. 1-51. Print.