The Joker, that enigmatic and malevolent figure from DC comics, has captivated audiences for decades as the ultimate foil to Batman. Often portrayed as an erratic, bloodthirsty psychopath, he has earned monikers like the Clown Prince of Crime and the Ace of Knaves. However, the 2019 film “Joker” offers a deeper exploration of this iconic character, delving into his psychology and revealing hints of his philosophical stance on life and society. This article embarks on an intriguing journey into the mind of the Joker, drawing insights from Jungian psychology and the philosophical musings of Albert Camus.
Arthur Fleck: The Good Son
A Life Shrouded in Tragedy
The Joker’s life begins in tragedy. Born as Arthur Fleck, he cares for his ailing mother, Penny Fleck, with unwavering dedication. In return, Penny showers him with validation, painting him as a paragon of goodness. Arthur takes immense pride in being a good person, convinced that his purpose in the bleak world is to bring smiles to people’s faces.
The Masked Persona and the Quest for External Validation
Arthur dons the mask of a clown, entertaining children and harboring dreams of becoming a successful stand-up comedian. His existence revolves around pleasing others, particularly his mother, while sidelining his own needs. He fantasizes about an adoring audience and craves external validation, which becomes the very essence of his life.
The Shadow Lurking Within
Beneath the surface of Arthur’s persona, an ominous shadow looms. Uncontrollable fits of laughter, which he initially dismisses as a mere affliction, later reveal themselves as a part of his true personality. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung coined the term “shadow” to describe the repressed set of personality traits deemed undesirable by individuals or society. As Jung asserted, everyone carries a shadow, but ignoring it allows it to grow denser and more potent.
The Descent into Darkness
A Fateful Encounter on the Subway
A pivotal moment arrives when Arthur, in his clown guise, is confronted by three yuppies on a subway train. In a desperate bid for self-preservation, he kills two of them and hunts down the third, ending his life. In this harrowing act, Arthur confronts the dark depths of his own capacity for evil. The stark reality that he isn’t the virtuous man his mother heralded shatters his illusion.
The Devouring Mother Archetype
Analyzing Arthur’s relationship with his mother, we can discern shades of Jung’s “devouring mother” archetype. This archetype portrays a mother who consumes her own progeny, finding validation in their role as a parent. Arthur seems ensnared in his mother’s grasp, unable to break free and establish himself in the world. Despite the apparent abuse in his childhood, he remains tethered to her, occasionally displaying glimpses of a disturbing parentification dynamic.
A Martyr for the Collective Shadow
The Unleashing of Collective Shadows
As news of Arthur’s subway killings spreads, it taps into a collective shadow simmering beneath the surface of Gotham City’s marginalized population. The mysterious clown, who struck against the wealthy working for the esteemed Thomas Wayne, is heralded as a hero by the economically disenfranchised. This phenomenon mirrors Jung’s warnings about the dangers of collective shadows, which can erupt into widespread violence and brutality.
Thomas Wayne: A Disregard for the Collective Shadow
Thomas Wayne, however, dismisses the protestors as “clowns” and offers his patronizing solutions to their woes. He fails to acknowledge the brewing collective shadow, mirroring the inability to confront collective shadows that Jung observed during the rise of Nazism in Germany. In Arthur’s eyes, his anger isn’t reserved for the rich alone; it’s a reaction to the cruelty pervading society.
The Joker’s Evolving Morality
The Joker’s moral compass takes a bewildering turn. Initially, his actions seem motivated by a desire to address the cruelty of the world. He admits that he killed the yuppies and later his former co-worker and TV-show host Murray Franklin because he couldn’t tolerate the unkindness that defines humanity.
Embracing the Absurd: A Page from Albert Camus
The Absurdity of Life
Enter the realm of French-Algerian philosopher Albert Camus, who introduced the notion that life is inherently absurd. Camus posited that, in the grand scheme of things, there’s little room for universal morality and ethics. Life unfolds with an air of randomness, an idea beautifully exemplified in Arthur’s realization that society’s judgment is arbitrary.
The Stranger: A Tale of Absurdity
In Camus’ novel “The Stranger,” we meet Meursault, a character who commits a seemingly senseless act of violence. His stoic demeanor at his mother’s funeral mystifies and vexes those around him. His subsequent sentencing to death for this emotional aloofness echoes the absurdity of judgment based on deviation from societal norms.
The Absurdity of Judgment
Meursault’s trial illustrates the absurdity of sentencing someone to death primarily due to a deviation from emotional norms. Similarly, labeling people as “clowns” for their different perspectives or actions appears equally absurd. Both scenarios highlight the arbitrary nature of human judgments and societal conventions.
The Joker: A Champion of Absurdity
Embracing Chaos and Freedom
In his transformation into the Joker, Arthur aligns with Camus’ philosophy. He abandons the traditional notions of good and evil, recognizing that society’s moral framework is subjective. By becoming an agent of chaos, he rejects the constraints of established ethics, marking a shift from viewing life as a tragedy to a comedy.
A Disregard for a Divine Observer
Much like Camus, the Joker doesn’t fear a divine presence because he perceives life as fundamentally absurd. The absurdity of existence, with its inequities and capriciousness, suggests that any divine entity would be indifferent to human affairs.
The Tragic Irony of Embracing the Absurd
While Camus viewed the absurdity of life as an opportunity for individual fulfillment and meaning, the Joker’s encounter with his dense shadow spirals into chaos and destruction. His chaotic embrace of the absurd reveals the dark side of a philosophy unshackled from moral and ethical norms.
Conclusion
The Joker, a character rooted in the realm of comic books, transcends mere fiction to explore profound psychological and philosophical territory. Drawing from Jungian psychology and the insights of Albert Camus, we dissect the enigmatic transformation of Arthur Fleck into the Joker—a journey that encompasses the shadow, collective shadows, absurdity, and the rejection of conventional morality. While Camus saw the absurdity of life as an avenue for personal meaning, the Joker’s descent into chaos serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of unbridled chaos. In the end, the Joker’s laughter echoes the laughter of the absurd universe, where morality and meaning remain elusive and ever-changing.