Chaos or Control:
The Politics of a very very Mad World
- CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S THE DARK KNIGHT -
The Gotham of Nolan’s Dark Knight is a city in chaos- a mafia-run underground that is slowly being challenged by the politicians like Harvey Dent. What is most unnerving for the viewer about this city is the notion that everything good is corruptible, and the Joker intends to exploit that concept in everyone, right down to the District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Upon introduction, Dent is one of the only political figures who is trying to change the chaotic madness of Gotham, but by the end of the film, he has been corrupted to the point where logic no longer governs his decisions, but rather he flips a coin. Chance and risk are not wise methods of problem solving, yet in the insane mind of Two-Face, it is the only ‘fair’ way to decide things. Similarly to what the Joker does to Harvey Dent, he proves his chaos-making abilities when he gives a lesson in corruption to the city via two ferries full of people. The conundrum of the ferries lies in the belief that every person is corruptible when put under pressure, but, when given the opportunity to save themselves, each ship chooses not be selfish by sinking the other ship. As much as the Joker creates chaotic situations, and the government is unable to stop him, it is, in the end, the inherent morality of the population of Gotham that saves itself from corruption.
