A Comparison between the Dark Knight Movie and Good Country People - Essay Example

A Comparison between the “Dark Knight Movie” and “Good Country People” The dark knight movie is based on a comic book which debut in 1940 called the Long Halloween. This movie is directed by Christopher Nolan and follows the previous movie called the Batman Begins which was filmed in the year 2005. This movie is about the rampant cases of crime in a city called Gotham. The criminal offenders whose ring leader is Joker decides to rob a bank where joker plans for the deaths of his accomplices and eventually escapes alone.

Batman whose identity is disguised decides to stop the criminal activities in the city and he seeks the help of Lieutenant Gordon and the district attorney Harvey Dent. Gotham City residents are terrified by the criminal masterminds in the city (Durand and Leigh 56). The “good country people” by Flannery O’Connor talks of a thirty two year old girl named Joy who lost her leg when she was barely ten years old and her leg was replaced with an artificial leg. Mrs. Hopwell who was her mother viewed her as a child despite her age and the education she had received.

Joy does not view herself as a beautiful and that she does not deserve the name ‘Joy’ thus she secretly changes her name to ‘Hulga’ (Anderson and Kent 25). The dark knight movie together with the good country people has various similarities and differences. Both use symbolism as a theme in that in the dark knight movie, Batman is used as a symbol of power which cannot be easily controlled and that the society believes that batman cannot be overpowered by the evil character in the movie called Joker.

At the end of the movie, the Gotham city view Batman as a superhero who has failed to uphold all the societal values and he is least respected. At the beginning of the movie, Dent is referred to as the White knight which is symbolic of his good acts in the Gotham city and every citizen is hopeful that Dent and Batman will bring positive change in then society (Durand and Leigh 89). In the ‘Good Country People’, the wooden leg of Joy is symbolic of her pride and faith. The girl’s faith lies in her artificial leg that enables her to walk around without the help of anyone.

The girl argues that she does not belief in anything which is impossible since beliefs are determined by the environment and the background in which an individual is brought up in. the girl also has pride in her leg since she allows herself to become obsessed with it and she does not allow anyone to hold it even their house help called Mrs. Freeman. When Manley Pointer comes along, he tricks Joy and steals her leg making her lose her faith and pride (Bloom 45). Both the dark knight movie together with the ‘Good Country People’ focuses on good versus evil in the society.

In the dark knight movie, Dent is portrayed as good man from the onset of the movie and the people of Gotham city have high hopes in him that he will rescue the society of all the evil but later in the movie, Joker who is a dreaded criminal overturns all the good deeds of Dent and makes him evil too (Durand and Leigh 92). In the ‘Good Country people’ Hulga gets impressed by Manley Pointer who approaches the girl and tricks her into believing that he is indeed a good guy. In order to steal Hulga’s leg, Manley starts by examining how Hulga views herself and the level of pride that she has.

By asking her where they could sit down and relax, Hulga suggests that they should relax at the loft and Manley takes this opportunity and steals Hulga’s leg (Bloom 52). The main contrast between the Dark Knight Movie and the Good Country People is that the former focuses on anarchy where Joker’s behavior is so unpredictable and full of surprises where his life revolves around disorder and damage. Joker uses all means in destroying the city especially when he issues an ultimatum that all the citizens should die unless Batman reveals himself.

This ultimatum results in the death of a commissioner named Gillian Loeb and a judge (Durand and Leigh 101). In the Good Country People on the other hand, trickery is seen to be taking effect. Maloney disguises himself as a good man and Hulga falls into this trap by showing Maloney where her artificial leg joints her body and eve n how this artificial leg can be removed and fixed back again. In the end Maloney steals Hulga’s leg leaving her in a state of despair and desperation. Hulga loses her faith and pride and thus prompts her to seek other sources of pride (Anderson and Kent 39).

In conclusion, the symbolism that is applied in both instances is very effective in bringing out their significance. In the Dark Knight Movie, Batman is highly acknowledged by the citizens of Gotham and they hope that this figure will overcome the evil in the society. In the ‘Good Country People’ the title itself is ironical since Hulga perceives the people who are around her as evil rather than good people who are willing to help her. Works cited Anderson, Thayle and Kent, Forrester. Reading, Then Writing: From Source to Essay.

New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992. Print. Bloom, Harold. Flannery O’Connor. Broomall, Pa: Chelsea House Publ, 1999. Print. Durand, Kevin K and Leigh Mary. Riddle Me This, Batman: Essays on the Universe of the Dark Knight. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2011. Print.