Hero's

Bats About Hero’s

         What is a hero? Is it that guy that is always there when you need him?  Or that person who will make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good?  Or is it the one that will stand up for what is right and will do his job to the bitter end?  The answer to me is all of the above.  Because a hero isn’t just defined by his or her appearance, but by what they do.  “It is not who I am that defines me, but what I do…” (Nolan)The definition of a hero in the dictionary is as follows: a man of distinguished courage of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. (Goli).  In the movie Batman Begins, the main hero Batman follows that kind of ideal.  As a man, Bruce is a millionaire and a company owner, but when he was a child his parents were murdered right before his eyes.  Through this experience he goes through some trauma of guilt and anger and eventually seeks a way to understand the criminal mind.  Through his experiences he encounters his mentor: Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson).  Through Henri, Bruce learns the ways of a ninja and learns to strike terror into the hearts of criminals, like the one that killed his parents.  After a disagreement with his mentor wanting to destroy Gotham City, where Bruce was born and raised, he fights his master and returns to Gotham as Batman, a Guardian and protector of the city that fights crime, and turns from vigilante to hero.  Batman or Bruce Wayne is what I would call a “hero”.  He is a person who goes beyond the call of duty, he learns from his mistakes and is human, and does his best to help others when in need.  Their doesn’t have to be men flying around in capes, but their should definitely be more like Bruce Wayne wanting to fight for what is right and doing their best to better themselves in everyway possible. 

         Nobody is perfect, this is a truth that is painful but true.  Unfortunately, we humans are very imperfect creatures.  As a hero we would expect that title to be gained through self-perfection in society.  Whether it is by looks or appearance or by what we say, we expect it from the people that we would refer to as a hero.  In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) starts out as a rich millionaire who has a real jacked up notion of justice and revenge.  In the beginning of the movie he wants to kill the murderer of his parents but fails to do so because somebody beats him to the punch.  He learns through his friend, Rachel, that a mobster is the cause of all the corruption and that the reason why his parents were murdered was because the people in Gotham city were desperate and Falconie (Tom Wilikinson) was just making it worse.  So, he sought to understand the criminal mind and trained to combat it and do what was necessary in order to save Gotham.  But, like I stated before; he was nothing but a man, blind with revenge. “Justice is about peace and harmony, revenge is about making yourself feel better.” Rachel (Katie Holmes). Bruce had to learn this in order to become Batman.  He fell where most did, and got up when most wouldn’t. “Why do we fall Bruce? So, we can learn to pick ourselves back-up again.” (Nolan).  So, a hero doesn’t have to be perfect in my mind, he or she has to be able to at least know when they are wrong and correct themselves for the sake of others.

         Bruce Wayne responds to the call of duty, and doesn’t expect a “thank you” for it.  When he took up the title of Batman, he didn’t do it to look good.  He did it because Gotham needed Batman. Men like Falconie and Crane (Cillian Murphy) were still running amuck just making things worse for everyone who lived in Gotham. Gotham City needed a protector and savior that would always be their when it needed him most, someone who was incorruptible and was able to do things his way and get things done.  Bruce answered the call and did what others would not, he struck fear into the hearts of Gotham’s criminals. “I seek to turn fear on those who prey on the fearful.” - Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).  But, first he had to learn to conquer his own fears and become more than just a man.  “If you make yourself more than just a man, and devote yourself to an ideal, you become legend.” - Ra’s Al Gu’l. He, as Bruce Wayne, had to learn this concept before even considering to be Gotham’s dark knight.  He had to turn his fear into his enemies  fears in order to be successful. “Bats frighten me, it’s time my enemies shared my dread.” (Nolan) And through this mind, set he has learned to help people when thy are need, when they truly do need a hero in their lives.

          Batman, when someone is in need, always does his best to help.  The police in Gotham city at first fear him and see’s him just as a vigilante.  But, they soon come to respect him as a hero and someone that they can count on when things are at their worst.  When Bruce Wayne’s mentor returns to Gotham City to destroy it, he intervenes right away and does his best to protect the people of Gotham.  Even though his mentor speaks truth, “Only a cynical person would call, what these people have, lives” (Nolan).Bruce Wayne does his best to try and convince him that there are still some good people in the city worth saving.  But, it proves to no avail.  Henri tries to kill him and burns down his mansion and almost succeeds in destroying Gotham.  But, Bruce like the hero he is, gets back up and fights to rid Ra’s from the city and to ultimately stop him.  He also saves his love interest Rachel on two occasions, along with Gordon, a police officer who has not been corrupted by the crime of the city.  As Batman he may be able to do much, but it doesn’t mean that he can do it all.  So, he sometimes calls upon his friends to help, like Rachel and Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) during Henri’s destruction of Gotham. But, this does not change the fact that Batman resembles the hero that Gotham needs, a protector, an incorruptible knight that will stand and fight when no one else will. 

          Batman or Bruce Wayne is what I would call a “hero”.  He is a person who goes beyond the call of duty, he learns from his mistakes and is human, and does his best to help others when in need.  Their doesn’t have to be men flying around in capes, but their should definitely be more like Bruce Wayne wanting to fight for what is right and doing their best to better themselves in everyway possible.  But, not doing it for their own sakes, but for the sakes of others.

Works Cited

Nolan, Christopher, dir. Batman Begins. Prod. Pictures Legendary. Warner Brothers,          2005. DVD.

Goli, Shravi. "Hero." Dictionary.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Nov 2011.          <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero>