So, Miss March finally saw The Dark Knight. I have this underlying love for superhero movies; I love X-Men, Superman, Spiderman, and even though everyone laughs at me for it, I love Batman and Robin (uh, Chris O’Donnell in a tight suit? Yes please!). I was really impressed with TDK. I always love a good performance from Christian Bale, and Heath Ledger was super scary for a slight coulrophobic like me.
Two-Face in the Batman cartoon series...didn't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet!
One of the other main characters in the movie was the infamous Two-Face. Two-Face is really Harvey Dent; a good, just man who basically sees the injustice in the world when The Joker ruins his life, and Dent’s body is scarred on one side, making him into Two-Face. He’s a sad character. He had everything going for him; he was the love of the city, the hero; he had a woman he adored; he had goals, hopes and dreams, and then The Joker ruins it all. At first Two-Face can handle it, and kills the people that actually caused the injustice to him, but, like any good villain, he soon starts harming the good people, because he’s mad that they didn’t suffer and lose like he did.
So, naturally, the dating-sociologist in my mind was working overtime during the movie. I walked away from the movie thinking about Harvey Dent/Two-Face; see, many comic book characters represent larger pictures of people in our actual world. They represent feelings, or conditions and these thoughts and ideas and representations are anthropomorphisized into the characters we all know and love/hate today. But, the other thing which is remarkable about comics is that the reader can interpret the characters motives and actions to apply to their own life. Thus, the reader almost becomes part of the story line, because in the reader’s mind, the villains and heroes have personal meaning to them.
When I hear the name Two-Face is makes me think of someone who not only started out one way and then became another, but someone who struggles with the two sides of themselves. We may see the person walk into the room from the side, so we see their good side, their happy side, their well-adjusted side; but, when they turn around, it becomes apparent that they have two sides. And not only that, but their two sides don’t get along, there’s a constant battle between good and evil, and it all occurs inside one mind.
Janus: the Roman god of gates and doors...the original Two-Face.
This reminds me of a certain type of boy I often meet. They start out really sweet, very kind, giving, and happy to be with you, listen to you, and be part of the team. Slowly though, they become nasty. They get angry when you can’t hang out, or they get overly mad about small things (I’ve never dated a guy like this, but encountered many). And, when you go out, and you have fun, they begin to resent you because you don’t have a constant battle inside you, and you have the ability to have fun, relax, and enjoy life. They resent your happiness simply because you have the ability to be happy without the other side of your face ruining the happiness or reminding the good side of your face what could and should have been. Resentment is a feeling which I think people need to talk about more. We get angry, sad, and nasty, but many times that’s from resenting someone for the simplest of things. We don’t like to talk about resentment because it makes us feel pathetic and vulnerable.
I hate nastiness. Nastiness implies a disrespect of the other person’s good feelings, and ability to rise above anger. Nastiness is a cop out. Anyone can be mean and nasty, that’s the easy part. It’s, like Batman does, turning the nastiness into betterment that is the hard part. Many people walk around with a two-face; on one side they fit into society, they’re well-adjusted, calm, and happy. On the other side though, they can’t deal, they resent the happy side of their face, they get overwhelmed, and then angry and mean. And, not only do they have the ability to be really nasty, but their body is in constant struggle to keep balance, so any time one side or the other wins, it’s an emotional shift. Just because someone doesn’t have the scars, doesn’t mean they aren’t walking around as a former Harvey Dent.
What comic book characters do you see in your life?
miss march about town 