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| Sketch of an Emotional Penguin |
Penguin and Batman share eerily
similar problems of abandonment among other psychological problems; however,
the conflict and large moral of the story is based on how the two similar
characters react and deal with their troubles that really platform the movie. The
most obvious similarity is the mutual abandonment from their parents, which
ultimately affects who they become and the decisions that they make. However,
the important difference here is that Batman’s parents were taken from him,
leaving him an orphan, and Penguin was literally abandoned by his parents as
child because of his differences. The mental impact on the two is actually
similar as they act out of rage and vengeance, whether it is from the dark
sewers or by the dark night sky. This is a pivotal point of conflict between
the two characters. As Penguin acts out as a villain because of his abandonment
and identity crisis, Batman avows to stop villains that murdered his parents to
cope with the same issue. With this striking similarity and drastically
different coping mechanism, the movie creates one of its vital messages: it is
not what happens to you but how you handle it and what you allow to define you.
Both Batman and Penguin embark on an identity quest in hopes to find something
other than their abandonment to define them.
However, because they
struggle with the same issues a latent sense of compassion is embedded in their
hateful battle, which ultimately rubs off on the audience. By creating so many
similarities between the two characters, viewers try to skew the lines between
good and evil. While we never doubt Batman really, he is not a chaste hero
after the first film and continues killing others but justifies it, which does
not make him a clear perfect hero. Penguin is inherently evil in his actions
but viewers are easily pulled into his sob story of abandonment and make some
excuses for his behavior. Sometimes the strange and dark are not as evil as
they appear. Batman, for example, is cloaked in black just like the Penguin,
which is usually associated with evil things. Yet, he is our “good guy.” Penguin
does not hide his face, his deformity, or his childhood troubles despite being
introverted like Batman, which usually builds trust with people. Again though,
everything is not as clear-cut as it seems. Batman and Penguin’s similarities
ultimately create a much more dynamic battle between the two that holds
emotional substance to draw viewers in; however, their drastic reactions to
events in their lives creates excellent commentary on human nature and how we
chose to identify ourselves.
