The Joker Is Satan, And So Are We: Girard and the Dark Knight (Rene Girard) (Critical Essay‪)‬

Article [1] The Dark Knight is a movie that is breaking box office records. Why? Because it is a powerful expression of theological ideas. I need to elaborate a bit on this apparently odd statement. Let's list, in no particular order, some of the main themes of the movie: The Joker's main goal is not acquiring money, but sowing chaos and destruction; Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent are rivals for the affection of Rachel Dawes; the police force is filled with corruption; Batman's exploits have produced copycats, imitators; the "law-abiding citizens" and the "criminals" are distinct groups of people ... aren't they? ... or are they all in the same boat?; a symbol of "justice," such as Harvey Dent, can be seduced to join "the dark side"; criminals often kill each other, taking greed to an irrational extreme. These themes can be elucidated very effectively with reference to the writings of Rene Girard.