Batman the Pharmakos

Pharmakos (Greek φαρμακος) in Ancient Greek religion was a kind of human scapegoat (a slave, a cripple or a criminal) who was chosen and expelled from the community at times of disaster (famine, invasion or plague) or at times of calendrical crisis, when purification was needed(Wikipedia). After coming across the section about pharmakos and related parts of the essay i couldn't help but be reminded of a movie i had seen this summer. The ending of Batman The Dark Knight is a great example how a society, albeit fictional and the circumstances fantastical, create a scapegoat. Basically what happens in the end of the movie is that Gothams district attorney Harvey Dent has been horribly scarred and gone insane. As a result of his insanity he committs the very crimes he once prosecuted. Dent was such a pivotal figure in the war on crime that Batman and Commishoner Gordon agree that Dent's tragic fall and the transgressions he committed must be covered up. Batman agrees to take the fall for all the crimes Dent has committed thus becoming a scapegoat for a greater cause. I am suprised at how often and how well comic book characters fullfill and fall into the different modes of literature. In the movie Batman is shocked that the mob bosses he has been arresting have hired the maniacal Joker to spot him. The Joker murders and maims people trying to get batman to reveal his secret identity. Batman can't believe that the joker goes to the lengths he does just to cause Batman emotional anguish. This is a great example of a passage from The theory of Modes. "The Pharmakois neither innocent nor guilty. He is innocent in the sense that what happens to him is far greater than anything he has done provokes. At first Batman can't see that the crime bosses are afraid of him and in being afraid of him have let loose the monster that is the Joker. Batman seems to be a good example of how literature influences everything from music to movies. The use of Pathos can also be seen in the Batman movie. Batman pscye is in conflict. As Batman he wants to put an end to crime in Gotham City. As Bruce Wayne he wants to live a quiet life with the woman he is in love with. Batman is clearly a person broken by conflict between his inner and outer selfs. Batman is not the only place where examples of Frye's ideas of literature conventions are found but those are ideas for future blogs.