Villains Could Be Humane

What does President John F. Kennedy’s assassinator and Batman’s arch nemesis have in common? Well, Lee Harvey Oswald and the Joker both have been written off as villains in society. Whether it is fictional or a real life event, the public has been informed to fear and oppose these people due to their heinous and inhumane acts. However, if you were to learn about their stories before they were considered evil or corrupt, would your perspective change? Don DeLillo, the author of Libra, and Todd Phillips, the director of Joker, both used Lee’s and Joker’s background information and their situations to rewrite their storylines in order to create more humane “villains.”

            

            Other than being considered the antagonist in someone else's story, Lee and the Joker share similar background situations. We learn that they were both bullied, tormented, isolated, and mistreated by their peers. Already from early years in life they endured many traumas, and knowing this causes the audience to sympathize for them. In Libra, Lee struggled with dyslexia and was bullied almost every day. It got so bad that he would skip school and was served with truancy. Lee did not have friends, nor did he trust anybody enough to confide in. The only place where he felt safe was the library because books and learning about Communist and Marxist figures were the only things he felt like he could connect to. Spending time learning about Trotsky, Lenin, and Stalin sets the tone as to why he opposed Democracy and supported Communist/Marxists efforts; these figures have been through isolation and torment, therefore, their efforts could serve the public best. As for the Joker, we learn that his name was Arthur Fleck, and all he wanted to be was a stand-up comedian. Comedy to him was about joyfulness and laughter. He loved kids, loved to smile and he took care of his mother, despite the fact that he was dealing with his own mental health issues due to abuse as a child. In the beginning of the film he talks to his clinical social worker and states, “I hope my death makes more cents than my life.” In this scene you feel for him because he does not have anybody to talk to because he is deemed a “freak.” Between these two characters their innocence were taken away from them due to societal factors, and some of these factors are what pushed them to do the things that they did. Since the audience has learned about Lee’s and Joker’s struggles in life, you are forced to see them in a more humane way to the point where you are able to sympathize for them. 

 

Even though DeLillo and Phillips  both try to recreate humane villains, they take different approaches. DeLillo used a factual event, the assassination of JFK and the Cold War, and rewrote the story based off the theme of conspiracy. The conspiracy aspect of the plot was that three FBI agents manipulated Lee into assassinating the President. DeLillo stylistically and structurally designed abstract hypotheses, altered reality, introduced characters, and even added some of his own critiques into the text. On the other hand, Phillips directed Joker as a downward spiral in which Arthur Fleck is falling into madness, and slowly becomes the Joker. The audience first sees how Arthur yearns to be a part of society but is continuously mistreated and disregarded.  Due to continued abonnement and mistreatment, Arthur turns into the Joker and realizes that his life is a comedy in which people treat others with disregard and disrespect for their own self-gain. Ironically, the Joker becomes a political figure for the lower social class. Despite the fact these are different realities and different approaches, DeLillo and Phillips explore the origins and the stories of Lee and Joker. 

By focusing on the situations and identity of Lee and Joker, DeLillo and Phillips emphasize that stories are not one-sided but rather filled with complexity. I personally learned that life is all about perspective and that society has to do better. Society is based off human interaction where we grow, protect, and support one another, and it is up to us to make sure that everybody is a part of that, so we do not create more villains.

By: Etana Sissoko