Batman: The American Adam

". . . an individual standing alone . . ." (Lewis 5)

Batman is one of the most well-known heroes in American society and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy utilizes various forms of the ideas and formulas mentioned above. Because of this, we are going to look into the first film in the trilogy: Batman Begins to see where Nolan follows the ideas of the American Adam, the American frontier, and the hero cycle, as well as where he differs from them.

R.W.B. Lewis defines the American Adam as:

“an individual emancipated from history, happily bereft of ancestry, untouched and undefiled by the usual inheritances of family and race; an individual standing alone, self-reliant and self-propelling, ready to confront whatever awaited him with the aid of his own unique and inherent resources.” (Lewis 5).

 

Gotham at Night: The American Frontier

            Another idea Nolan brings into Batman Begins is a twist on the American Frontier. Instead of a literal frontier of an expanding nation, the frontier in the film is “night.” The American frontier was considered a wild place, where law had little hold or sway. Right and wrong were more blurred and crime was abundant.

            With the idea that “night” is the frontier in Batman Begins, we can begin to make sense of Gotham’s situation. Gotham is a notoriously corrupt city and could be considered the American frontier alone, but Nolan makes the distinction by one thing: It is at night that Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. It is at night that he is able to let out his darker side. He spends his time as a vigilante, choosing to work outside the law, which has no effect or power in Gotham. (Batman). Nolan has chosen to show us the American Frontier when Bruce Wayne is disguised as Batman. Batman is able to maintain his status as the American Adam while in the American Frontier, because he has the moral high ground. He fights for justice where the law is failing. (Batman).

The Hero Overcomes his Fears

           Nolan masterfully follows the hero cycle in Batman Begins. Steve Persall, in Move over, Odysseus, herecomes Luke Skywalker says: “Ultimately, the hero must stand on his own, face the darkness and conquer it before returning to reality, stronger and wiser.” (Parsall). Nolan has Bruce lose his parents, run away, and get in trouble for theft before he is found by the League of Shadows, an order focused on taking justice into their own hands. It is during his training in with the League of Shadows that Bruce finds himself.