The Art of Choosing

A short reflection on the movie The Dark Knight

Dark Knight teaches me what the very meaning of choosing really is. Life, as a series of choices, forces us to choose one choice among many choices. Then, one choice will lead us to another choices, one of which we have to pick once again. Choosing is, in fact, not as easy as flipping a coin and then look at what comes up, like what Harvey Dent does. Rather, it is an art of defining which choice that will do greater good, and picking it.

Through the whole story, we will see scenes of choosing done by those involved in the story: James Gordon, Harvey Dent, Batman, Joker, etc. James Gordon chooses to pretend that he is dead in order to set a trap on Joker and capture him. Dent chooses to purport himself as the Batman and be captured so that the people of Gotham will be pacified. Batman, in the end of the story chooses to the Dark Knight, a hero needed by Gotham, yet always chased. Joker, as we know, chooses to be a terror for Gotham, the evildoer and enemy. One interesting scene is when the prisoners and the people of Gotham are on boats, each group in one boat. Both groups are given choices, to blow the other boat or be blown. In the end, both choose not to blow each other. They throw the trigger away.

When we choose, we’d better be fully detached. Otherwise, our choices will be bias or even corrupted. We won’t be able to make a fair and unbiased choice. This is what happens to Joker and Harvey Dent. Joker is a person having very traumatic experience. His father was cruel to him and his mother. This painful experience forms him to be a cruel, tough, and evil guy. His choice to be the Joker, enemy of Gotham, is surely affected by his painful past. Harvey has a different story. He is onced the hero of Gotham, the White Knight. He captured many bandits in only a short time. He also put himself in Batman’s place, to be captured for the sake of Gotham’s people. He has a unique habit. When offering choices, he will flip a coin. He always wins because it is a counterfeited coin that has same sides. In this case, we could say Harvey always has a clear and discerned choice. These all change, however, after the burning set by Joker that take the life of his girlfriend, Rachel Dawes. He blames Gordon and Batman, for not saving her life. He turned to be an enemy. Coincidentally, one side of his coins is burned in that accident too. He will have to gamble, then, each time he gives choices. When Dent is not detached from that painful experience, he cannot choose with clear mind. This is actually what Joker plans for Harvey: even the best man in Gotham can fall into his side once his choice is affected by pain and sorrow.

We do have two faces, as what happens to Harvey after the burning. One is the face of evil, one of virtue. We have to choose one