Batman Begins

I love Batman. (For probably quite different reasons than you, Andrew, but still.) I too used to get a kick out of the classic Batman cartoons whenever we watched them, and after seeing Nolan’s Batman Begins I instantly began a huge fan.

What I found most intriguing this time was Batman’s concept of justice, which differed from that of Ra’s Al Ghul. Batman was committed to fighting in justice, but didn’t want to go to the extremes that Al Ghul used. As a young adult, angered by the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne had decided to kill Joe Chill and considered it an act towards justice. He didn’t get a chance to kill him, however, because one of Falconi’s men did it first. When he reveals his plan to Rachel, however, she slaps him in disgust and said that was not justice. “Justice is about harmony, revenge is about making yourself feel better.” That conversation was a meaningful point in his life, as was Bruce’s subsequent travels around the world in order to understand the criminal lifestyle.

At the very end of his training with the League of Shadows under Ra’s al Ghul, Bruce is given the chance to prove his sense of justice by executing a local farmer who had become a murderer when he tried to steal his neighbor’s land. In a system of truly “an eye for an eye,” this execution seems like perfect justice. The farmer killed someone, and now he will be killed.

Bruce Wayne looked at it differently, however. He refused to execute the man. Now at this point, I always wonder what his concept of justice was. He was obviously committed to fighting injustice, and this seems like a perfect time to carry out the justice he sought. He wasn’t wiling to become an executioner, however, so what was his sense of justice?

Ra’s Al Ghul says that his compassion is a weakness his enemies would not share, and Bruce replies that “compassion is what separates us from them.” Throughout the film Batman exhibits this compassion when he refuses to kill any of the enemies he confronts. Granted, he does bang them up pretty badly, but in comparison to some of the other “good guys” in action films who don’t hesitate to shoot at any and every “bad guy” they encounter, I find it a compelling characteristic.

I think that Batman’s sense of justice is very similar to the ideal set by Christ who calls us to compassion and mercy, while at the same time seeking to end injustice. Ra’s Al Ghul exhibited no mercy at all when he executed his justice, which is a far cry from the kind God desires. If we truly took “an eye for an eye,” we’d all be guilty in some way and as Ghandi said, the world would be blind. I’ve never been able to fully reconcile Christ's call for mercy and justice, but was excited to see Batman show one way to try and live it out in real life. ☺

eks