The Allegory of the Dark Knight: Batman & Philosophy

(Left: A bust of Plato)  (Right: Batman)

In his most infamous work The Republic, Plato describes of a tale that sounds all too familiar to us; The Allegory of the Cave. Socrates asks Glaucon to picture a cave where many prisoners are chained and live in the dark with a single blaring fire in the distance. The tale prompts Glaucon, a fellow philosopher, to imagine there are shadows cast by fake creatures. The prisoners are not sure of what is real and what is not; only of the reality of the dark cave. But Plato points out there is more to life then living in the cave. Once a man sees the light; he will be hesitant to accept it but will slowly learn to embrace the new reality of sunlight.

In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman seems to be living a lie. Alfred (his butler) wants to see Batman move on from a life of crime-fighting into a simple reality with a wife and kids. Batman however is torn between two realities and must make a choice; choose a life of crime fighting or another reality in which he is happy. The only problem is Batman knows the city of Gotham needs him. Batman is still stuck in the "dark" as he is unsure of himself and his reality. He knows the light is better than the dark but the dark is calling his name. (Hence the dark knight)

During the course of the movie this struggle does not surface completely until Batman is captured by Bane. Bane also knows too well of dark conditions, as he was raised in a cave similar to the prisoners in the allegory. Seeing the similar struggles they both face, Bane sends a wounded Batman to the same prison where he (Bane) never saw the light.

As Batman sits in the cave, he realizes that the dark city of Gotham needs a hero. Despite his own struggle he realizes that from Gotham's point of view, Batman is the sun. He is the glimmering fire of Gotham that gives the people hope. Realizing this; Batman climbs out of the cave and slowly comes to the realization that reality is subjective. His vision of the "sun" is a reality where he does not fight crime and is retired. But the citizens of Gotham picture a perfect reality where Batman is the "sun" and the protector of the cave. Batman cannot please everyone and he realizes a choice must be made.

So how exactly do these two stories link? How do you compare a blockbuster film and an ancient anecdote? Bane, being a prisoner, does not see the light. Bane only sees the reality of a dark cold world just as the prisoners in Plato's "Allegory" do. He is resilient towards anyone else who is opposed to his ideals. Bane believes he is "liberating" the people of Gotham from their reality by substituting his own; and in turn shows ignorance like the prisoners from the allegory because he does not understand reality is subjective.  Batman sees both the dark and the light but is torn between the two; just like the prisoner in the allegory who sees the sun for the first time. Batman is not an advocate for freedom, but rather an advocate for freedom of thought.

Even though it may not seem clear, both stories have a similar moral.  The Dark Knight Rises and The Allegory of the Cave teach us that reality is what you make of it. There is no one "correct" way to live your life. Everyone's way of living is subjective and Batman allows the citizens of Gotham to choose their path. By fighting crime and killing bad guys, Batman allows the citizens of Gotham to decide between a life in the sun or a life in Plato's cave. As for the Dark Knight? His path towards "the sun" is also determined by his own decisions; even if that means hanging up the bat-cape and pursuing his own perfect reality.

(Above: The cave where Batman was held prisoner)