Dupuis: Batman Returns

Catwoman is an iconic character of the Tim Burton’s Batman films. She portrays what every woman wants to be without men, strong and independent. But she is also in love with a man. Her human half is attracted to the wealthy and powerful Bruce Wayne, but also destructive to his alter ego, Batman. She is very conflicted by the feelings she has for both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Catwoman wants to kill Batman because she hates everything he represents, the big strong man that rescues the damsel in distress. However she is also grateful to him because he saved her from being raped before she became Catwoman. Her hate for men causes her internal conflict when it comes to Batman, especially after she learns that he is Bruce Wayne. They know they are perfect for each other because they both understand the need to be two different people, but they know they can never be together because of the two people that they are. Catwoman is not exactly a villain, but she is also not a protector, even though the audience sees her rescue a woman from being raped, she criticizes the woman for relying on Batman to come and save her.  For Batman, she is a villain; she kills Max Shreck, which is against Batman’s moral code to not kill people. Catwoman and Batman have a fatal attraction that is instant upon meeting each other, the second time. When they first meet after Batman saves her from being raped, he quickly overlooks her just like every other man in her life which only fuels her hate of men. Bruce Wayne falls in love with the confident Selina Kyle after she becomes Catwoman, but Batman sees Catwoman as a threat to be eliminated. But when he discovers that Catwoman is Selina Kyle, he is immediately confused. And so is she, which she shows by saying, “Does that mean we have to start fighting now?” They are both devastated knowing that they can’t get what they want, which is each other, but also Batman wants to protect Gotham City and Catwoman wants to be free.

Dupuis: Batman

The Joker

Being a huge fan of Batman, either Burton or Nolan, I have always seen the Joker character as a classic trickster, and not just because of his name, although that was the reason when I was little, but because of his actions. He wants to create chaos and he manipulates his surroundings and people to do what he wants, sounds like a classic trickster right? But after examining the Joker more closely, I’m not sure if I would call him a classic trickster, maybe an untamed trickster. When I think of a trickster, I think of a cunning character that has a plan to get what he wants, while creating as much chaos as possible on the way. Maybe my view of a trickster is wrong, but I think a trickster can be seen in many ways. On the one hand, they are very smart in the art of strategy but on the other hand, they are kind of crazy, some more than others. That is why I think the Joker is great trickster, he is definitely a strategist, but he has more of the crazy in him. Because his goal is to create chaos, I think that gives him the freedom to do anything and just do what he wants when he wants. During the entire movie he is not trying to kill everyone and create chaos, which is his ultimate. He wants to kill some people, so he kills them by putting toxins in their skin and hair products; but then he gets side-tracked because he wants Vicki Vale. As he is trying to get Vicki Vale, Batman stops him, so he goes after Batman. So yes, he has one goal, like a trickster usually does, but he gets distracted more than once which causes him to unravel. I think Burton uses these distractions to undermine the view of the trickster character. Showing that he is easily distracted shows his weakness, but also shows his lack of care for life. He sees himself as already died once, so because he escaped death, in a way, now he can do anything that he wants. The part of him that died was his control; his voice inside his head that told him not to do things because it would not be smart. When he becomes the Joker he is no longer limited by the bounds of human life and emotion which makes him the untamed trickster character. I do not think the Joker’s need for chaos was demonstrated as well as it was in Nolan’s version of Batman, but that is another thing all together.  

Dupuis: Beetlejuice

Betelgeuse

Death is a sensitive subject for almost anyone; no one wants to talk about death. Death is scary to most people, especially Americans, because no one knows for sure what happens after death. Humans have been looking for proof of life after death, mostly in religion, since the beginning of man. But as humans we always try to find the easy way out of dealing with death, which is denying it; however, just because someone denies or ignores death, does not make it disappear. In Beetlejuice, there is a direct link between ignoring and not seeing. After the Maitlands die, no one can see them because everyone denies death, only Lydia can see them because she is strange and unusual. As long as people deny death it won’t be there, just like the ghosts were not visible to other people besides Lydia until the end of movie when they were forced to see it. But death will always be there. Tim Burton is calling out all the people that ignore or deny the existence of something, like death. But it is not just about death, it is about everything strange and unusual. People, especially Americans, tend to ignore people or things that do not fit into their picture of a perfect world. In a perfect world, there is no death, but Tim Burton is showing that we do not live in a perfect world; we have strange and unusual things everywhere, so we just have to accept it. But that is harder than it seems. Even though Tim Burton is trying to teach the audience to accept death, in the end death is still not accepted. The Maitlands do not move on, instead they continuing living like they are alive. The Deetzs interact with them as if they are still alive, showing that they have not accepted death as what it is, the end of life. Because they continue to live with the Maitlands, they do not see death as the end, rather as an extension of life. Beetlejuice shows death as a mockery of life. The Maitlands still have to do all the mundane activities they would have to do if they were alive, like dealing with annoying pests in their house or filing paperwork. The scenes in Beetlejuice that show other dead people, like the waiting room, as if they are just waiting to file their taxes. Tim Burton shows that death is just like life,with a few more interestingly dressed characters, which I think would be much worse than simply ceasing to exist.  

Dupuis Introduction

Hello, my name is Amy Dupuis, and I am a freshman English writing major. I am hoping to become a published writer someday so fingers crossed. But if I don't get the chance to be published, I would love to become an English teacher. Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher, even when I wanted to be a ballerina for a week; I always returned to teaching. I don't remember exactly why I started writing; maybe I just got bored one day and thought it would be fun to create my own little worlds. I would fill up journal after journal, but I would always keep them locked and hidden from my siblings' prying eyes. I am originally from Memphis, Tennessee, but my family currently lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. I am the youngest of three children: Dana, Ryan, and myself. I am half Italian and half Cajun so naturally I love to cook and eat! Every family reunion is filled with yelling, laughing, usually something breaking, and most importantly food. My dad would cook the Gumbo, and I make dessert, chocolate cake with pineapples was always a favorite for everyone. My perfect day involves either lounging around watching movies or having a busy day full of outdoor activities. When I was little, my dad and I would always watch movies together on Saturdays, usually the oldies. I came to love movies so much that I work at movie theater in Lafayette now because I could not afford to keep paying for all the movies I saw. But if we weren't watching movies, we were camping, usually in the backyard which was just fine for my siblings and me. As a kid my mom would not let me watch Tim Burton films because she said they were too scary; and I had my brother as proof because after he watched Nightmare Before Christmas, he was terrified. So as I teenager I caught up with my Tim Burton films and after Edward Scissorhands, I immediately fell in love. I still cannot watch Nightmare Before Christmas without being scared, but I still love it.