Joker on a rampage by ALEXANDER DICKERSON

Ordinary world

dickersona2 — 2024-03-20 15:57:12 UTC

He, ironically, works as a clown despite being depressed; gets beaten up in a shady alley, gets strange looks on public transport due to his mental illness and is barely noticed by society. His therapist seems to not care much about what he has to say. He also has to look after his delusional mother. The only solace he has is his dream of becoming a comedian, as well as his favourite show with comedian Murray Franklin. Arthur even dreams about being in the live audience and being noticed by his idol.

Call to adventure/ Meeting the mentor

dickersona2 — 2024-03-20 16:00:11 UTC

Arthur receives a gun from a fellow colleague so that he can protect himself out there.It is even ambiguous whether this “generous” act of his colleague’s was truly of good will or if it was meant with ulterior malicious intent. This can be considered both Call to Adventure and Meeting the Mentor

Refusal to call

dickersona2 — 2024-03-20 16:03:54 UTC

Arthur attempts to refuse taking the gun at first, but he is persuaded by his colleague to do so.

walking through the threshold

dickersona2 — 2024-03-21 15:46:59 UTC

He finally snaps and uses the gun on the college kids, killing two of them in a quick succession, wounding the third one in the leg. After he initially realises what he has done, he has a moment of doubt, where he points the gun to his head, considering ending his own life, but he decides otherwise and chases down the third one so that there are no witnesses of his crime.

test, allies, enemy

dickersona2 — 2024-03-21 15:51:14 UTC

he had a few people he could rely on for emotional or moral support, help, guidance and hope – his mother, his therapist, his colleagues, his idol Murray and now his neighbour who noticed him in the elevator and who in his delusional mind he imagined fancied him and supported him.

Aproaching the intermost cave

dickersona2 — 2024-03-21 15:59:53 UTC

After being told by Thomas Wayne the supposed truth about his mother, in which Arthur shuts himself in the fridge to literally “cool down” his head, while we hear the phone continuously ringing. He literally shuts himself away from the world in complete isolation. Rather than a heroic preparation for an epic battle,

Ordeal

dickersona2 — 2024-03-22 13:21:34 UTC

Arthur eventually goes to Arkham Asylum to look for answers in regard of his mother. He really wants Thomas Wayne to be proven wrong by whatever he finds in his mother’s files, as the opposite would turn his world upside down yet again – this time worse than ever. Either way, he needs to know the truth at this point. He eventually gets a hold of her file after a confrontation with the clerk, in which he steals it and runs away, only stopping somewhere down the stairs.

Reward

dickersona2 — 2024-03-22 13:23:45 UTC

the scene was depressing and seemed soul crushing, now we are greeted by a completely different Arthur dancing lively to an upbeat music. His transformation from a depressed human, trying his best to be worthy, into the villainous Joker is reflected by his bright flamboyant clothes and mannerism. He is done acting normally and trying to abide by society’s laws and expectations. The newfound absence of constant struggle and lack of anxiety about the mistakes he has made have helped him achieve freedom and a perverse form of “happiness”.

The Road Back

dickersona2 — 2024-03-22 13:26:45 UTC

Arthur, having fully accepted his new persona and facing his previous idol, he ends up killing Murray rather than himself after arguing with him about society and its values. While Arthur keeps saying that he never intended to make a political statement, he unwillingly does exactly that and the rioters, of course, love it. They finally know the identity of their idol and source of inspiration.

Resurrection

dickersona2 — 2024-03-22 13:30:45 UTC

Right after this, the police car gets side-swept by an ambulance, rendering both Arthur and the policeman unconscious. In the following shot we see how two of the rioters come out of the bigger vehicle, look inside the police car and drag Arthur’s body through the window. Unlike a traditional hero, who would have to face an enemy for the final battle, here we see a sudden and unexpected turn of events, which becomes the “resurrection”

Return the Prize

dickersona2 — 2024-03-22 13:31:49 UTC

At this final stage, Arthur finds himself on top of the crashed police car, surrounded by a large group of rioters. The spotlight is on him and amid all the mayhem, he has finally found the attention and support he has been looking for. The clown rioters are the society that accepts him despite his villainy. In their eyes, he represents their ideal and is the face of their political statement against the evil rich population of Gotham, which in that narrative makes him an anti-hero.