The Marvel Of The Dark Knight By F. Scott Fitzgerald

â€Å"Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight.† –Lt. James Gordon, The Dark Knight. *** Masked vigilantes like Batman, Spiderman and Superman are iconic crime fighters recognized throughout the world for their heroic escapades. Superhero personalities, comic strips, and blockbuster films have flourished since the early 1900s (Cohen, n.d.), and their influence on pop culture is a testament to their transcending popularity. The quintessence of any superhero storyline is an evil villain that plagues society until the vigilante inevitably saves the day. In the real world of†¦show more content†¦A vigilante is an individual who appoints his or herself as an arbiter of justice in a community he or she believes to be deficient in crime and punishment resources. Bruce Wayne—also known as Batman—is Gotham’s vigilante who, from a young age, has had a personal vendetta against criminals after witnessing the fatal armed robbery of his parents. The guilt Bruce feels for the death of his mother and father suggests that his motives are not solely righteou s or just, but vengeful (Nolan, â€Å"Batman Begins†, 2005). But while the corruption of Gotham, the law enforcement, and Batman may seem fictitious, vigilantism is a real-life societal issue. In Arizona and Mexico, vigilante groups fight against the Mexican cartels because the government either fails to take action, or is corrupt itself. However, these vigilante groups can in turn become corrupt as well (â€Å"Amid Mexico’s Drug Wars, Vigilante Groups Are Taking The Law Into Their Own Hands†, 2015). In Gerhard Falk’s book on the American criminal justice system he writes, â€Å"Consequently, the vigilantes themselves became â€Å"outlaws† in that they hanged thieves as well as murderers without consulting any law† (Falk, 2010). Self-appointment and vengeance are just two downfalls of vigilantism, but the act of taking the law into one’s own hands is problematic for the criminal justice system as a whole. Perhaps the most difficult obstructions in