Essay On Batty

There are many definitions of life that can confuse the characteristics of what is actually alive and what is inanimate. This confusion arises when inanimate objects such as cars, robots, and other mechanically produced objects claim to have life which is the “the property resembling animate existence, said to be possessed by inanimate material as a result of an artistic process” (O.E.D). Robots can be programmed to have memories, and manufactured to mimic human behavior however they will never be truly human nor have life because they are not connected to themselves or other robots. The first distinction that needs to be stated is that to be alive does not mean to have human existence. Personal stories and memories—aura—are important characteristics

This is because they cannot overcome their inherent programmed natures. Batty escapes the confines of the off world colony and descends to Earth like Lucifer, the fallen angel, to meet his maker in an attempt to get rid of his status as a replicant and satiate his desire to extend his life. Coming to Earth despite the danger that blade runners, policemen trained to kill runaway replicants, will hunt them represents Batty’s intense desire to have a longer life and fear of death. By claiming that his problem is death signifies that Batty has not accepted death as inevitable. Humans, one day in their life, will recognize the inevitability to death. To try to cheat death and become immortal would be to go against God’s plan for us. Batty’s fear of death also speaks to the film’s representation of life, that life, and the freedom life gives up, is the reason for staying alive. When Batty, the Prodigal Son, as Tyrell calls him, meets Tyrell for the first time Batty notes that: “it is not an easy thing to meet your maker” (Blade Runner, 84:33 and 82:24-26). This is symbolic of the fallen angel-God relationship Batty and Tyrell have. It is also poignant that Tyrell called him the Prodigal Son. Biblically speaking, the prodigal son left his father only to return and ask for forgiveness. In this scene, Batty, the son, returns to his father,