How Does Batman Use Self-Sacrifice In A Tale Of Two Cities

In The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan utilizes Bruce Wayne and Batman to allude to the characters of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities to demonstrate the importance of an anti-hero and self-sacrifice, both of which are necessary to save a dying, corrupt society. Both cities, Gotham and Paris, are characterized by the economic and social effects of the way wealth is distributed. The disparity of wealth in Gotham alludes to Paris prior to the revolution, as the higher classes, like the first two Estates, live excessively lavish lives, where they look down upon the poor. Selina Kyle directly addresses the situation in Gotham in which “[The wealthy] live so large and leave so little for the rest of us” (Nolan 2:08).

In a similar fashion, both Christopher Nolan and Charles Dickens criticize the different socioeconomic classes through the characters of Bruce Wayne and Charles Darnay. Wayne and Darnay come from wealth and aristocracy, but neither of them act as how the lower classes and estates perceive them. While the rich in France and Gotham are both portrayed to be extravagant and excessive, Darnay and Wayne both are charitable and do not align with the ideology of the upper classes, even though they are a part of them. Both Nolan and Dickens use these characters to demonstrate the harm in stereotyping, especially when determining one’s morals based on their socioeconomic status. This also has an inverse effect on the lower class in both Gotham and France because they assume that they are always morally righteous simply because they have been oppressed. The poor are just as bad as the wealthy when they make these assumptions based on wealth, especially since one group, which one is typically born with, does not determine one’s

Carton takes the take of Darnay to save him from his deadly fate, while Batman brings the bomb away from the city to save the innocent civilians. Nolan and Dickens use this theme to demonstrate how dire situations require serious action from people who are willing to give up their lives. Along with this sacrifice is the theme of renewal that comes from the sacrifice, which is depicted with the direct quote of “...” Both characters Batman and Carton do not value their life as much and believe it is worth less than others, thus causing them to be willing to die for the good of humanity. To finish off the comparison between Bruce Wayne and Charles Darnay is the fact that their counterparts, Batman and Carton, gave up their lives so that the other two could have their own. This is portrayed in the final scene of the movie in which Wayne is having lunch with Silena, demonstrating how he is able to move on from the chaos of the revolutions to their fulfilling lives. Even though Wayne is essentially Batman, they are unique in their own ways because of the actions they take and the circumstances they end up