Morrell - Penguin and Batman...Man or Myth?

"A man with no enemies is a man with no character." This quote from Paul Newman appropriately captures the fact that enemies Penguin and Batman truly do need one another as their personal rivals in order to lead their journey towards self discovery. Because the two are so easily distracted by their internal conflicts with themselves having both dealt with abandonment at an extremely young and vulnerable age, the presence of a physical enemy on the outside world connects them back to reality while simultaneously pushing them to define themselves. More than merely standing in each others' ways, like typical enemies, they actually function as each others' motivation. As Bruce Wayne watches the local news he sees Penguin as he makes his first appearance in the outside world, above his grimey home in the sewers underneath Gotham City. The citizens of Gotham, who once feared and were disgusted by Penguin, shifted quickly over to pitying him after his sob-story was broadcast. After finding out his "true" identity he had been in search of all his life, Oswald Cobblepot, Penguin demands respect. And what does vulnerable little Gotham City do? Give him just that. However, this comes as no surprise seeing as how "Gotham's own Santa Claus," Max Shreck stands behind Penguin in support. Wayne's reaction to this sequence of events displayed play-by-play is very interesting: "I think he knows who his parents are." It is almost as if he feels intimidated that someone could harvest so much pity from a situation so similar to his own, yet he struggles in the dark behind both his facades of wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne, and the masked vigilante, Batman, whom Gotham still cannot quite decide if they want to trust. This, along with Penguin's initial alliance with Shreck, puts Batman into action. As the film progresses, lines become extremely blurred when it comes to friends and foes. Penguin eventually abandons his relationship with Shreck as Catwoman turns to him as a potential alliance. For her, teaming up with Penguin gives her an edge against Batman. For Penguin, it is quite clear that his motives are sexually driven. At the same time, Batman is really no different. The two are enthralled by Catwoman because of her strength and authority as a female. Because the two grew up without a commanding female figure in their lives it contributes even further to their reasonings for having such complex relationships with her. Catwoman unknowingly uses this to her advantage and by the end realizes that her own desires have inevitably come into play as she discovers that Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle's outside desire, is, in fact, Batman. As the two finally come together towards the end of the film to prove themselves against their personal enemies, it is clear that Batman has discovered that who he is is not trapped inside his two personas, but, rather, lies in his authentic relationships with others. Naturally, as he seems to get a grasp on this epiphany, the film ends in Batman leaving the scene, assuming Catwoman's nine lives have all been taken. The camera pans up to give an overhead view of the city as Catwoman ambiguously stands atop Gotham. Penguin's fate is destiny in the sense that he dies because of his former ally's poison running through and below the city. Despite Penguin and Batman's similarities, the ways in which they conducted themselves through their identical situations ultimately led to the appropriate conclusion of the film.