The Psychoanalysis Of The Prince Of Mayhem

The most beloved supervillain in DC Comics is the infamous Joker, one that is portrayed with a hideous clown persona, and the archenemy of the superhero Batman. In the last decade, many books, movies, and comics portrayed the Joker as the unpredictable, chaotic, and psychopathic character that wants to see the world burn. He represents the storm within the calm and the adversary of social order. Anyone who rebels against the corruption of society, who sees the injustice of the world, the absurdity in people, and the indifference of the rich, those people are ones that can be called the Joker. Furthermore, the most interesting and complex piece of the Joker’s individuality is understanding his philosophy, and the newest movie installment for this character, Joaquin Phoenix’s “Joker” (2019), illustrates the story of the perversive clown in a more psychological depiction, showing the character’s core motivation, purpose, essence, and ultimately why he turned against the society he lives in. Throughout the movie, we follow the tragic life of Arthur Fleck (Joker’s real name), and the altercations of his relationship with society. Arthur is suffering from severe childhood trauma and depression, which is evident from his uncontrollable laughter that was diagnosed as part of his broken mental state. However, Arthur dreams of becoming a successful stand-up comedian and be a guest on Murray’s live television show, which he often fantasizes about. He lives with his mother, Penny Fleck, whom he takes care of religiously and in-return validates Arthur of being a good person. At the end of the day, Arthur is a people’s pleaser, who believes in his mother’s words and wants to spread joy and happiness through the use of his clown persona. However, this perceived notion is what makes Arthur’s life miserable.

Arthur’s dependency on his mother’s support conceptualized the idea of the “Oedipus Complex”, which according to Freudian theory, is the unconscious emotions aroused in a typical child to have sexual desires for the parent of the opposite sex (Freud, 2232). While Arthur is not sexually attracted to his mother, Penny Fleck does pose a similar representation to Freudian relationships between mother and son. The mother relies upon Arthur to give her the support and care she needs while Arthur benefits from his mother’s virtue and incentive. Moreover, when Arthur found out the truth about his mother, that’s when he realized that the cause of his misery is his relation with his mother. To elucidate further, Penny Fleck was once a junkie who decided to adopt a child so that her boyfriend(s) has someone they can abuse. Arthur Fleck is the adopted child, and his mental state and uncontrolled laughter is the sign of his childhood trauma and psychological hysteria. In Freudian psychoanalysis, Arthur’s laughter is the “displacement” (Freud, 2223) of his hysteria that he constantly kept “repressed” (Freud 2215), and as his laughter becomes more frequent, his psychopathic character develops along with it. 

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