The Dominance of the Death Instinct of Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’ Joker

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THE DOMINANCE OF THE DEATH INSTINCT OF ARTHUR FLECK IN TODD PHILLIPS’ JOKER

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

By DEA PRIMANANDA Student Number: 174214132

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA 2021

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THE DOMINANCE OF THE DEATH INSTINCT OF ARTHUR FLECK IN TODD PHILLIPS’ JOKER

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

By DEA PRIMANANDA Student Number: 174214132

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA 2021

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A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE DOMINANCE OF THE DEATH INSTINCT OF ARTHUR FLECK IN TODD PHILLIPS’ JOKER

By: DEA PRIMANANDA Student Number: 174214132

Approved by

Elisabeth Oseanita Pukan, S.S., M.A. July 17, 2021 Advisor

Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum. Co-Advisor July 17, 2021

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A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE DOMINANCE OF THE DEATH INSTINCT OF ARTHUR FLECK IN TODD PHILLIPS’ JOKER

By: DEA PRIMANANDA Student Number: 174214132

Defended before the Board of Examiners On July 26, 2021 and Declared Acceptable

BOARD OF EXAMINERS

NAME SIGNATURE Chairperson : Elisabeth Oseanita Pukan, S.S., M.A. Secretary : Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum. Member 1 : Scolastica Wedhowerti S.Pd., M.Hum. Member 2 : Elisabeth Oseanita Pukan, S.S., M.A. Member 3 : Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani, S.S., M.Hum.

Yogyakarta, July 30, 2021 Faculty of Letters Universitas Sanata Dharma Dean

Dr. Tatang Iskarna

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I declare that this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously published by any other educational institution or written by any other person, except where specifically mentioned in this undergraduate thesis. All ideas and material are completely acknowledged under the reference’s guidelines.

July 16, 2021

Dea Primananda

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma

Nama : Dea Primananda Nomor Mahasiswa : 174214132

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul

THE DOMINANCE OF THE DEATH INSTINCT OF ARTHUR FLECK IN TODD PHILIIPS’ JOKER beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media laim, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 16 July 2021

Yang menyatakan

Dea Primananda

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude for my thesis advisor,

Elisabeth Oseanita Pukan, S.S., M.A., for giving me her support, patient advice, and keen understanding. It is a great privilege and honor to work and study under her guidance, and thus, I could successfully finish this research study. Many thanks to my co-advisor, Ni Luh Putu Rosiandani M.Hum., for the suggestions and feedbacks in finishing this study. I thank all the lecturers in the English Letters

Department for providing me with kindness, guidance, and support during my study at the university.

I would like to give my deepest thanks to my parents and family, especially

Selvira, for their prayers, care, and loads of love. I also owe my thanks to my dearest friends Alvin, Anggi, Bella, Chichi, Damar, Deva, Hanif, Ilham, Kat,

Mikha, Ninja, Raditya, Rani, Rizky, Ryan, Sasha, Stanley, Syahin, Vinsen,

Vinska, Wibi, Yasmin, Yopi for their constant motivation and assistance throughout my thesis’ process. Also, special thanks go to Momo, for offering me an abundance of comfort and emotional support, along with the exciting journey. I could not have imagined how my study would have gone without having them all this time.

Dea Primananda

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ...... ii APPROVAL PAGE ...... iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...... iv STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ...... v LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH .. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... viii LIST OF FIGURES ...... x ABSTRACT ...... xi ABSTRAK ...... xii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...... 1 A. Background of Study ...... 1 B. Problem Formulation ...... 4 C. Objectives of the Study ...... 4 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...... 6 A. Review of Related Studies ...... 6 B. Review of Related Theories ...... 8 1. Theory of Character and Characterization ...... 8 a. Characterization by appearance ...... 9 b. Characterization through dialogues ...... 9 c. Characterization through external action ...... 9 d. Characterization through internal action ...... 10 e. Characterization by reactions of other characters ...... 10 f. Characterization Through Contrast : Dramatic Foils ...... 11 g. Characterization Through Caricature and Leitmotif ...... 11 h. Characterization Through Choice of Name ...... 11 2. Theory of Psychoanalysis ...... 11 a. Id, Ego, Superego ...... 13 i. Thanatos - Eros ...... 14 3. Theory of Film-making Technique ...... 15 a. Mise en scène ...... 16 b. Cinematography ...... 20 C. Theoretical Framework ...... 22 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ...... 23

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A. Object of Study ...... 23 B. Approach to the Study ...... 23 C. Method of the Study ...... 24 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS...... 26 A. The Description of Arthur at the Beginning and the End of the Story.... 26 1. Arthur Fleck at the Beginning of the Story ...... 27 a. Sincere and Affectionate...... 27 b. Imaginative ...... 30 c. Confused ...... 33 d. Abandoned ...... 35 e. Over-Optimistic...... 37 2. Arthur at the End of the Story ...... 39 a. Disturbed ...... 39 b. Depressed ...... 43 c. Vengeful ...... 45 B. The Manifestation of Arthur’s Instincts ...... 49 1. Life Instinct (Eros) ...... 49 a. Belonging Desire ...... 49 b. Sexual Desire ...... 51 c. Self-Preservation ...... 53 2. Death Instinct (Thanatos) ...... 55 a. Self-Destruction ...... 55 b. Aggressive Tendencies ...... 57 C. The Death Instinct Took Over Arthur’s Life ...... 60 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ...... 65 REFERENCES ...... 69

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LIST OF FIGURES

No Figure Page

1. Figure 1. Arthur is playing peekaboo with the kid 28 2. Figure 2. Arthur fantasizes about being on the Murray Franklin Show 31 3. Figure 3. The depiction of Arthur actual state when he is fantasizing 31 4. Figure 4. Sophie attends at Arthur’s first stand-up 33 5. Figure 5. The atmosphere of Gotham 35 6. Figure 6. Arthur pours his confused thought into his daily journal 35 7. Figure 7. Arthur’s adoption document 37 8. Figure 8. Arthur tries to hold his outrage response 39 9. Figure 9. Arthur’s deliberate killing of the last man 41 10. Figure 10. Arthur is shocked 41 11. Figure 11. Arthur is confronting with Thomas Wayne 42 12. Figure 12. Arthur realizes that Murray is making fun of him 43 13. Figure 13. Arthur forces to smile 44 14. Figure 14. Arthur left and kicking the HaHa Company door 46 15. Figure 15. Arthur feels relieved after killed Penny 47 16. Figure 16. Arthur enters Murray Franklin Show stage 49 17. Figure 17. Arthur fantasizes about hugging Murray 50 18. Figure 18. The disturbing contents from Arthur’s daily journal. 52 19. Figure 19. Arthur is being the center of attention 53 20. Figure 20. Arthur bangs his head after being fired 56 21. Figure 21. Arthur attempts to suicide 56 22. Figure 22. Arthur is doing his haunted dance 58 23. Figure 23. Arthur’s tranquility expression 59 24. Figure 24. The flashback scene of Penny’s case 62 25. Figure 25. Arthur’s triumphant gesture 63

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ABSTRACT

PRIMANANDA, DEA. (2021). The Dominance of The Death Instinct of Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019). Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

The academic field of literary criticism has developed a theory of psychoanalysis, which studies human personality and behavior. Thus, it appears to be a useful tool to reveal actions and thoughts in a literary work. Human behavior is inseparably tied to their instincts. Both life and death instincts tend to be dynamic and environmental processes. Hence, human personality can also change and develop through its connection with the world. The main character of a psychological thriller film entitled Joker, Arthur Fleck, experiences a personality change as a direct consequence of the struggle between these two instincts. He is a mentally ill clown with an uncontrollable laughter problem. He is frequently subjected to abusive treatment by society, leading him to descend into madness. Finally, he engages himself in violence and embraces Joker persona. The objectives of this study are describing how Arthur is depicted at the beginning and the end of the story, identifying Arthur’s life and death instincts in the film, and observing how Arthur’s death instinct dominated his life. The researcher used library research and the qualitative method. The primary source of this study is Todd Phillips’ Joker film, including the script, and the secondary data are taken from other resources, namely undergraduate theses, journals, and books. The psychoanalysis approach is used to analyze the psychological issues that make Arthur’s death instinct more dominant. The study found that Arthur’s characteristic changes throughout the story. At the beginning of the story, he is sincere and affectionate, imaginative, confused, abandoned, and over-optimistic. In the end, he becomes disturbed, depressed, and vengeful. These characteristics are influenced by his desire for a father figure, sex, and preservation of life, which is motivated by life instinct. However, his death instinct is awakened since he continuously endures the unpleasure, leading him to display self-destructive and aggressive tendencies towards others.

Keywords: death instinct, Joker, life instinct, psychoanalysis

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ABSTRAK

PRIMANANDA, DEA. (2021). The Dominance of The Death Instinct of Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019). Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Kritik sastra telah mengembangkan teori psikoanalisis yang bertujuan untuk mempelajari tentang kepribadian dan perilaku manusia. Teori tersebut menjadi sarana yang berguna untuk mengungkap sebuah tindakan dan isi pikiran manusia dalam sebuah karya sastra. Perilaku manusia tidak dapat dipisahkan dari nalurinya. Naluri kehidupan dan kematian merupakan proses yang dinamis dan saling berpengaruh terhadap lingkungan. Oleh karena itu, kepribadian manusia juga dapat berubah dan berkembang sesuai dengan pengaruh kondisi sekitarnya. Arthur Fleck, sebagai tokoh utama dalam film thriller psikologis berjudul Joker, mengalami perubahan kepribadian yang diakibatkan oleh perselisihan antara dua naluri tersebut. Dia adalah pria dengan gangguan kesehatan mental yang membuatnya sering tertawa tak terkendali. Dia sering mendapatkan perlakuan buruk dari masyarakat, yang akhirnya membuatnya berubah menjadi orang yang tidak terkendali. Alhasil, dia pun melibatkan dirinya dalam tindakan kriminal dan mengubah identitasnya menjadi Joker. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bagaimana kepribadian Arthur digambarkan pada awal dan akhir cerita, mengidentifikasi naluri kehidupan dan kematian Arthur, dan mengamati bagaimana naluri kematian Arthur mendominasi hidupnya dalam film Joker. Peneliti menggunakan studi pustaka dan metode kualitatif. Sumber utama penelitian ini adalah film Joker karya Todd Phillips beserta naskahnya, dan data sekunder diambil dari berbagai sumber lain seperti beberapa skripsi, jurnal, dan buku. Pendekatan psikoanalisis juga digunakan untuk menganalisis permasalahan psikologis Arthur yang membuat naluri kematiannya lebih dominan. Dalam studi ini, ditemukan bahwa kepribadian Arthur mengalami perubahan di sepanjang cerita. Pada awalnya, dia tulus dan penuh kasih sayang, imajinatif, kehilangan arah, diabaikan, dan terlalu optimis. Sedangkan, pada akhir cerita, dia menjadi cemas, depresi, dan pendendam. Kepribadian Arthur dipengaruhi oleh hasratnya yang mendambakan figur ayah dan kegiatan seksual serta keinginan untuk mempertahankan hidup yang dimotivasi oleh naluri kehidupannya. Namun, naluri kematiannya dibangkitkan oleh rasa ketidaksenangannya yang terus-menerus sehingga ia terdorong untuk menyakiti diri sendiri dan akhirnya juga memiliki kecenderungan agresif terhadap orang lain.

Keywords: death instinct, Joker, life instinct, psychoanalysis

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents some parts of the contents of the study to introduce the reader to the study. This chapter consists of the background of study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, and also definition of terms.

A. Background of Study

Our world will never be separated from social stigma. It tends to have a negative impact on all life aspects and it can be potentially dangerous for people who have mental health problems. In fact, people who suffer from mental illness are frequently blamed by society for their condition, that they are “among the most stigmatized, discriminated against, marginalized, disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our society” (Johnstone as cited Overton & Medina, 2008, p. 143).

Moreover, the mass media have a significant role in educating or indoctrinating society. Therefore, media representations of people with mental illness can also influence perceptions and stigma since social learning is achieved not only through direct experience but also through observation.

Film, as a form of media, becomes an integral part of everyday life. It appears to be an effective and fascinating influential tool due to its various elements such as dialogues, images, sounds, and others special effects. Besides, film is also considered as a branch of literature. Capturing the same narrative elements like literature such as plot, characters, and action, but due to its audio visual effect.

Literatures focus on verbal signs which no other elements cooperate with words, while films present visual experience to the audiences and involve more senses so

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that it might be easier to evoke feelings or bring out emotions (Ramrao, 2016, pp.

153-155).

Film may shed a light on some issues such as culture and society, common issues, personal life, and also provide an immediate catharsis effect. Rushton asserts that films do not represent reality so much as they do become a part of it. They play a role in shaping reality, contributing to and even changing audience perceptions of reality (2011, pp. 15-16). Therefore, in fact, films are actually assessed in accordance with their sufficiency to reality. They are not only assessed to what the film itself is.

Apparently, many people are attracted to films with a sense of tension, like thriller or action films. The researcher found a study from researchers at the

University of Augsburg, Germany, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discussing that people tend to like watching films with crime scenes because they believe those implicitly provide values in confronting violent real-life aspects

(International Communication Association, 2013). Those may also create a sense of excitement for many people when they can experience violence on screen that they will not easily find in real life since common people may have very little chance of experiencing or engaging themselves in it. For the reason that every human has instincts, their manner and behavior are driven by them.

People have their basic survival instincts in order to preserve life and avoid pain. However, those instincts are not only combined with each other but also can work against each other. Human beings must strive to some degree to maintain their lives which should be in line with civilization. Individuals have to earnestly balance

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their basic urges attached to the pleasure principle by the reality principle in order to live in harmony with society.

Related to human instincts, this study analyzes both the life and death instincts of the main character in a film entitled Joker. It is a psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips. It was released in 2019, starring Joaquin Phoenix as

Joker. The film has been one of the most talked-about films of the year because of

Joaquin Phoenix’s realistic portrayal of mental illness, and the 2nd International

Conference on English Language Education article also stated, “Joker which is booming because of controversial about justifies violence,” (Putri, Nugroho, &

Asikin, 2020). Joker deeply roots in humanity and basic human vulnerabilities, which also gives an affecting cinematic experience. It succeeds in blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, dragging its audience to engage in the scare while challenging the individual's own mental health. According to the box office worldwide chart, it becomes the largest opening for Warner Bros in 2019, as it is expected to be the biggest R-rated film ever (Box Office Mojo, 2019).

Joker tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a party clown receiving mental disorder treatment, which resulted from his traumatic brain injury. He is an unfortunate man disregarded and mistreated by society in Gotham City. The film describes the great pain and how Arthur Fleck descends into Joker, disturbed by the world's mistreatment of him. A study conducted by Julie Miler also assumed that Adrian

Raine, British neurocriminologist, was astounded by the nuance and tragic representation of the character of Joker and stated that the film accurately depicted

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the psychology of a murderer (Miller, 2019, para 2-3). In the film, Arthur begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into a criminal.

It is interesting knowing the factors or reasons behind Arthur’s determination to be a criminal at last. In fact, his life and death instincts play a significant role in his behavior. Therefore, the researcher is interested in analyzing the phenomena based on psychological aspects.

B. Problem Formulation

The researcher identified that there are three major issues related to Arthur’s behavior. Based on those issues in the story, the research questions are:

1. How is Arthur described at the beginning and the end of the story?

2. How are Arthur’s life and death instincts manifested in the film?

3. How did Arthur’s death instinct take over his life?

C. Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to describe how Arthur is depicted at the beginning and the end of the story. The second aim is to identify Arthur’s life and death instincts in the film. Then, the researcher wants to observe how Arthur’s death instinct dominated his life. Thus, the reader will be able to see that Arthur’s instincts have undergone turbulence throughout the story and then drive him to become a criminal.

D. Definition of Terms

This part consists of some definitions of terms to avoid misunderstanding on certain terms. These terms are used related to the content discussed in this study.

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The researcher provides and also defines three terms based on the title and problem formulation.

The first term is instincts. Freud states that humans are forced by the tension caused by the needs of the id or pleasure, and the forces are called instincts. It consists in the satisfaction of its innate needs (Freud, 1949, p. 5). There are two instincts embedded in every individual, and the first is death instinct or Thanatos.

Cloninger argues that the death instinct is the destructive force, directing man to the state of death. It motivates all kinds of self-destructive such as aggression, guilt feelings, sadism, and even suicide (Cloninger, 2004, p. 41).

As the opposite of the death instinct, Freud also introduces the life instinct or Eros. Life instinct deals with basic survival, pleasure, reproduction, and also pain avoidance. This instinct drives people to sustain their harmonious life as the continuation of the species (Cloninger, 2004, p. 41).

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This study used several related studies and theories to provide a foundation of knowledge on the topic to the object of analysis. The theories are the theory of psychoanalysis and its branches, theory of character and characterization, and also theory of film-making.

A. Review of Related Studies

The first is Stella Marissa Yuda Wahu Lemek’s undergraduate thesis entitled

The Significant Role of Life and Death Instincts in Molding Henry Fleming’s

Personality as Seen Through His Actions in Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage.

The author analyzes the characteristics of Henry Fleming by using the theory of character and characterization. Afterwards, the author tries to find out Fleming’s forms of instincts and then explain the significant role of Fleming’s instincts toward his personality.

As a result, the author finds four characteristics of Fleming, which are cowardly, immature, thoughtful, and brave. There are two forms of Fleming’s life instinct which are desire for love and sex, and preserving life. On the other hand, there is only one form of Fleming’s death instinct, which is aggression. The significant role of those instincts changed Fleming’s personality from being an immature man into a mature man, and from a coward into a hero.

The second is Rahim Noori Khaneghah’s Journal on The Eros-Thanatos conflict in D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love: A Psychoanalytic Study. The author analyzes the representation of life and death instincts of the four major characters’

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life, they are Ursula, Birkin, Gerald, and Gudrun, with the help of Freudian and

Lacanian psychoanalytic perspectives. The author describes the imbalance of Eros and Thanatos in the four major characters. It is found that all of them underwent the inner struggle between life and death instincts. However, Thanatos becomes the most possessive drive. In the end, Ursula and Birkin successfully rebalance their life and death instinct, while Gudrun and Gerald tend to show their possessiveness of the death instinct.

The last related study is an international conference paper by Cipta Nirmala

Putri, Muhammad Aprianto Budie Nugroho, and Nida Amalia Asikin entitled

Psychological Analysis on Arthur Fleck in “Joker” Movie. The research examines

Arthur Fleck’s psychological disorders, as well as the factors that contribute to them. They focus on the various types of Arthur’s psychological disorders, and the connection between these disorders and their causes. The finding reveals that

Arthur suffered from schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder, and trauma. As a result of the mistreatment he endured, he then transforms into Joker persona, who is completely different from Arthur.

Those related studies help the researcher to get a better understanding in applying the theory of life and death instincts to the study. They also assist the researcher in conducting the study since they used the same approach and theory, even though they have their own focus or goals in using the theory of life and death instincts. The last related study helps the researcher to dig deeper into Arthur’s mental state and to identify all cases and their outcomes.

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B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

Any form of work must have a character as their crucial holder of the whole story. Characters represent figures in a dramatic or narrative work, who are endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from their dialogues and actions interpreted by the reader (Abrams, 2012, p. 46).

Characterization is a process of revealing the personality of the character used by the author. Characterization is an effective tool in the plot-driven narrative. It can immediately connect the reader to the character without taking them out of the action (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 43). The author has the authority to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and qualities of the characters.

Characterization helps the reader to understand the character's thought process, which explains the behavior of the characters. It will direct the reader to relate better to the events that occur in the story. For example, in Pride and

Prejudice, Austen emphasized on conversation as the basis of characterization by using Mrs. Bennet's complaints to show her weak, self-pitying egoism. It can be seen from the dialogue of Mrs. Bennet when she said that she has no pleasure in talking to undutiful children because she suffers from nervous complaints, so that she lacks a tendency to talk.

According to Boggs and Petrie, there are several types of characterization in film analysis. They are characterization by appearance, characterization through dialogues, characterization through internal action, characterization through external action, characterization through reactions of other characters,

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characterization through contrast: dramatic foils, characterization through caricature and leitmotif, and characterization through the choice of name (Boggs &

Petrie, 2011, pp. 49-54). Nevertheless, not all of these types must be applied to analyze a character. a. Characterization by appearance

Indeed, people get their first visual impression of the characters at the time when they appear on the screen. It becomes a kind of assumption about the characters based on their facial features, dress, physical build, mannerisms, and the way they move (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 50). These are aspects that are visually apparent. People can clearly see if the character is skinny or fat, how the character dresses, and also the facial expression. Those might reveal something about the character as the story progresses. b. Characterization through dialogues

The characters’ personality can be revealed through dialogues, such as their choice of words, pitch, and stress in their speech. Sentence structure, vocabulary, grammar, and particular dialects also may have a great deal with characters’ background (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 50). Characters reveal themselves by what they say and how they say it. The characters might speak intelligently or in a rude manner. The characters might speak in a shy, quiet manner or in a nervous manner. c. Characterization through external action

This kind of action may be the most significant thing for knowing the characters’ personality and intentions. In order to make the plot and the characters become tightly intertwined, then the characters do what they do for a reason that

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must be consistent with their overall personalities. Every action might reveal something, and even the trivial one also matters. Hence, this determines how characters develop throughout the story (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, pp. 51-52). d. Characterization through internal action

Internal action takes place within the minds of the character. It consists of unseen and unheard actions like unspoken thoughts, reveries, fears, and also fantasy

(Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 52). However, filmmakers have a way of getting us into the characters' mind by presenting visual glimpses through certain means. For instance, through the use of tight close-up on an exceptionally sensitive and expressive face as reaction shots and also the use of musical score in order to give glimpses of what the characters feel about what they see and hear. e. Characterization by reactions of other characters

The way others react to one another can reveal a lot about the characters.

Reactions can include verbal responses, as well as physical or emotional treatment.

As stated below:

“Sometimes, a great deal of information about a character is already provided through such means before the character first appears on the screen. This is the case in the opening scene of Hud. In this sequence, Lonnie (Brandon DeWilde) is walking along the main street of the little Texas town at around 6:30 in the morning, looking for his uncle, Hud (Paul Newman). As Lonnie passes a beer joint along the way, the owner is out front, sweeping up the pieces of glass that used to be his large front window. Lonnie notices the broken window and observes, “You must have had quite a brawl in here last night.” The owner replies, “I had Hud in here last night, that’s what I had.” The man’s emphasis on the name “Hud” and his tone of voice clearly reveal that “Hud” is a synonym for “trouble.” (Boggs & Petrie, 2010, pp. 52- 53)

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It may depict how other characters feel or what other characters say about a specific character. Therefore, the relationship between the characters will be seen in this way. f. Characterization Through Contrast : Dramatic Foils

In literature, there must be some characters whose traits, personalities, and motives contrast with the protagonist. Those characters can be called as foil characters (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 53). The author can give a better highlight to the protagonist by setting them in the story. It does not necessarily differentiate between kind and evil traits nor between protagonist and antagonist, but the sidekicks serve as a foil as well. g. Characterization Through Caricature and Leitmotif

Caricature technique usually dramatizes or distorts one or more dominant features or personality traits of the character. Such as the way a character moves, voice qualities, and also accents. A leitmotif, very much like a caricature, is “the repetition of a single phrase or idea by a character until it becomes almost a trademark or theme” (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 54). h. Characterization Through Choice of Name

The use of a name generally matches the sound quality, meaning or connotation (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 54). It is a part of a character’s narrative function and role in literary works. Thus, the name reflects a character’s dominant traits, primary values, and core essences.

2. Theory of Psychoanalysis

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Psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud’s theory that is defined as a set of psychological theories and therapeutic techniques. It is believed that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories. People would have a better understanding of human behavior by using this theory, and then they will be able to understand some works representing the same matter (Tyson, 2006, p.

11). It relates the psychological and literary worlds and brings a kind of scientific aspect into literary criticism.

Nobody is entirely free of psychological issues, which are often referred to as disorders because every individual carries a psychological history derived from unpleasant experiences. Hence, psychoanalysis can help to both reveal and solve individual psychological problems and commonly focusing on destructive behavior patterns (Tyson, 2006, p. 12). Generally, unpleasant experiences such as anxiety and pain are repressed, thus contained in the unconscious mind since humans’ conscious mind prevents them from rising to awareness.

The unconscious continues to influence behavior without people aware of it.

People tend to bring their psychological issues with them throughout their lives if those are not handled properly. Later, their behavior can work as defenses, even when not formally defined as such (Tyson, 2006, pp. 16-17). For example, repressed childhood memories of abandonment can make it difficult for someone to form a relationship later in life. Someone may feel unworthy or have low self- esteem to the point that they think someone will easily abandon them. It may also contribute to trust issues, making it difficult to place trust in others.

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The repressed might trigger someone’s anxiety and thus can bring up the core issues of the psychological problems. Freud assumes that individuals who constantly undergo internal conflicts are more likely to engage in psychological and physical self-destruction (Tyson, 2006, pp. 22-25). Fundamentally, human beings have their basic instincts, which are placed in the unconscious. However, since human awareness has the sense to consider between moral or immoral, therefore, the relationships among id, ego, and superego are contributed much for this reason. a. Id, Ego, Superego

Humans actually have complex behavior. Freud introduced the term model of the psyche, and they are the id, ego, and superego. He believed that human personality has something to do with those three elements that each part makes a relative contribution to individuals’ behavior.

The id is the unconscious part of the mind consisting of sexual and aggressive desires and needs regardless of the consequences. It motivates humans to seek pleasure to not be affected by logic, reality, or the everyday world. The ego is the conscious part of the mind which operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society (Freud, 1961, pp.

4-6).

While the superego is based on moral values and judgments about right and wrong. Hence, it is not only controlling the id and its impulses towards societal taboos, like sex and aggression, but also attempts to get the ego to go beyond realistic standards and aspire to moralistic ones (Freud, 1961, p. 8).

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In addition, humans are also driven by instincts. Those become the foundation

or basis of human behavior that strongly correlate with the model of the psyche.

The role of id, ego, and superego can affect much of the work of the instincts on

human behavior. These two kinds of instincts are namely life and death instincts,

or Eros and Thanatos. i. Thanatos - Eros

Freud assumes that all instincts fall into two major classes, which are life

instinct known as Eros and death instinct as Thanatos. Life instinct sometimes refers

to sexual and erotic urges. It deals with self-preservation and seeks pleasure, which

basically refers to id. It is generally associated with love and harmony of life to

sustain a harmonious life (Freud, 1955, p. 5).

On the other hand, death instinct is the representative of self-destruction and

violence. It includes negative feelings such as hate, anger, and aggressiveness. It

might be caused by the failure of the ego in mediating between impulsive id with

the superego (Freud, 1955, pp. 6-8). In addition, people who experience a traumatic

experience may be attached to death instinct as well. As it is cited in Thurschwell:

“The traumatic event which happened in childhood, however, would not be recognised as traumatic at the time. Instead a delayed reaction set in – an event later in life, when the child reached puberty, would set off a series of recollections in the child’s mind, and this delayed recognition would become a pathogenic or poisonous idea that would cause hysterical symptoms later in life.” (2019, p. 22)

In Beyond The Pleasure, Freud also discovered that psychological issues can be

resulted from the repressed reactions to traumatic experiences that emerge long

after a significant emotional shock (1961, p. 7). They tend to relive the early trauma,

and it manifests in every situation.

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Psychological well-being is greatly affected by the balance of instincts, where the id, ego, and superego are also included. According to Klein, the essential role of love or compassion is necessary to establish the role of the superego properly.

Thus, the superego will share the positive aspects with the ego to neutralize hatred and destruction (Klein, as cited in Sedlak, 2019, p. 39). The two instincts do demonstrate a distinct aspect but interrelated. The death instinct can also be merged with the impulsive id in an unidentifiable way and at the same time conflict with each other.

“Within instinctual life, the drive seeks to maintain this regressive inertia in ways that vary, either for the destruction or the preservation of the energy of life. The demand for pleasure collides with the principle of reality, for the latter conflicts with the pursuits of pleasure.” (Kli, 2018)

The confrontation between Thanatos and Eros often ends in the replacement of fulfillment by repression. Nevertheless, the process of seeking pleasure heavily controls and affects Eros, and Thanatos comes about to have the freedom to pursue its goals.

3. Theory of Film-making Technique

As mentioned before, film and literature share the same characteristics, in that they are the artistic expressions of human mind which both narrate a story. Thus, they have always been taken to be of a similar type. However, films take command more of our senses and emotions by giving the sensory experience through mise- en-scene and cinematography. Film-making theory is important because it allows audiences to gain a better understanding of the film. It concerns how a film's various aspects interact to create a vision of reality. Additionally, in literary works, some

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important clues or revelations are only presented through visual depiction rather than through words. a. Mise en scène

All visual aspects and the arrangement of everything that appears in a film, are called mise en scène. It determines the overall look and feel of the movie since it helps to support themes and creates a sense of the mood. According to

Pramaggiore and Wallis, the mise en scene in a film is created by a production designer in cooperation with the director. It comprises of setting, properties, actors, composition, lighting, and others (2008, pp. 88 - 89). The organization of the elements can effectively influence the audiences’ experience of the story, characters, space, and time. Joker covers almost all the elements and integrates them properly, resulting in outstanding achievement in terms of mise en scene and production design.

Setting is an integral part of the film. Mainly, it indicates the locations where the action takes place. It does not necessarily have to be general and real locations, but it may be specific and even imaginary (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 89).

The audiences’ reactions are generally elicited by the visual characteristics of an environment. Also, the information about locations and time in the film can be revealed through setting. Aside from that, the audiences’ reaction may be evoked not just by the environment, but also by the human figures themselves. From their acting style, costumes, makeup, movement, and also properties. In fact, the sense of a film is heavily influenced by the actors' performances (p. 97).

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Acting cannot be done spontaneously. Actors bring training in a particular acting style. In order to make the main message in the film can be appropriately conveyed, all movements and expressions should be arranged carefully and practiced well. For bringing the performance to life, actors become engaged in their characters' psychological realities. They immerse themselves in the feelings and emotions, and even external details such as an accent or physical trait of the character they play (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, pp. 97-98). Further, to emphasize their characteristic, actors typically wear distinctive costumes and wear make-up.

Those may reveal details about social situations, personal styles. Its elements such as style, textiles, and colors can show an era of time in a particular location.

Costumes and make-up must be viewed in the context of the film rather than taken at face value (pp. 102-104).

Additionally, all things that are stick or used by actors are referred to as properties. Several properties or props assist in enriching the exploration of character or contributing to characters’ motifs and imply at their change and development (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 103). For example, in Vittorio De

Sica's Bicycle Thieves, for Antonio Ricci, the bicycle is not only a form of transportation, but also a symbol of the miserable state in which the people of postwar Italy find themselves. It is evidenced by the state that Ricci loses his career when his bicycle is stolen.

Lastly, lighting is regarded as the essential element in filmmaking since it can be designed to generate dramatic effects and specific moods in the film, in addition to casting light on the set and actors. Lighting has three components which are

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quality, placement, and contrast. From the quality component, a light's quality is defined by the softness of its shadows and how it behaves, which can be regulated in a variety of ways to influence how it interacts with the subject.

A hard lighting in films is very directional because it creates deep and definitive shadows on the subject to draw attention to a specific part or the subject itself. The high contrast creates a strong sense of drama and gives the subject a bold look. Second, in soft lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is much smoother. Face details are minimized when the subject is covered in soft light.

Then, there is natural lighting, also known as daylighting, which brings natural light that generally can be obtained from the sun. Moreover, there are several types of daylight fixtures, each with its own unique design specification. As Pramaggiore and Wallis stated in the book, “Available light (or natural light) from the sun can be hard or soft, depending on time of day, time of year, angle of the sun, cloud cover, and geographical location. It may also vary in color” (pp. 107-108).

Furthermore, the direction or placement of lighting sources may also produce various effects. A light source that produces a flat effect in which facial detail can be wiped away, casting shadows behind the subject, and is placed directly in front of the subject is called frontal lighting. A side light creates a sculptural effect so that one side will be more strongly illuminated than the other. It may reveal every imperfection of the subject, making the texture more visible. Finally, when the light source is behind the subject, backlighting occurs. Backlighting is capable of blocking the majority of what is behind the subject (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 108).

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The last is from the contrast element. The method is intended to maintain the proper degree of illumination and also eliminate shadows. These lighting methods are called high-key and low-key lighting. They are also considered to be the important tools to tell a story with a certain kind of mood (Pramaggiore & Wallis,

2008, pp. 111-112). High-key refers to a lighting technique that creates a very bright and shadow-less scene. It evokes a positive mood, making it ideal for happy scenes.

Low-key lighting, on the other hand, creates a strong contrast between the dark and light areas, with a majority of the scene in darkness. It can be used to generate mystery and suspense in a scene or character. As cited in the book, “…is often used in crime dramas and film noir. It is also the favored lighting style for gothic horror films because it adds a sense of gloom to any setting”.

Furthermore, film-making has always involved color because it gives an essential effect of helping the audience understand the mood, the feeling of a situation, and a character's journey. Color is comprised of a few main elements. The first element is hue, which basically it is just another word for color itself. Next, saturation is the intensity or the deepness of color, while desaturated colors look paler or washed out (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, pp. 116-118). Color might trigger the human mind’s response because it stimulates various emotions and energy levels. Each color has different meanings depending on context. For examples, the warm colors such as yellow and orange can signify joy, nostalgia, insecurity, and even madness. Blue is associated with night, gloomy, and calmness.

Red means power, anger, and love. As an example, in Rebel Without a Cause,

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Nicholas Ray employs the color red to represent the merger of the younger generation’s existential agony and sexual desires.

Mise-en-scene, in contrast to cinematography, refers to staging a scene by arranging physical features and people within the frame. In contrast, cinematography is more concerned with the composition of the shot, which has to do with camera movements and angles, especially with its digital effects. b. Cinematography

Many film techniques create a distinctive look because a film's quality relies on its aesthetic unity and dramatic strength. Cinematography deals with the way in which the camera is used and how the scene is filmed. The techniques of camerawork, lenses and filter, film stock, and special visual effects are all crucial elements in cinematography (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, pp. 130-131). However, it should not overpower the essence of the film itself. Both must be aligned and complement each other to create a film’s aesthetic unity. As quoted below:

“Technique must not become an end in itself; any special technique must have some underlying purpose related to the purpose of the film as a whole. Every time a director or cinematographer employs an unusual camera angle or a new photographic technique, he or she should do so for the purpose of communicating (either sensually or intellectually) in the most effective way possible, not simply to show off or try a new trick.” (Boggs & Petrie, 2012, p. 104)

This theory focuses on several camera techniques which are used in the film to examine their significant effects in relation to the portrayal of Joker. The first element is the use of a handheld camera. Various angles are generally used for additional effect and amplifying particular kinds of dramatic effects and emotions.

Thus, the camera's position to the subjects may have an impact on how the

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audiences perceive the scene. The first angle is the low-angle, that the camera is looking up at the object. The effect of the low-angle shot is that it generally makes the subject appear powerful and dominant. However, it can also convey that a character in the scene is vulnerable, trapped, or under attack. As the opposite of low-angle, the high-angle shot is where the camera is filming from above the object.

It creates the sense of God’s eye and makes the subject seem vulnerable or powerless (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 140).

The distance between the camera and its subject is simply called camera distance (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, pp. 143-144). It affects the emotional degree between the audience with the characters. The camera distance is categorized into three parts, first is long-shot. Long-shot has three types, they are extreme long-shot, long-shot, and medium long-shot. Second is a medium shot. The last is the close- up shot that is divided into two types, which are medium close-up and extreme close-up.

The first category is extreme-long shots. It shows the subject from far away, picturing the area in which the scene is taking place. Second, long-shot exposes the entire object or human body, but the scenery is still dominant. Medium long-shot shows the subject from the knees up. Then, the medium shot tends to balance between subject and setting, usually from the waist up. Afterwards, the type of close shots is intended to show details of the subject and emphasize a character's emotions. Medium close-up generally framing the subject from the chest up.

Second, close-up technique focuses on a character’s part of the body, usually the

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head or face. Lastly, an extreme close-up really emphasizes a specific area or detail of the subject (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, pp. 143-144).

C. Theoretical Framework

The researcher provides several theories and reviews to answer the research questions in the problem formulation. They are theory of character and characterization, which consists of characterization by appearance, characterization through dialogues, characterization through internal action, characterization through external action, characterization through reactions of other characters, and characterization through choice of name. Along with the theory of id, ego, and superego, theory of human instincts or Thanatos-Eros, and also theory of film- making.

The theory of character and characterization is applied to answer the first question that helps the researcher to describe Arthur’s character and also analyze the problems which have something to do with his instincts. Thus, the researcher believes that Arthur embodies Thanatos and Eros instincts, which both instincts have a significant correlation with the theory of id, ego, and superego. Both instincts correlate to each other and influence Arthur’s personality, and one of the instincts seems more dominant. Therefore, the researcher analyzes those instincts in order to be able to answer the second and third questions in the problem formulation.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This section is the methodology that is used to conduct this study. The first part is the object of the study, which gives a brief description of the object used for this study. The second part is the approach of the study, which explains the way the researcher applies the chosen approach and relates the conflict of the character with its several theories provided. The last part is the methods or steps used by the researcher to compile this study.

A. Object of Study

The object of this study is the film entitled Joker. It is a psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips. It was released in 2019 and starring Joaquin Phoenix as Joker, the main character of the story. Joker is produced by Warner Bros.

Pictures, DC Films, and Joint Effort in association with Bron Creative and Village

Roadshow Pictures, and distributed by Warner Bros. Phillips was inspired by DC

Comics’ villain character, that is Joker. According to IMDb, this movie has received several nominations. It successfully won the Golden Lion’s Best Film, Fanheart3

Award’s Graffetta d'Oro for Best Film, and Soundtrack Stars Award’s Best

Soundtrack at the Venice Film Festival (IMDb, n. d.). Joker portrays the concerns of basic human instincts associated with real-world violence. This story is mostly talking about mental illness due to traumatic brain injury, unconscious desires, violence, and also social issues.

B. Approach to the Study

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The approach used in analyzing this work is a psychoanalysis approach. Since the researcher wants to analyze the personality and things related to the character’s pychological state, thus the researcher used this approach. Psychoanalysis approach offers us some key concepts about human experience so that we will easily be able to understand human behavior, their thoughts, actions, and motives (Tyson, 2006, p. 11). This approach helps the researcher observe the character of Arthur, and then analyzes the conflicts that make his death instinct become more dominant. Thus, psychoanalysis can reveal the psychological issue of Arthur which probably has a direct result of the early experience.

“Because the goal of psychoanalysis is to help us resolve our psychological problems, often called disorders or dysfunctions (and none of us is completely free of psychological problems), the focus is on patterns of behavior that are destructive in some way. I say patterns of behavior because our repetition of destructive behavior reveals the existence of some significant psychological difficulty that has probably been influencing us for some time without our knowing it.” (Tyson, 2006, p. 12)

It is suitable for this study as Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory can support the discussions and findings that will be discussed by the researcher. Freud’s theory that will be used is the theory of Thanatos-Eros, that those instincts are based on

Freud’s model of the psyche.

C. Method of the Study

The method of analyzing data in this study was a qualitative method. The data were presented and analyzed descriptively based on the theory mentioned in the theoretical framework. Library research is also applied to gather the theories that will be used in this study. There are two sources of data in this study, first is Todd

Phillips’ Joker, including the script, and the secondary data are taken from other

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resources related to the research. They are two undergraduate theses, journals, and books as the other source of expert’s opinion.

The first step taken in analyzing the data in this study was watching Joker film conscientiously and also reading its script. The focus of the first part of the analysis was to configure the characters for who they are from their actions and dialogues. The second step was done by taking a more in-depth look into the character's life and taking note of the conflicts and the forms of Arthur’s life and death instincts. The dynamics and interactions between his model of the psyche and both instincts can then be explored in terms of their essential role, influencing

Arthur's actions and how he managed to cope with it. Lastly, the researcher applied

Freud's theory to analyze, identify, and interpret the data, and thus the conclusion was drawn.

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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter contains the results for the problem formulation, and the analysis is divided into three parts. The first subchapter describes the characteristics of

Arthur Fleck. Since the characteristics of Arthur change from the beginning of the story until the end, the researcher arranged them according to the sequence of the story. The second subchapter portrays the human instincts of Arthur, by applying

Freud’s Thanatos-Eros theory, along with the id , ego, and superego theory. Finally, the last subchapter explains how the Thanatos instinct becomes dominant.

Moreover, the film contains some evidences that can only be revealed through visual presentation rather than dialogues from the script. Since the visual representation of emotions and other cinematic elements from every scene may convey essential clues or messages, the use of film-making theory is necessary for this analysis.

A. The Description of Arthur at the Beginning and the End of the Story

Arthur’s description can be shown and revealed from his characteristics. It can be stated that there are only six types of characterization by Boggs and Petrie found in the film for analyzing Arthur’s characteristics. Thus, in this part, the researcher describes those characteristics as the examination result according to his behaviors.

Since his characteristics changed throughout the story, the researcher classified them into two categories, which are Arthur’s characteristics at the beginning and the end of the story. In the beginning, the audience may see that the

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personality of Arthur does not show any severe problems which might lead to antagonistic attitudes. He remains kind and patient, even in responding to the ruthless surroundings. Eventually, various factors affected and shook his psyche that he ended up in madness at last.

1. Arthur Fleck at the Beginning of the Story a. Sincere and Affectionate

Despite the fact that Arthur Fleck is portrayed as a mentally ill loner who lives a stressful life, there are several proofs that he has a caring nature towards others in certain ways. His external action proves that he genuinely took care of his sick mother (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 51). He was very affectionate towards his mother and tried to dedicate his life solely to make his mother happy. He always spent his time with her, prepared her meal, and even bathed her after returning from work.

When his mother showed her concern about their poor living condition, he reassured his mother that he willingly would make a good financial fortune by being a comedian to support their life. It can be shown through his dialogue with his mother in the script when he was bathing her.

JOKER. I don't want you worrying about money. Everyone's been telling me they think my stand-up is ready for the big clubs. It's just a matter of time before I get a break. (Phillips, 2019, p. 22)

Arthur simply wanted to calm his mother's heart, even though he did not tell the truth about his stand-up journey. Penny Fleck, Arthur’s mother, seemed to spend almost all of her time watching television or sleeping, never leaving the apartment and relying on Arthur for most things. Nevertheless, he still regarded her as his

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number one support before knowing his childhood abuse and Penny’s mental illness.

JOKER. I don't want you worrying about money. Everyone's been telling me they think my stand-up is ready for the big clubs. It's just a matter of time before I get a break.

Even though he struggled with his own condition, he sincerely attempted to give his affection to others, especially for kids. He genuinely enjoyed his clown job as he looked very excited when he was entertaining sick kids in the hospital.

Additionally, he tried to play peekaboo with a kid who was sitting right in front of him on the bus. It can be shown from his external action, from the figure below.

Figure 1. Arthur is playing peekaboo with the kid

However, the mother got angry and mistook it for him trying to bother her son.

Arthur began to laugh uncontrollably as his neurological reaction which made the mother feel more uncomfortable. Rather than responding negatively, he just showed her a card explaining that he had a mental condition that caused him to laugh the way he did.

Here, the color of their jacket becomes the mise-en-scene element through costumes. Based on the theory of film-making, certain colors add certain emotions or mood of the scene. A red color of the kid’s jacket can represent love, indicating their enjoyment. Besides, the mother wore a blue color which signifies

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unfriendliness, that in the scene later she ruined the heart-warming moment between Arthur and her son. For Arthur, most of the time he wore a yellow jacket that symbolizes Arthur’s difficult life (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 102 ;

Berens, 2014, p. 43).

Also, the same thing happened to young Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne’s son.

One time, Arthur had made an attempt to see Thomas Wayne since at that time he thought that Thomas was his biological father. When Arthur arrived at Thomas

Wayne’s manor, he accidentally met Bruce. Seeing how expressionless Bruce was, he then demonstrated various funny acts and some magical things with his props to entertain him.

JOKER. My name's Arthur. I'm here to see Mr. Wayne-- ALFRED. (interrupting) You shouldn't be talking to his son. Why did you give him those flowers? JOKER. I, I was just trying to make him laugh. ALFRED. Well it's not funny. Do I need to call the police? (Phillips, 2019, p. 59)

Arthur played with his wand and even reached in through the fence so Bruce could give it another try. Then a bouquet of flowers burst out the end of the wand. Arthur smiled and handed him the wand bouquet of flowers. Unfortunately, he got an unpleasant response from Alfred, Bruce’s butler, but he kindly answered that he just wanted to cheer him up.

Arthur’s sincerity also seems to foster sympathy or empathy for people around him. Since he is a dynamic character, that he eventually became a murderer, but he only killed those who did not seem kind to him. Randall and Gary, Arthur's former co-workers, visited him in his apartment to console him following his mother's death. It seemed that Randall’s genuine intention to give him a visit was

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to learn what Arthur had told the cops about the subway murders so that Randall could stay out of danger. Arthur, who had been holding his anger towards Randall since he had gotten him fired, finally murdered him. As evidenced by the dialogue below, Arthur believed Gary never hurt him, and since he was always nice so that he did not kill Gary.

GARY. What the fuck, Arthur? ARTHUR. What? It’s okay, Gary. You can go. I’m not gonna hurt you. GARY. Oh! ARTHUR. Don’t look. Just go. You were the only one that was ever nice to me (Phillips, 2019)

He brutally killed Randall by stabbing him with scissors and then repeatedly slamming his head against the wall in his room. Nevertheless, he really did not make a threat to Gary even though he had changed into a cold-blooded murderer.

Arthur released him and even helped him opened the apartment door as his gratitude towards Gary for treating Arthur kindly as a friend. b. Imaginative

There are many indications that Arthur has a tendency to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. He seems to have fantasies in which he seeks admiration and connection. He frequently imagines or fantasizes himself receiving the love from others, mainly his unwitting father figure and lover, as he projected it on Murray Franklin, a popular talk show host in Gotham, and Sophie, his apartment neighbor.

When Arthur and his mother were watching Murray Franklin Show after dinner, he fantasized himself charming the audience on Murray Franklin Show and attracting Murray's attention. Surrounded by show lights, admiration, and applause.

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It seemed that he wished to be regarded in the same way as Murray, who is popular, broadly adored, and great at cracking jokes.

ARTHUR. I know what that's like, Murray. I've been the man of the house for as long as I can remember. I take good care of my mother.” MURRAY FRANKLIN. All that sacrifice. She must love you very much.” ARTHUR. She does. She always tells me to smile and put on a happy face. She says that I was put here to spread joy and laughter.” MURRAY FRANKLIN. That was great, Arthur, thanks. Made my day. ARTHUR. Thanks, Murray. MURRAY FRANKLIN. You see all this, the lights, the show, the, the love of the audience, I'd give it all up in a heartbeat to have a son like you. (Phillips, 2019)

His dialogue with Murray within his fantasy above also reflects his pride for what he had accomplished as a devoted child and also portrayed his mother as his only greatest support. He longed for a loving father figure in his life for some sort of approval, wishing Murray had a son just like him. Also, he imagined that Murray brought him on-stage and into the light.

Figure 2. Arthur fantasizes about being on the Murray Franklin Show

Figure 3. The depiction of Arthur actual state when he is fantasizing

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The low-angle shot of the cinematography theory makes Arthur look determined (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 140), and the hard lighting is used to intensify Arthur's depiction of himself, which attracts the attention of the audience

(p.107). When the scene shifted to the reality, the close-up camera technique quickly focused on Arthur's face in his darkroom along with the symbolism of the blue tone, emphasizing his mournful feeling. (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 144

; Braam, 2020). Additionally, his mother is depicted in the background with a blurry effect, that it enhances the sense of attention on Arthur's fantasy (Figure 3).

Furthermore, Arthur's fantasy leads him to imagine that he was dating

Sophie. The first time they interacted was in the elevator, in which they were sharing a telling glance, did actually happen. The rest after that was only Arthur's imagination. Sophie was portrayed giving him affection and support throughout his fantasy. As stated by Pramaggiore and Wallis, the sense of love reflected through red color, that she was frequently dressed in red even from her first appearance.

Pogo's club was illuminated by red table lamps, and Sophie was also present dressed in red (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 117 ; Figure 4). His fantasy was so intense that he could generate a realistic romantic story between them, one that reflected his desire to be loved and adored.

Arthur Fleck's obsession with Sophie must have triggered because he felt that at least he was recognized by her as a neighbor since the elevator scene. One day,

Arthur imagined Sophie coming to his apartment and talking to him. Then he asked

Sophie to see him perform on a stand-up comedy show. Arthur pictured himself as charming and funny that finally won her heart.

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Figure 4. Sophie attends at Arthur’s first stand-up

Afterwards, Arthur finally went to the comedy club for his performance. Sophie appeared to be in the audience and became the only person who was laughing at

Arthur's jokes (Figure 4). It indicated that she became the only person who provided the comfort he needed. It also happened when Penny became ill due to shock after the arrival of two police detectives at Arthur's apartment to interrogate the subway murder as clues revealed that the suspect was wearing clown make-up, and they also discovered Arthur was fired on the same day as the murder. Penny was eventually taken to the hospital. Also, Sophie appeared there to be Arthur’s only companion while he took care of his mother. c. Confused

Confused generally refers to the inability to think clearly or understand something. According to Merriam-Webster, confused can also means “disoriented with regard to one's sense of time, place, or identity” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary). Arthur has the difficulty in deciding what he believes, what he should do, and also seems to have no sense of identity, which it can be said that he is confused.

He is well aware that he is odd, but he does not quite grasp the extent to which others find him unpleasant. Arthur's awareness of his severe condition, which came

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from his traumatic experiences and brain injury, led him to admit that he needed help, as depicted in the dialogue below.

ARTHUR. Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there? SOCIAL WORKER. It's certainly tense. People are upset, they're struggling. Looking for work. These are tough times. How 'bout you? Have you been keeping up with your journal? ARTHUR. Yeah, I was wondering if you could ask the doctor to increase the dosage on my medications? SOCIAL WORKER. Arthur, you're on seven different medications. Surely they must be doing something. ARTHUR. I just don’t want to feel bad anymore. (Phillips, 2019, pp. 1-4)

Despite his sadness and physical and emotional torment, he was desperately trying to get better by sticking to his psychotropic medication and therapy and wanting to comply with the world around him. However, rather than receiving support and assistance from society, his oddity was worsened by the mistreatment he received due to his condition. Especially, he lived in the crime-riddled city of Gotham, which made it very difficult for him to gain sympathy and empathy.

The state of Gotham is wrapped up in a mess due to the political situation,

Gotham's elite corruption, filled with a segmented lower-middle class that had driven individuals to be apathetic and ruthless. According to Pramaggiore and

Walis, the setting may significantly contribute to giving insight into the character’s life (2008, p. 91). The figure below depicts the dirty environment, surrounded by graffiti and vandalism, which adds to the film's dark and bleak portrayal of Arthur's life. The use of extreme long-shot is used for portraying his surroundings environment (p. 143), and the selection of a color palette, predominantly blue, gray, and black, also signifies his life full of tragedy (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, pp. 206-207).

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Figure 5. The atmosphere of Gotham

Arthur’s external action shows his thought that society could only see and value a person's condition according to their own perspective. “The worst part about having a mental illness is that people expect you to act as if you don't,” he wrote in his daily journal.

Figure 6. Arthur pours his confused thought into his daily journal

The use of a high-angle in the scene gives the overview of his thoughts from his writing, and at the same time, makes Arthur seem vulnerable (Pramaggiore &

Wallis, 2008, p. 140). It showed that Arthur was constrained by other people's expectations that he kept his mental illness which resulted from brain injury hidden.

He not only had to cope with the reality that he has a mental illness, but he also appeared to be trying to conceal it, which made it all the more painful. d. Abandoned

Much of Arthur’s grief seems to have to do with the neglect of parental affection. Moreover, Penny's adoption did not end well in order to give a chance for Arthur to have a better life. He eventually grew up with her since he could not

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recall his past due to the constant abuse and trauma he had endured. Penny relies on Arthur to survive and care for her, such as feeding and bathing her, and also being the companion for her in their dreary little apartment. Meanwhile, he did not have time to look for himself nor had anyone to take care of him.

ARTHUR. Ma, eat. You need to eat. PENNY. You need to eat. Look how skinny you are. (Phillips, 2019, p. 12)

It is proven from the dialogue above that Arthur’s skinny body is revealed through the reaction of other characters (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 52). It was later revealed that Penny was actually a delusional narcissist, as it is stated by Kernberg and Kohut that a narcissistic has a sense of entitlement, grandiosity, a tendency to exploit others, preoccupation with fantasies of ideal love, lack of empathy, and emotional instability (Kernberg and Kohut as cited in Petruccelli et al, 2015). Thus, it allowed her to feel like she had raised Arthur as best as she could think of while, in fact, she did not.

Additionally, his abandonment and abuse case is evidenced from the medical record discovery of his mother. The file revealed that Penny had been adopting Arthur and was responsible for letting her boyfriend physically abused him, by tying him to a radiator and causing brain injuries, which likely contributed to his mental illness.

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Figure 7. Arthur’s adoption document

The scene uses an extreme close-up shot to allow the audience to enter and experience Arthur’s personal emotion, that he felt extremely shock by seeing the document, explaining about what had really happened to his childhood history

(Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 143). Hence, Arthur had been the victim of a lifetime of parental and societal abandonment. e. Over-Optimistic

Aside from money to support himself and his mother, Arthur's motivation to enter the comedy business was that he always believed that his goal in life was to bring happiness to others. He sought to gain the admiration of others by becoming a successful stand-up comedian.

ARTHUR. She says that I was put here to spread joy and laughter. (Phillips, 2019)

Also, Arthur's enthusiasm to become a comedian is proven from his effort to write his own jokes for a stand-up routine using his daily journal from the dialogue below.

ARTHUR. I've been using it as a journal, but also a joke diary. Funny thoughts or, or observations. Did I tell you I'm pursuing a career in stand-up comedy? (Phillips, 2019, p. 2)

He even went to Pogo's Club to watch comedians perform in order to obtain some insight. He did try to collect some material from several performers. On the other

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hand, his mental state seemed to prevent him from fitting and comprehending the audience's sense of humor. Thus, his laughter was not real, making him feel even more uneasy and out of place.

Arthur did really make a move and encouraged himself to do a stand-up comedian, but unfortunately, his instability made this impossible. It is evidenced from his external action when Arthur's first real appearance at the Pogo's Club. It seemed to be a disaster for him due to his unfunny material and mainly because of his nervousness that triggered his uncontrollable laughter, which caused him to struggle to say anything and tell jokes. People ended up laughing at his performance but for the wrong reasons.

Over time, however, his optimism leads to a negative sense. His discontent was triggered by his extreme disappointment at not being he could not have and could not be.

SOCIAL WORKER. Arthur... ARTHUR. Which is crazy because that's my clown name at work. And until a little while ago it was like nobody ever saw me. Even I didn't know if I really existed. SOCIAL WORKER. Arthur, I have some bad news for you. ARTHUR. You don't listen, do you? I don't think you ever really hear me. You just ask the same questions every week. "How's your job?" "Are you having any negative thoughts?," All I have are negative thoughts. But you don't listen anyway. I said, "for my whole life I didn't know if I even really existed." But I do. And people are starting to notice. (Phillips, 2019)

His efforts were unappreciated, and people tended to ridicule him. The dialogue above proves that Arthur started to think about clinging to whatever type of recognition he could get and seek a big upheaval by taking advantage of the chaotic conditions of Gotham.

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2. Arthur at the End of the Story a. Disturbed

Arthur is depicted as having or showing signs of emotional disturbance, caused by external interruptions (Merriam-Webster online dictionary). Arthur began as a well-intentioned man who was unfortunately trapped in the most perilous situation and gradually transformed into a disturbed person. He had been shown to be patient, where he tended to hold his emotions and restrain himself from acting out in a rage. It is proven at the beginning of the story when the street punk kids stole his board sign and even hit his face with it. The kids regarded him as weak, as they said, “Kick this asshole! C’mon, he’s weak.” while beating him (Phillips,

2019), as a result of other characters' reactions, it exposes how people see him as a person. (Boggs & Petrie, 2010, pp. 52- 53). Arthur was also violently beaten, yet he did not seem to mind. As evidenced by the following dialogue between him and his co-worker, Randall.

RANDALL. I heard about the beat down you took. Fucking savages. ARTHUR. It was just a bunch of kids. I should have left it alone. (Phillips, 2019)

Figure 8. Arthur tries to hold his outrage response In addition, Arthur’s same attitude was shown when he was being humiliated by his skeptical boss about the board sign incident and scolding him for losing it and taking the cost of it out of his salary. He only gave a strange response, that his smile

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became wider and more strained, holding it as if he was forcing himself to do so

(Figure 8). The slow movement close-up is also used for pointing to his detained emotion in the scene (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 143).

Knowing that Arthur was attacked by street punk kids, he tried to sympathize with Arthur by handing him a gun as a means of protection. While performing a clown performance for children at a children's hospital, he accidentally dropped the gun, leading his boss to fire him. Apparently, it turned out that Randall lied to their boss about Arthur got the gun by himself in order to stay out of trouble. Arthur begged for another opportunity, but unfortunately, his boss refused. The close-up shot of him smashing his head against the phone booth window after being fired by his boss, depicting his struggle to break out of his increasingly restrictive life. It was somehow a foreshadowing of an upcoming madness.

However, the gun seems to only contribute to Arthur's instability later on.

After being fired, still in full clown costume, he managed to go back home.

Eventually, he witnesses three drunk Wayne Enterprises businessmen begin harassing a woman on the subway train. Since Arthur’s uncontrollable laughter was an overflow or a form of reactive defense, he started to laugh uncontrollably because of feeling uncomfortable. Thus, it was not a result of Arthur’s intention to unsettle others. Besides, he was actually frustrated at himself whenever his condition caused him to laugh uncontrollably in public.

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Figure 9. Arthur’s deliberate killing of the last man

Figure 10. Arthur is shocked

Drawing their attention, the three men began to intimidate him and even beat him.

In self-defense, Arthur drew out his gun and shot two of them dead. However, during his third killing, Arthur was not impulsive or acting in a defensive manner but unconsciously deliberate. The figure above showed the use of low-key lighting that enhances the suspenseful atmosphere (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 112 ;

Figure 9), and the cinematography technique of low-angle and close-up shot depict his action where he looked down at his last subway victim, making him more powerful (Figure 10). The backlighting is used over his head, which also gave him a dramatic look, portraying his sense of guilt and shock (p. 108). Besides, this is also part of a broader pattern, leading him on the path to embrace murderer identity which it also signified from the yellow tone (Braam, 2020).

Arthur's breaking point came when he discovered that his mother, Penny

Fleck, had been caught lying to him. He unintentionally opened her letter to Thomas

Wayne, in which she claimed Arthur was her and Thomas's son. It disturbed Arthur,

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and he became upset with his mother as a consequence. At one point, Arthur pursued Thomas Wayne and confronted him about the possibility that he was his father. He strongly rejected being Arthur's father, telling him that Arthur was adopted by Penny and that she was crazy, which Arthur flatly denied before laughing uncontrollably in Thomas' face. Unaware of his condition, Thomas became upset and punched him in the face. In the scene, the restroom is filled with yellow lighting, which represents Arthur’s emotional strength that he wished he found his father figure, but it may also signify his anxiety as well (Braam, 2020).

Figure 11. Arthur is confronting with Thomas Wayne The last thing that made him become very disturbed was when Murray showed a clip of Arthur's stand-up at Pogo’s club, making fun of his inability to tell a joke. He realized that Murray was indirectly mocking him. The scene uses a hard lighting along with a blue color to accentuate Arthur's tension and annoyance

(Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 107 ; Braam, 2020). It is also shot at a low angle, which it can also convey that he experienced a humiliation and he was holding his feeling of anger (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 141).

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Figure 12. Arthur realizes that Murray is making fun of him b. Depressed

Depression can be seen as “a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary). Arthur struggles to achieve a sense of intrinsic happiness and seems unable to activate pleasurable feelings within himself since he was living in an abusive or uncaring relationship, prolonged work stress, and never received proper treatment. It is shown from the dialogue below with his therapist.

ARTHUR. All I have are negative thoughts. But you don't listen anyway. I said, "for my whole life I didn't know if I even really existed." SOCIAL WORKER. The city's cut funding across the board. Social services is part of that. This is the last time we'll be meeting. ARTHUR. Okay. SOCIAL WORKER. They don't give a shit about people like you, Arthur. And, they really don't really give a shit about people like me either. (Phillips, 2019)

It was even reflected in his Joker make-up, where the blue diamond over his left eye is running slightly, resembling a teardrop. He always tried to repress his negative thoughts about the unfair life due to the negative response from his surroundings, which became his form of repression, so that it created the tension between the demands of reality and moralistic pressure, thus causing depression.

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Even when Arthur was doing his make-up also showed that his internal action seemed to represent his feeling (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 52). The scene is supported by the close-up as a reaction shot, focusing on Arthur’s sorrow (Figure

13). He stopped with the make-up pen in his mouth and started using his own mouth. Then he tried to rip his lips to create a huge clown smile that he used his fingers to widen in an increasingly strange face, until apparently applying so much painful force with tears.

Figure 13. Arthur forces to smile

In addition, his appearance also reveals that Arthur embodies the characteristics of a depressed person (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 50). He usually walked in a weird way, that his body slightly bent down, slant, and was always put on a rather gloomy or scary face.

As time goes on, it becomes clear that Penny is neither a support system nor a guardian for Arthur. She is the final component of his transformation from Arthur to Joker, and she is the core reason for his descent into madness. He finally found out that Thomas was telling the truth. His mother had been consigned to Arkham

State Hospital, according to medical records. Arthur discovered the terrible truth that he had been adopted as a child and horribly abused, which had affected his entire life. The files stated that she endured delusion and manifested narcissistic behavior. As it is explained before, that she embodied with fantasies of ideal love,

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lack of empathy, arrogance and emotional instability. After finding out what happened to his past life, he returned home and tormented himself by locking himself in the fridge.

Several failures and terrible events occurred in rapid sequence. Such as he lost his job, his therapist, and his treatment access, and even his mother, that seemed to be the most important person for Arthur. He then realized that his relationship with Sophie was merely a fantasy, and in the end, those things induced him to lose sanity. c. Vengeful

Arthur then shifts to outrage, which appears to be the result of severe humiliation. Despite the fact that he knew he should not have it, Arthur's self- esteem improved when he got his hands on the gun. He started to defend himself and eventually, killing people with the gun. The gun was shown to be a property representation of power (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 103).

Acknowledging that he started to have power, Arthur evolved into a new individual over time. He came about to have the ability to express his thoughts freely. As seen in the following dialogue, he confidently and sarcastically suspected

Randall for the reason he got fired.

GARRY. Hey Arthur. I heard what happened. Sorry mate RANDALL. Yeah. It doesn’t seem fair, getting fired like that. HAHA’S CLOWN 1. Did you really bring a gun to the children’s hospital, Artie? What the fuck would you do that for? HAHA’S CLOWN 2. Is that part of your new act, Arthur? If your dancing doesn’t do the trick, you’re gonna shoot yourself. ARTHUR. Why don’t you ask Randall about it? It was his gun. RANDALL. What? ARTHUR. I still owe you for that, don’t I (Phillips, 2019)

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His new freedom is indicated by using a high-key lighting when he was kicking the company door, and the bright sunshine came through (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 111 ; Figure 14). While the long-shot also exposes the yellow sign that says

“Don’t forget to smile,” which the word “forget” is crossed out by Arthur, creating a sense of paradox (p. 143).

Figure 14. Arthur left and kicking the HaHa Company door

The dialogue below shows that Arthur decided to kill Penny in her bed with her pillow after expressing his morbid thoughts since he was deeply frustrated by the revelation of his past.

PENNY. H-h-happ-- ARTHUR. Happy?! I'm not happy. I haven’t been happy for one minute of my entire fucking life. But you know what's funny? You know what really makes me laugh? I used to think my life was nothing but a tragedy, but now, now I realize it's all just a fucking comedy. (Phillips, 2019)

He felt as if he had been betrayed by his mother throughout his life due to his inability to recall his past because of losing his childhood memory, resulted from the brain injury. Also, a frontal lighting from the sunlight in the scene that coming through the window, basks him after he killed Penny, which represents his fulfilment (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 108). The color of his costume also indicates something according to mise en scene element, that his inner red suit

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works as murder warning and yellow jacket may signify his losing temper (Berens,

2014).

Figure 15. Arthur feels relieved after killed Penny

Furthermore, once Arthur murders the men on the subway, the image of the

"clown" becomes a symbol of a Gotham class uprising.

ARTHUR. Nobody's civil anymore. Nobody thinks what it's like to be the other guy. You think men like Thomas Wayne ever think what it's like to be a guy like me? (Phillips, 2019)

The oppressed started to wear clown masks and taking to the streets to riot. He went on a major motive rage, accusing the people of Gotham for their mistreatment of him and their inability to comprehend to be “being different.”

Later, Arthur’s appearance on the Murray Franklin Show was filled with uncomfortable tension. He awkwardly told Murray a joke that he considered hilarious because of its dark humor. He was only talking about tragic and vile things he found funny. He even confessed to the subway murders along the way, which later ensued a heated argument between them, as seen from the following dialogue.

JOKER. Comedy is subjective. All of you, the system that knows so much, you decide what's right or wrong. What's real or what's made up. The same way you decide what's funny or not. I killed those guys because they were awful. Everybody's awful these days. It's enough to make anyone crazy. MURRAY FRANKLIN. So that's your defense for killing three young men? Because they were mean to you?

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JOKER. Have you seen what it's like out there, Murray? Everybody just yells and screams at each other. Nobody's civil anymore. Nobody thinks what it's like to be the other guy. MURRAY FRANKLIN. So much self-pity, Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing three young men. Not everybody's awful. JOKER. You're awful, Murray. Playing my video, inviting me on the show. You just wanted to make fun of me. You're just like the rest of them, Murray. MURRAY FRANKLIN. You don't know the first thing about me, pal. Look what happened because of what you did, what it led to. There are riots out there. Two policemen are in critical condition, someone was killed today. JOKER. What do you get when you cross a mentally-ill loner with a system that abandons him and treats him like trash? I'll tell you what you get. You get what you fucking deserve. (Phillips, 2019)

Also, later he finally got his laughter as healing. He repeatedly laughed out loud at generally morbid and terrible things that only made others uncomfortable, that he was not joking, and the studio was being haunted by the rising tension.

He finally reached his breaking point and leading him to gain power by evolving into a demented psycho killer and a vengeful hero. He then alternated between a sense of moral and violence. He killed those who mistreated and wronged him, but as he descended even further into madness, his actions grew chaotic. As a result, he decided to adopt a new identity, which he wanted to be called as Joker.

At last, the name “Joker” works as a connotation and reflects his traits in an ironic sense (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 54).

Moreover, Arthur's last outfit seems to have a significant effect on his new identity. Such as wearing his old clown persona make-up, his wig replaced with his own hair dyed green. Also, his look was complemented by the symbolism of a red suit and a yellow vest that boosted his energy and self-esteem in the scene (Braam,

2020).

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Figure 16. Arthur enters Murray Franklin Show stage

His external action indicated that he had accepted his fate, embraced the power that comes with being different, and found healing through recognition. It can be shown when he entered the stage on the show. Arthur danced cheerily onto the stage when

Murray introduced him, no longer nervous but charismatic. The similar attitude can also be seen when Arthur got off the subway after successfully escaping the detectives, where he was walking boldly, along with the slow-motion close-up as if underlying his confidence (p. 143).

B. The Manifestation of Arthur’s Instincts

The researcher identified that Arthur has some forms of either life or death instinct. His behaviors are driven by his instincts which are initiated by his id, ego, and superego. His life instinct shows that he has a desire for belonging and sex, and also he simply strives to preserve a harmonious life. Furthermore, his death instinct is realized as he begins to harm himself and even others. Here, the researcher also examined how Arthur’s characteristics move in relation to his instincts.

1. Life Instinct (Eros) a. Belonging Desire

Humans have an instinctual need to belong for the purpose of sustaining their satisfaction, happiness, and even longevity in order to survive. Thus, Eros ensures the survival of individuals by establishing the unity tendency (Freud, 1960, p. 44).

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There are several Eros forms of Arthur showing that his unconscious craved for emotional support and a family warmth he never had, especially a father figure. It is shown from his fantasy by being the center of attention on Murray Franklin Show.

His imaginary engagement with Murray provided him feeling fulfilled. Moreover,

Arthur’s affectionate nature may stimulated how he would act towards Murray in his fantasy. It is evidenced from the figure below, that he imagined hugging Murray.

The heart-warming moment is depicted through a close-up technique, emphasizing

Arthur’s deep emotion (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 143).

Figure 17. Arthur fantasizes about hugging Murray

ARTHUR. I know what that's like, Murray. I've been the man of the house for as long as I can remember. I take good care of my mother.” MURRAY FRANKLIN. You see all this, the lights, the show, the love of the audience, I'd give it all up in a heartbeat to have a son like you. (Phillips, 2019)

According to Freud’s psychoanalysis, dream or fantasy fulfill the desire in a distorted way (Freud, 1960, p. 26). Hence, his unconscious somehow found alternatives since his desires could not be fulfilled in real life. His fantasy reflected his desire in life, to be an important figure in a family and being appreciated, as he described his meaningful connection with his mother.

In addition, Arthur’s longing for a father figure also got fixated on Thomas

Wayne, due to his discovery of Penny’s letter.

THOMAS WAYNE. Can I help you, pal?

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ARTHUR. What? Yeah. No I, I.. THOMAS WAYNE. You need to get in here or something? ARTHUR. Dad. It's me. THOMAS WAYNE. Excuse me? ARTHUR. My name is Arthur. I'm Penny's son. I, I know everything. And I don't want anything from you. Well... maybe a hug, Dad. THOMAS WAYNE. Jesus. You're the guy who came by my house yesterday. Look pal, I'm not your father. What's wrong with you? You were adopted. And I never slept with your mother. (Phillips, 2019)

He came to believe that Thomas Wayne was his biological father. After some attempts to pursue Thomas Wayne, he finally made direct contact with him in a public theatre. Arthur seemed to need nothing from him but warmth, as it is evidenced from the dialogue above. His eagerness to look for either his biological father or merely just a father figure might be triggered by the abandonment he endured even since his childhood. Hence, it motivated him to seek for a sense of belonging and being appreciated as a kind of devoted child who had been sincerely and affectionately taking care of his mother. b. Sexual Desire

Arthur’s relationship with Sophie was also fantasy. Their relationship was fabricated entirely in Arthur’s mind, indicating his need to satisfy his desire of love, compassion, and sexual activities. His manifestation of Sophie as his girlfriend is a product of his overactive imagination, along with his desperate need to be loved. In the same manner, he certainly wanted to dedicate his loving acts or affection to a lover.

Sophie's attitude towards him was completely under his fantastical control.

Sophie appeared to be the only person who was entertained by his jokes when he performed stand-up comedy. When they later spotted a newspaper article about the

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murderous clown vigilante, he even fantasized her praised the clown killer as a hero, and then they went on a romantic date.

SOPHIE. I think the guy who did it is a hero. Three less pricks in Gotham City. Wohoo! Only a million more to go. (Phillips, 2019)

Arthur even once fantasized about him pushing through Sophie’s apartment door and kissed her on the lips aggressively. Sophie seemed to provide him the encouragement he needed to keep living his life regardless of the difficulties and neurological situation he endured.

Since the instinctual life drives the id to seek immediate satisfaction of desires, however, it can generate the aggressive manner as well. Arthur’s tension was increased since he could not simply satisfy his sexual desires. Thus, it must be released in some way. His imaginative attitude inspired him to project a mental image of his desired subject to replace his urges, relieving his tension and anxiety

(Siegfried, 2014). It is evidenced from the disturbing passages and torn-out pages of pornographic magazines found in his daily journal.

Figure 18. The disturbing contents from Arthur’s daily journal.

The use of close-up shots tightly depicts the detailed contents of the journal for conveying Arthur’s state of mind about the sadism of the sexual instinct.

(Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 144). Moreover, the hard lighting is used because

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“it creates deep and definitive shadows on the subject so that it draws attention to a specific part or the subject itself.” (p. 107). c. Self-Preservation

His life instinct persistently pushes him to be productive and live his life in a proper way. As it is said that Eros is not merely its ability to form attachments that keep people in social relations, “but its role in the creation of the greatest achievements of the human intellect and inspiration,” (Kli, 2018, p. 70). His choice of work as a clown and dreaming of being a stand-up comedian proved that he had the insight to come across to others as well as developing his ability, where he wanted to make others happy with his humor. His dream was made even more stimulating by his mother's insistence that he was meant to bring joy and laughter to others. Although it must be difficult and even impossible for him to achieve it, but he was excessively optimistic that he would be able to make it. It can be seen in his fantasy that he was surrounded by an adoring and friendly audience after successfully impressed everyone with his words.

Figure 19. Arthur is being the center of attention

Based on the film-making technique, the passionate look of Arthur in the scene is emphasized with the low-angle shot (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 140), and the hard lighting provides a high contrast which gives him a bold look (p.107). The

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scene is also illuminated with blue which represents the peaceful and touching atmosphere (Berens, 2014, p. 12).

Arthur's optimism to live his life in accordance with social interactions was momentarily strong enough, which made him able to overcome all of the oppression and obstacles. He passionately maintained his existence as “the other” by following behavioral prescriptions in order to gain acceptance. For example, he was regularly taking his medicine and therapy.

SOCIAL WORKER. Arthur, you're on seven different medications. Surely they must be doing something. ARTHUR. I just don’t want to feel bad anymore. (Phillips, 2019, pp. 1 - 4)

Additionally, he believed that he should carry the scale of social or ethical values with him wherever he went. Thus, he never acted in outrage due to the mistreatment of Gotham’s ruthless society. Also, he attempted to live up to others' expectations that he should be able to suppress his mental illness as he wrote, “The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't.” (Phillips,

2019), but it left him feeling confused. He gradually pushed into a state where he doubted his existence and even lost his identity.

Although Arthur had to deal with excessive disturbances, his life instinct encouraged him to engage in a tension-reducing attitude, which can be experienced as pleasure. It can be seen when Randall offered him a handgun for protection.

RANDALL. I heard about the beat down you took. Fucking savages. ARTHUR. It was just a bunch of kids. I should have left it alone. RANDALL. Take it. You gotta protect yourself out there. Or you're gonna get fucked. ARTHUR. I’m not supposed to have a gun. (Phillips, 2019)

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He was hesitant to take it, knowing that gun possession can potentially put him in big trouble. Although in the end, he agreed to keep the gun for self-protection. In addition, his reaction towards the street kids’ bullying also indicated that he tried to brush away a violent attack by not retaliating. His tendency to reduce tension may be associated with his sincere nature that encouraged him to maintain his sympathy and empathy to others.

Indeed, Arthur may be perceived as a loner, but it seemed that his emotional boundaries still required a certain degree of connection with other human beings. It motivated him to embrace the sincerity and affection in order for him to establish a sense of harmony in a relationship with others. Therefore, his sincerity and affection correlated with the life instinct to obtain a peaceful life, avoiding potential dangers and optimizing survival chances.

2. Death Instinct (Thanatos) a. Self-Destruction

Things take a turn for Arthur. There are significant changes in his behavior that align with his confusion and disturbances that made him fail to repress his aggressive instincts, initiated by id. Thus, his destructive manner begins to take shape. His death instinct appears as a result of the declined repression of the instinctual urges, which led him to endure extreme anxiety and depression. It can be seen from his internal action, like his unspoken thoughts about dark opinion, which he considered as a joke (Boggs & Petrie, 2011, p. 52).

ARTHUR. I hope my death will make more cents than my life. (Phillips, 2019)

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He had continuously undergone the abandonment of several possibilities of satisfaction. Such as gaining his sexual desires of a lover and a sense of family belonging, and even realizing his outrage response. Then, his sense of constant unpleasurable feelings eventually activated his death instinct, that he generated his desire to return to the inorganic state, which Freud also stated that “the aim of life is death,” (Freud, 1960, p. 32).

His feeling of disturbed and depressed motivated the death instinct and then manifested in self-destructive behavior. His external action frequently showed that he tried to torment himself as the expression of his negative emotion. After being fired by his boss, he cracked the window of the phone booth with his head.

Moreover, a strong emotional expression of Arthur is established through the use of a close-up shot from cinematography technique (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 144).

Figure 20. Arthur bangs his head after being fired

Figure 21. Arthur attempts to suicide

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Also, overwhelmed by disappointment, after knowing that he had been adopted and abused as a child, he attempted to lock himself inside the refrigerator, wishing that he would suffocate. The mise en scene element by using yellow color from the outside may signify the destructive pathway, which he seems about to confront the depressive life from the blue color that shrouded the inside room (Braam, 2020).

Those actions represented his struggle to break out of his increasingly restrictive life. b. Aggressive Tendencies

Arthur gradually begins to connect the feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction with violence and revenge, which marks the becoming of Joker. It can be seen from his external action when Arthur killed the last man from Wayne Enterprises earlier in the subway. Arthur was not impulsive or acting in a defensive manner. His ego fails to hold back the demands of the destructive id. Hence, he was deliberate and confident when he shot the man. It seemed that his inner despair and the fear of becoming a victim of serious bodily harm forced him to fight back, however, he ended up with outright murder.

Afterwards, Arthur hid in a public restroom after fleeing the crime on the subway, temporarily overwhelmed by the connection between rejection of the aggressive ego and consciousness of guilt for the murder he had done. As Freud stated, “The tension between the demands of conscience and the actual performances of the ego is experienced as a sense of guilt.” (Freud, 1960, p. 33).

However, there was a transcendent moment, that his anxiety was completely turned into serenity and a form of relief. The low-key lighting (Pramaggiore & Wallis,

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2008, p. 112), and also the combination of green-blue and yellow colors represents

Arthur's release from tension, regaining his inner serenity in accompanying his haunted dance, while also creating a disturbing atmosphere (Berens, 2014, p. 28-

29).

Figure 22. Arthur is doing his haunted dance

When Thanatos is directed outward onto others, it becomes aggression and violence. His cases of abuse and trauma influenced his later attitude towards others.

It led him to become unsympathetic to anyone other than himself, and was motivated by the destructive urge to take revenge on everyone who had humiliated him, regardless of the consequences. Therefore, disappointed by betrayal, it caused

Arthur to kill his mother, whom he considered to be the only person he lived with, as well as Randall. The use of a medium close-up shot portrays Arthur’s expression, that he looked very furious when killing them, and then satisfied in the end. At the same time, it also depicts the red color from the blood that symbolizes Arthur’s aggression and indicates the murder itself. (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 143 ;

Berens, 2014, p. 23).

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Figure 23. Arthur’s tranquility expression

When he was on Murray's show, the Thanatos was so controlling that he openly expressed his wishes of destruction and his hatred towards Gotham's society.

It is proven from the dialogue below.

ARTHUR. I got nothing left to lose, Murray. Nothing can hurt me anymore. This is my fate, my life is nothing but a comedy. Nobody's civil anymore. Nobody thinks what it's like to be the other guy. They think we'll all just sit there and take it like good little boys. That we won't go wild. Well, this is for all of you out there. MURRAY FRANKLIN. So much self-pity, Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing three young men. Not everybody's awful. ARTHUR. What do you get when you cross a mentally-ill loner with a system that abandons him and treats him like trash? I'll tell you what you get. You get what you fucking deserve. (Phillips, 2019, pp. 111- 113)

Moreover, even though he had a mental illness, he could still operate the law within his life. However, his moral decision ultimately justified his violent murder, as he considered society was more threatening than him. The more he acknowledged to what extent he could control his aggressiveness, the stronger his tendency to act aggressively against his ego. According to Freud, “the excessively strong superego which has obtained a hold upon consciousness rages against the ego with merciless violence,” (Freud, 1960, p. 54).

Further, it seems that the weapon that Randall gave to Arthur represents a physical manifestation of his deeply cherished desire, a symbol of his id to command others’ attention. He was impressed by his gun and the idea that it could

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bring him the devotion he craved. Hence, the gun significantly contributed to the aggressive tendency throughout Arthur’s revenge.

C. The Death Instinct Took Over Arthur’s Life

As it can be seen, Arthur’s personality changes throughout the story. He actually tried to operate a harmonious life and maintain positive energy in his life by giving affection and being sincere towards others. Without being driven by the aggressive id that could cause damage to others, he managed to cope with them. It seemed that the superego still worked on high gear to suppress the id from manifesting its insanity outbreak. Arthur's survival instincts influenced his behaviors and attitudes during his struggles. However, the surroundings still did not help.

The dialogue below could have been his confession, or possibly a vague plea for help, as he gradually discovered a sense of purpose that he was anxious of.

ARTHUR. You don't listen, do you? I don't think you ever really hear me. You just ask the same questions every week. "How's your job?" "Are you having any negative thoughts?" All I have are negative thoughts. But you don't listen anyway. I said, for my whole life I didn't know if I even really existed. But I do. And people are starting to notice even I didn’t know if I really existed. (Phillips, 2019)

Unfortunately, the social worker or psychiatrist seemed to be more concerned with a set of structured or systematic steps than with Arthur's immediate mental health needs. If Arthur's surroundings were responsive and properly handled his condition, it might prevent him from getting involved in violence later. Certainly, the contribution of the support system, especially in a form of compassion and understanding, is very important to stimulate the superego as a defense against

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aggression. As Klein stated, “if the caretaker was capable of providing good enough care, love was able to balance hate and destructiveness” (Klein as cited in Sedlak,

2019, p. 39).

He then experienced more loneliness and anxiety because of lacking love and affection. He also had no social support and even relationship satisfaction. Those caused his mind to remain in a state of sustained turbulence and ended up in depression. The dialogues below show that Arthur just wanted to be treated well and loved by anyone as he acknowledged that he got no one to count on.

ARTHUR. I don’t know why everyone is so rude. I don’t want anything. Maybe a little warm. How about just a little fucking decency? What is it with you people? (Phillips, 2019)

Then, Arthur’s extreme confusion and depression eventually triggered Arthur’s desire to fulfill his death wish, thinking that “wisdom can only be attained when the soul is separated from the body” (Clemente, 2020, p. 45).

Moreover, the revelation at the Arkham State Hospital becomes the tipping moment of awakening. The truth that he was adopted and tortured by his narcissistic mother, causing his laughing condition, seemed to be the worst thing for his life and consequently broke his sanity even more. It is shown from the figure below, the scene was intensified with the moment when Arthur was taken into the flashback where his mother's case history was revealed. The medium shot is used for adding the information that happened rather than emotion (Pramaggiore &

Wallis, 2008, p. 143). Additionally, the use of the hard lighting gives more focus on Arthur’s presence and his accusatory expression to dramatize the illustration (p.

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107). The room seems filled with a blue tone that symbolizes Arthur’s depressed state (Braam, 2020).

Figure 24. The flashback scene of Penny’s case

DR. STONER. Penny, your son was found tied to a radiator in your filthy apartment, malnourished, with multiple bruises across his body and severe trauma to his head. YOUNG PENNY. I never heard him crying. Not once. He's always been such a happy little boy. (Phillips, 2019)

In fact, “A history of childhood trauma or abuse increases vulnerability to both depression and violent behaviour.” (Krakowski, Nolan, 2017). Hence, after knowing the truth, his entire life was thrown into disarray, which only increased his sense of anger. Freud stated that childhood traumatic experiences did not seem to be traumatic at the time, but that would be a delayed reaction instead. Later on, “it would set off a series of recollections in the child’s mind, and this delayed recognition would become a pathogenic or poisonous idea that would cause hysterical symptoms later in life” (Thurschwell, 2009, p. 22)

Hence, Arthur’s repressed traumatic experiences motivated him to have the tendency to repeat the repressed material as a recent experience rather than remembering it as something belonging to his past. It indicated that his constant restrictions imposed by Eros converting his id into aggression, led him to

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externalize his despair and took it out on his mother and also people who wronged him.

Therefore, the fact about the revelation that Arthur was an adopted child and also tortured by her mother’s boyfriend, and leading him to endure traumatic brain injury, made the death instinct become much more powerful than before. It is because his repressed traumatic experiences are converted into a kind of motive or become the stimulus for him to realize the aggressive inclination. Then, Arthur tended to release his depression and anxiety rather than coping with repression.

Finally, his impulsive urges actively rather than passively played, as shown earlier in the film. Moreover, this caused him to act abruptly, sometimes intentionally. In the end, he refused to conform to societal pressures of who he should be and how he should seem and act.

In the world around him, violence became the way he gained attention. Since

Arthur's descent into Joker persona was enhanced by the Gotham resistance to the elites, which encouraged him to embark on violence. Therefore, he decided to side with his destructive instincts, and his narrative justified his violence.

Figure 25. Arthur’s triumphant gesture

In the last scene, the use of medium close-up (Pramaggiore & Wallis, 2008, p. 144) portrays him as surrounded and hailed by a large crowd of the oppressed, many of whom were wearing clown masks. In addition, the hard lighting is used for drawing

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attention to Arthur with his outstretched arms, which represents his pride (p. 144).

His dream came true, that he then fully embraced Joker persona.

Fundamentally, both the life and death instincts tend to be dynamic, but it cannot be denied that they are often conflicting with each other and “The id is the main “field” on which the battle between the Death drive and Eros is fought,”

(Freud from Kli, 2018, p. 72). Hence, the correlation between superego and ego basically serves to restrain a person's aggressive tendencies, which come from the destructive id. Arthur was disturbed by his traumas, the void of compassion, and also by a failing system. As a result of the piled conflicts he endured, he was continually confronted with unpleasant feelings, culminating in repression.

In the end, he could not bear his restrained aggression any longer and then he began to internalize it to himself, which somehow led him to want to do self-harm and even suicide. However, under the influence of anger and desire for revenge, it can also be externalized to others so that he committed murder (Freud from Kli,

2018, p. 75). It leads Eros to be eliminated through the process of impulsive satisfaction, giving the death instinct full reign to carry out its aims.

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

Arthur Fleck is the main character of Joker, which is known for its controversy in justifying violence. However, the researcher found that the film only tries to offer people an insight about how a criminal's mentality is developed. Arthur portrays a melancholic clown, and a mentally ill man who desperately wants to be a prominent figure in making the world a better place. Nevertheless, he cannot escape the despair of his mind and ends up going mad.

The researcher found that Arthur embodies eight characteristics divided into two sequences, as his character develops throughout the story. In the beginning, he is depicted as sincere and affectionate, imaginative, confused, abandoned, and overly optimistic for gaining recognition from others. As the story goes on, he becomes disturbed, depressed, and vengeful, marking the upcoming Joker. His characteristics are revealed from various aspects such as appearance, actions, dialogues, and even reactions of others. Additionally, the use of mise en scène and cinematography elements enhance the artistic unity of the story’s significance.

Arthur's journey is profoundly affected by the setting of Gotham City and its apathetic citizens. Moreover, the choice of color and lighting becomes prominent to intensify the gloomy nuance.

Arthur’s behavior and traits are affected by his id, ego, and superego, in which those three agents contribute to the work of life and death instincts within him. His sincerity and affection are seen through his tenderness for his mother and also towards kids, as well as his sense of sympathy and empathy for others. Then, he is

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an imaginative man who often fantasizes about his societal appeal, and desires for love and father figure. Those traits are motivated by the life instinct, rooted in the demands of the id, that he tries to preserve a harmonious life. Further, all those serve as a mechanism for him to reduce and distract the tension that is often caused by the constant abusive treatment of society.

His life instinct also drives him to make several attempts in order to get better and conform with society since he acknowledges his illness. However, instead of focusing on curing his condition, he forces himself to hide it due to society's demands, thus leaving him confused. Moreover, it is worsened by the fact that he is a very lonely individual whose only companion is his delusional and narcissistic mother. He has to endure parental and societal abandonment that he has no one who can genuinely care for him with such a condition. On the other hand, his excessive optimism allows him to never stop trying to be productive and live his life properly, and also to gain recognition from everyone. Later, it ultimately drives him to justify all means once he is drawn into extreme discontent. His repression finally merges into the impulsive id and resists sharply against the ego.

As it can be seen, the ego becomes the actual seat of anxiety as a reaction to external danger and as an internal process, leading the two instincts to begin to conflict with each other. As the story goes on, Arthur then can no longer bear his anxiety and appears as a disturbed man. Furthermore, he reaches the point of depression due to many failures and terrible events that happened in a rapid sequence. Since he cannot stand his feeling of being disturbed and depressed, he decides to manifest his aggression, establishing his death instinct. It is found that

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there is a notable increase in Arthur's unconscious, which indirectly impacted his consciousness. Arthur is unconsciously able to detect the intense guilt that existed before the crime, and however, it converts into a motive.

The resistance of the conscious and unconscious ego is driven by the pleasure principle, which seeks to avoid the unpleasurable feeling that would result from the release of the repressed. Arthur is not a completely terrible and downright evil person or at least did not start that way. He starts as a confused and disturbed but well-intentioned man, who has just ended up in a ruthless world, which drives him to drown in madness. It leads him to commit self-destruction and even externalizes the destruction to others. He changes from being a vulnerable and helpless man to one who is a very cruel and cold-blooded murderer. Nevertheless, he is absolutely the victim of abuse and neglect, and thus Joker persona is born.

The tension between Arthur's Eros and Thanatos is determined by a motivational force of their own, as well as a specific mechanism of action. After all, it is undeniable that he does not get proper treatment and assistance from his surroundings. Then, it is worsened by his traumatic childhood, which seems to be the significant stimulus for aggressive tendencies. His childhood trauma is no longer a repressed traumatic memory. Arthur's attitude proves that it is actually a delayed childhood reaction, which is finally manifested in later life. Therefore, it contributes to the failure of the superego and ego to establish the idealistic aims, losing restraint over impulsive id so that his Thanatos becomes dominant.

Finally, this study is expected to contribute valuable insight into the psychoanalysis field. Since Joker provides a relevant topic for common issues, thus

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it provokes a comprehensive discussion by presenting real-life violence into the cinema besides its controversy as mentioned earlier. It emphasizes mostly on the causal effect of trauma and also the lack of love and compassion in the world. The study shows how powerful the effect of the human subconscious, which is overly suppressed by unpleasant feelings, can change a person to an uncertain degree. In addition, it brings up societal issues in contemporary society about how human beings should treat others well, especially people with special needs.

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