Before we get started SPOILER ALERT! That’s out of the way. Also – I enjoyed the movie! This plants me in a clear miniority according to even the briefest of Google searches. Also, this is not a movie review. I am going to focus on a single aspect of the film, the courtroom testimony of Gary Puddles and the impact it had on Arthur Fleck.
“I didn’t hurt you, Gary.”
During the trial Arthur Fleck reclaims his Joker persona as he makes the decision to represent himself. When cross examining Gary he makes the claim that he never hurt Gary. Gary’s response is gut-wrenching and grounded. Gary articulates how terrified he was when witnessing Arthur murder Randall in Joker (2019). Terror became trauma as Gary couldn’t hold a job in the aftermath of what he witness. Panic attacks, depression, insomnia, and hopelessness became the core of Gary’s life. Gary, who already struggled with daily discrimination and degradation, now feels helpless. He lets Arthur know that he, above all else, is a cause of this feeling. Yes, Arthur, you hurt Gary in so many ways that you didn’t see.
What Arthur Knows
During his testimony Gary posits that no one can know how helpless he feels. Of course, Arthur knows damn well how helpless Gary feels.
During the courtroom proceedings we hear of the physical abuse Arthur suffered at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend. We also hear confirmation that Arthur’s mother sexually abused him. Arthur knows helpless. He knows isolation and worthlessness. He knows what it is to be abandoned and betrayed by the one who should protect you. Arthur knows pain. It is perhaps why he and Gary are friends – or at least friendly – through most of Joker (2019).
Arthur also knows rage. A rage he does not know what to do with. Perhaps he is afraid of it, so it remained suppressed for years. Unleashed, ultimately, in his grandiose vision of Joker. Once unleashed, like the spirits of Pandora’s Box, the vision moves unfettered through the world, interpreted by all around him. It is important, however, to note the recipients of this violent anger.
The Victims
Joker kills three men in the subway tunnels. They initially are harassing a woman before turning their attention to Author. He kills his mother. Randall, a man who mistreats and ridicules Arthur. Randall can be seen as representative of anyone who has mistreated Arthur over the years. Lastly, he kills Murray on his television show. This is the a killing of a fantasy father figure. All these murders are rage and/or revenge driven. Arthur is a deeply disturbed and destructive individual. He is also, however, something else.
Back to Court and Gary
Arthur kills bullies. He kills abusers. He kills those who represent oppression. It’s ultimately why he kills his connection with his Joker persona. Gary reveals that Joker is what Arthur disdains. This revelation brings Arthur to the understanding – and confession – that there is no Joker. Only Arthur, a man who handled his rage in the most destructive of ways.
The Things Beyond our Control
So much is beyond our control. I write these words but have no control of your reaction to them. Pandora opened the box, releasing forces beyond her control. Arthur Fleck claimed there was no Joker, but he doesn’t get to make that call. HE’S not Joker. The Joker persona, however, had already become an inspiration to others in Gotham. Included among the inspired is a true psychopath held within the wall of Arkham. A man disappointed by Arthur’s inability to embrace his grandiosity. This man ends Arthur’s story, but not Joker’s. I found this conclusion fascinating. As hope was the last thing to escape Pandora’s box I too hope to see more of this story.
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