The Philosophy of Batman 1- Aaron Wallace

     The story of Batman is one that almost everyone has heard of.  But the question still remains, does

everyone understand the deeper side to the story.  Does Batman really seek revenge on his parents or is it

vengeance on Gotham cities crime to protect others from going through what he did as a child?  What is

the true meaning behind the bat that is displayed on everything Batman stands for and uses? Lastly, does

his role in the ending of the Dark Knight: The Movie, taking the blame for killing Harvey Dent even

though he didn't, serve as an underlying way for the author to show us that he takes the blame for the

death of his parents?

So does Bruce Wayne use Batman as a way to seek revenge on his parents?  I think the simple answer 

would be to say no.  But why? Well, we see that one of Batman's biggest rules when fighting crime is 

that he will never kill an enemy.  Even after everything the Joker has done to Gotham City, when 

Batman has the chance to finally kill him in the famous movie, The Dark Knight, he chooses not to 

simply because if he did, he believes he would be no different than the person who killed his own 

parents.  It is hard to say why Batman chooses to pursue vengeance and not revenge because they, for 

the most part, have the same meaning.  However, if we dig deeper into the matter, we find that there is 

somewhat of a difference between the two.  We can agree that Vengeance is giving someone what they 

deserve and Revenge is the act of seeking out to get payback on something.  Very similar but the key 

is that one is a noun and one is a verb.  Batman serves vengeance against those who need it but does 

not plan his attacks without reason.  Revenge would be a planning of action against someone who has 

wronged him personally.  This is why Batman sticks with vengeance instead of revenge against 

criminals.