Rituals and Stereotypes

What theories seem to apply to your pop culture topic?

In the Knightfall series, there are several examples of rituals.  One such example that is prominent throughout the series is the ritual of how the enemy is subdued.  Batman is notorious for his lack of lethal action, and this story line is no different.  In cases that his enemy is in a deadly situation, he will do his best to save the life of that person, even though that person was attempting to kill him not too long before this.  This could also maybe be a stereotype that has been placed upon Batman.  At one point, another person has to take over as Batman, and he allows someone to die.  This action, or lack thereof, leads people to believe that the Batman they see, is not the real Batman.

How do these theories describe, analyze or evaluate the topic you selected?

These rituals or stereotypes really demonstrate how Batman operates in all of his stories.  Because of the stereotype of not killing his enemies, it was a definite shock when Batman’s replacement allows someone to die.

What insights do you gain from applying these theories?

By searching for rituals and stereotypes, I can see how these aspects can create the character.  This can be extended into the real world.  We often have a negative connotation when it comes to stereotypes, but that is not always the case.  Sometimes a positive stereotype can give a person something to strive for, some sort of goal that the individual can achieve.  Rituals can also be important, in that they can remind a person of the meaning of something that goes beyond the action itself.  This can be seen during a Thanksgiving dinner, where the meaning of the dinner is far more important than the actual dinner itself.  In the case of the Knightfall series, Batman has the ritual of subduing the enemy without lethal force, this ritual is very important to him because of the reason he became Batman after the murder of his parents.