Russell's Teapot issue 4

The Joker: A diagnosis for an evil clown
‘The Joker’ film follows Arthur Fleck, a
fictional character, living with a mental
illness. The film details his thoughts and
feelings as he turns into a serial killer - this
raises many questions into what caused
Arthur to turn into The Joker.
Arthur Fleck (The Joker) had many traumas,
starting in his early childhood. As
seen in the film, Arthur was physically
abused and assaulted on numerous occasions:
outside the music shop when he
got ‘jumped;’ on the subway by the three
young men; and the film mentions that
he was abused by his mother’s boyfriend
from an incredibly early age (being beaten
and chained to a radiator). However, this
was only his physical trauma. Sociologists
use the term ‘socialisation’ to describe the
process by which people learn about their
culture and is an essential process that
must take place in order for a society to
form. A strong source of socialisation for
most people is the surrounding family they
grow up with. For Arthur, his family at an
early age consisted of an adoptive mother,
Penny Fleck, who was hospitalised due to
her mental instability and unable to protect
Arthur from her abusive boyfriend.
This had a significant impact on Arthur’s
socialisation at an early age, which continued
as he got older. Arthur was psychologically
abused by his own mother. However,
she also shielded him from the nightmare
that was the world they lived in, which
gave him a reality distorted by fantasy.
His mother nicknamed him “Happy,” and
constantly told him he was “bought here
to bring joy and laughter to the world,”
further distorting his naive outlook on life.
The caring responsibility for his sick
mother, when she never properly cared for
him, and the way that he was illegally adopted
by his ‘mother,’ slowly drove him ‘crazy.’
Penny used this in her protection when she
claimed, “I never heard him [Arthur] crying,
he’s always been such a happy little boy,”
to defend herself from Social Services. His
mother also convinced Arthur that Thomas
Wayne (Batman’s dad) was his real father,
which caused him to confront Thomas
Wayne and get punched.
Arthur’s ‘insanity’ and his own mental disorder
led to numerous acts of violence, assault,
and murder. The first encounter we
had with ‘The Joker’ was during the scene on
the subway. After his mental disorder caused
him to burst out in uncontrollable laughter,
three young, drunk men thought it would
be funny to physically bully him. They began
to assault him, but he pulled a gun, and
these three “Wallstreet men” became his first
victims. This continued when he smothered
his own mother while she lay in hospital
after having a stroke, angry about the secrets
she had been hiding regarding Arthur’s real
father, and the fantasy she created for him.
The Joker’s character was created through
Arthur’s need to hide behind face paint and
a ‘fake smile.’ He was the embodiment of the
phrase ‘putting on a happy face.’
His job as a clown reflected his need to keep
others happy and smiling despite his own
life shattering into a spiral of depression.
He constantly refused help from his friends,
especially when his colleagues visited and
he murdered one and traumatised the other.
This was reported on the news, and the
media portrayed him as a riot-starter, which
only fuelled his narcissism. The riots erupted