Daredevil

Many movies exist that allude to specific aspects of today’s culture, and Daredevil is an excellent example of such media. Right at the beginning of the movie, the death of Matt Murdock’s father correlates to the situations that many individuals in the real world find themselves trapped in. Throughout the movie, viewers can easily note the repeated appearance of red roses, which symbolize death and the multiple facets upon which one can perceive it as. Another symbol that is plainly established is church and other Christ-related objects that the characters come in contact with during the story. This movie is supposed to be mainly an action film, but in it there are many implications that refer to real-world topics that can easily be related to. Although used as a simple dramatic entrance to the story, the death of “Battlin” Jack Murdock holds great meaning because it indicates a quite frustrating quality of society that seems to repeat itself throughout history. In almost any situation, when a single individual tries to go against an established system alone, he or she ultimately loses or ends up suffering like Jack does when he refuses to throw the boxing match for Kingpin. For that reason, in order to avoid hardship, most people just abide by the frame set up by the system, which just makes it harder for anyone to attempt to change anything. While this grievous fact holds true for one single person, it can be overcome when a group of people act in opposition of the system, and a good example of this is the religious group called the Lutherans who followed Martin Luther’s beliefs that conflicted with the popularly accepted Roman Catholic beliefs of the 1500’s. Just like how this group made an impact in the course of history, so can one person make a difference when he or she is not alone, and that’s the lesson that Murdock’s death teaches to the viewers of this film. A symbol that is presented frequently in Daredevil is a red rose, and since someone dies whenever it shows up, it can be interpreted as a symbol of death. Its first appearance occurs in the beginning of the movie when Kingpin leaves it on Matt’s father after he dies, and his death motivates Matt to bring the justice he would have wanted for his father to Hell’s Kitchen, which is the nickname for his neighborhood. In this first case, death allows justice to be administered to society, which is a good thing, but it can go the other way. The next time the rose appears, Electra’s father is killed by a hit man named Bull’s Eye, and this drives Electra to avenge her father by killing his killer, unlike Matt’s resolve to help those unable to help themselves. In this case and the next, death resulted in confusion, sorrow, and unneeded pain for most of the characters in the movie, and unfortunately, this is what death usually brings about when it is approached unreasoningly. Oddly, the last presentation of this symbol does not lead to any deaths, but it does make viewers believe that Matt comes to terms with the deaths of his loved ones. Death is an important theme in this film, and roses are just the way the director chose to convey it to the movie’s audience. Another symbol of significance in Daredevil is the church and the crucifix that appear early and later on in the movie. The movie automatically opens up with the Daredevil injured in a church, and then it abruptly switches to his childhood. Even though he wears a devil costume, the way he is allegorized with Christ gives the vibe that in the fight between good and evil, he stands for upright principles as he struggles to bring justice to Hell’s Kitchen. The crucifix on his father’s bed indicates that Jack Murdock also stood for the same things, but he does end up dying in the end anyway. Even though the whole thing is paradoxical in nature, he does clarify in the movie twice that he’s not the bad guy, and that does relieve the controversy quite a bit for both the characters in the film and the audience. The relationship that the director establishes between Christ and the Daredevil demonstrates the ironic virtuous character of the Daredevil, and church is his way of relating the two. Daredevil makes many symbol references to life issues that one may encounter even though it is a superhero movie. The murder of Jack Murdock demonstrates an example of the suffering that often follows one individual’s attempt to confront an extensive network or system alone. Death and its distinctive outcomes are observed through the use of red roses as well. The honorable disposition of Christ is also used through the use of churches and religious objects to convey the Daredevil’s just nature, despite his appearance and uncompromising activity. Daredevil is a symbolic film, and if looked at carefully, it may provoke further literary analysis from which its audience can learn from the tragedies and experiences of the fictional character, Matt Murdock.