Записки из подполья: Why so serious? Джокер и постмодерн

Многие люди активно держатся за «большие истории», «вечные ценности», стабильный смысл существования и как будто бы находят во всём этом своё спасение. Мне этого не понять… Возможно, в этом вашем мире, который представляет собой непрестанную борьбу с абсурдом, «нормальное» существование удастся найти только в «отказе от самообмана», замене стабильных оснований и планов на хаос и постоянном вопрошании: «Чего ты такой/ая серьёзный/ая?»

Джокер — это образ, символизирующий игру, случай, анархию состояния постмодерна. «То, что тебя не убивает, делает тебя… страннее».

Цитаты:

Bozo: I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you…
[takes off his mask, revealing the Joker]
The Joker: …stranger.

Alfred Pennyworth: Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

Two-Face: You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance.
[holds up his coin]
Two-Face: Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair.

The Joker: Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these… these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.

Harvey Dent: Your men. Your plan.
The Joker: Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just… *do* things.

The Joker: I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmmm? You know… You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go “according to plan”. Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all “part of the plan”. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds!
[Joker hands Two-Face a gun and points it at himself]
The Joker: Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!