Catwoman is definitely a much more
complex character than Vicki Vale. Vicki Vale was just a random, ordinary, and
sometimes troublesome woman. She did not help Batman in any way. They had nothing
in common, so there was no way she could completely understand the life of
Batman. She and Bruce Wayne had an intimate relationship, but it was nothing
compared to the relationship that Catwoman and Batman shared amongst each
other. They had a connection that was undeniably noticeable.
When
Selena became Catwoman many things changed. At first Selena was a very quiet,
soft-spoken woman. All she wanted to do was be independent and make it in life.
She respected her boss even when he in no way deserved her good services. The
film shows that even though Selena was loyal to her job, she could not dedicate
herself to a man. Men just were not interested and did not go for her. Every
man in this film that she came in contact with harmed her in some kind of way, but
not Batman of course. Her passivity and shyness
turned into rage and hate after she made the switch.
When Catwoman
was Selena, she was very attracted to Bruce Wayne. It was obvious how much she
liked him even though she still did not like men. After her change, she began
to speak in a more sassy/flirtatious tone when speaking to Wayne. She was no longer
shy and was able to say everything she ever wanted. He could sense that
something was different about her, but that seemed to only make him want her more.
But when Selena was Catwoman, it was almost the opposite. She was the
aggressive one. Not because she was attracted to him, but because she loathed
him. Not just him, but all the other men in this film. She did everything that
she could to cause mayhem for Batman. He was a man who wanted the best for
everyone, and she was a woman who only wanted the best for herself. Her motive
was to cause chaos just because she was a woman and just because she could.
I love how frank and truthful your description of Vicki Vale is. I definitely agree that she did not help Batman to develop as a character or in any other way at all. She really could not even come close to understanding Bruce Wayne the way Selina Kyle could. Selina and Bruce both have two identities, so they relate much better to each other, and they actually have chemistry together, whereas Vicki Vale and Bruce Wayne did not.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that you said that Selina could not dedicate herself to one man, even in the beginning of the film when she was an unconfident secretary. I had not thought of that before, but you're absolutely right. Even though she wanted to do well in her job, she just could not bring herself to do everything Shreck told her to do the way he told her to do it - she had to do things her way even then.
- Ashley Lay