Semiotics in Batman

Last night, I began to read the passage assigned about the homosexuality in Batman. I must say that the passage pointed out a lot of things to me that I did not notice when I saw Batman. I saw the movie in pieces and vaguely remember the details of the movie. In the discussion today, the part that I found to be interesting was when we discussed nudity in the movie.

I do not want to simply restate what was said at ten this morning. However, I would like to elaborate on the idea that Robin is able to see Batman in just a towel because he knows his secret. I feel that the mask that each superhero uses to conceal his identity can be symbolic in many ways. There is always small flirtation between Batman and Catwoman. This is shown more through the cartoons which I remember watching a kid. He never flirts with Catwoman without his mask on. There are many times that they propose to be allies but never trust each other enough to even let the other one see their true face. Rob has earned that right with Batman. That does not mean he is gay. There are many things that I would tell my friends or confide to my friends in confidence that they will accept and give me advice back. This does not make me homosexual, nor does it mean that this relationship can only be established on an intimate level.

It was said this morning that the director or writer, I forget which one, has acknowledged the fact that there are some signs that may lead to this assumption. However, if you analyze just about anything from a bias point of view in search of what you are looking for, your mind can easily run away with you. It was not the writer's intent to show Batman without his shirt on only in front of another man. I think it was more symbolism in the way that he could trust his identity to his "partner."