Every story belongs to its own unique world and just like any character, the story world can never remain static. It is challenged through a series of events, constantly evolving, and ultimately morphing into a new state, never to return to what it was. In this post, we will explore the story world that Todd Phillips and Scott Silver created for Joker. But first, let’s dive into the framework.
The Framework
As the story world evolves, it will journey through various phases, with each one of them playing a distinct role in the story.
The Initial State
Stories start within a particular world defined by a set of characteristics like the time period, the location, the characters, the general state of affairs, the events, etc. The Initial State is the current situation in the story world. It is the starting point for the story.
The Igniter
An event takes place. It sparks a reaction. It challenges the status quo and sets things into motion, triggering a series of incidents.
The Defining Incidents
The Igniter has forced the story world to evolve. The circumstances have changed and we can never go back to how it was. During this phase, a series of events will take place that will show how the story world is expanding, maturing and being challenged. These defining incidents will take us to the Tipping Point.
The Tipping Point
Everything that has taken place so far boils down to the tipping point. The Igniter has pushed everything to evolve and the Defining Incidents have showcased that transformation. Now we are faced with a larger situation that drives a major shift in the story world.
The New World
Finally, the story world has completely morphed into a new state. After everything that has happened, how can it not? This is the New World.
Deconstructing Joker’s Story World
The transformation of Joker’s story world is powerful and beautifully crafted. Let’s take a look at how each one of the aforementioned phases is presented in this story.
Joker’s Initial State
The story takes place during a difficult time. Gotham City is facing a major garbage strike, the crime rate is at a critical high, and a social divide between the fortunate and the less fortunate is plaguing its people. Only bad news seems to be at the forefront and there is a general sentiment that the possibility to improve one’s life is near inexistent. It is no wonder people are indifferent to one another’s sorrows. It is definitely not a happy time to be living in this city.
The situation is emphasized during a conversation between Arthur and his social worker.
Bad news seem to be the norm.
Mentioned multiple times throughout the story, the garbage strike is drowning the streets and it’s a constant visual reminder of the current state of affairs in the city.
A general indifference between people is prevailing.
The following scene excerpt thoroughly sums up the situation. The garbage strike is looming over the city, the vulnerable are omnipresent, and even though a fight ignites, no one cares, no one does anything.
This is a strong place to start the story. The Initial State of the Story World has been defined and now the status quo will be challenged by The Igniter.
Joker’s Igniter
The killing of the three Wall Street guys by Arthur is quite a powerful igniter in this story.
Since the sequence is long, spanning 5-6 pages, I will not add the entire scene here, but below are some excerpts of this pivotal moment.
Arthur is riding the subway after being fired from his job when three Wall Street guys get in. They are drunk and unpleasant.
One of them decides to strike a conversation with a young woman sitting across from him, throwing french fries at her when she politely declines his offer.
At the sight of this, Arthur starts laughing uncontrollably which attracts their unwanted attention.
The three Wall Street guys start making fun of Arthur…
… and harassing him.
The situation quickly degenerates and Arthur takes a beating.
That’s when things go south and Arthur kills the three Wall Street guys:
A forceful Igniter that challenges the Initial State and sets a series of incidents into motion.
Joker’s Defining Incidents
The murder of the three Wall Street guys could have been ignored. People succumb from violence related deaths every year and all over the world, but we don’t always hear about it. However, this time people took notice. It was picked up by news outlets and therefore the incident became a compelling Igniter that would come to spark a series of meaningful incidents.
The story is featured on every newspaper
The Divide
The first sign of change appears when graffiti attacking the rich pops up around the city. The three Wall Street guys are a symbol of the fortunate, while an entire population is struggling to survive. Suddenly, it’s no longer about the murders. It’s now about the rich vs. the poor, with many people taking the side of the killer. What Arthur did becomes the emblem of justice being served for some, and for others it’s the sign of despondency from those who are envious of their resourcefulness.
Evidence of anti-rich sentiments arises in the form of graffiti and the divide between the rich and the poor couldn’t be more obvious.
To add insult to injury, Thomas Wayne shares his view on those who haven’t made a “good life” for themselves and how they are viewed by people like him. This is quite revealing of the prevailing mentality at the time.
The view towards the rich is negative enough to think that those three Wall Street guys might have deserved to lose their lives.
Identifying with the Killer
For many, the actions of the killer embody the suffering of a lot of people. They connected to its meaning and suddenly we see them on the streets wearing clown masks.
The clown mask becomes a sign of resistance.
The Lack of Value
No one seems to care about those who are having a harder time, making them feel invisible. Cutting funding is a meaningful event that mirrors that reality. Assistance becomes unavailable to them and with nowhere to find help, even to get medication, they are left to their own devices.
The Protests – Anger Rising
The situation starts to take a more severe turn as protests take hold.
Protest planned at Wayne Hall Gala.
Anger and resentment are rising.
An angry crowd is protesting, wearing clown masks and displaying their anti-rich signs.
The protesters want to be heard. They don’t want to be ignored anymore.
The anti-rich sentiment is at an all-time high.
The Clash with the Police
All these defining incidents are piling up and things are quickly degenerating when the protesters come face to face with detectives Burke and Garrity.
The detectives find themselves in a delicate situation.
Following the death of a protester, the mob turns on the cops.
The news travels fast.
The Interview
During the interview with Murray Franklin Arthur explains his views on the system and what it’s like for people like him.
The Murder of Murray Franklin
The murder of Murray Franklin by Arthur, the “Joker”, is the ultimate incident that will drive us to the tipping point.
Now that Arthur has committed an unspeakable act in front of everyone, the tone has been set for the tipping point to ensue.
Joker’s Tipping Point
The crisis is now at an all-time high.There are riots and fires, violence and madness… reaching even the nice part of town. This is the tipping point.
The Franklin shooting has exacerbated the situation.
The city is burning.
The protesters are tearing down the city.
The Waynes are killed by a man wearing the “Joker” mask.
Joker’s New World
We started the story within a world afflicted with considerable problems and featuring a drastic divide between the rich and the poor. Most of the less fortunate felt invisible and oppressed by a system that neglected to take them into consideration.
Since then events have taken place and everything has evolved beyond recognition. The Igniter has driven people to speak up and make themselves noticed by demonstrating their anger and resentment to the point of taking the city hostage. The story world could never go back to what it was. People are asserting themselves, making noise, and in a way taking their power back. This will have to be addressed one way or another if they want the violence to cease. The city will have to face a new normal, a New World.
Afterword
The framework presented in this post can be applied to any story. It is simple but effective and will ensure that the story world evolves alongside its characters and storyline. As mentioned previously, the story world cannot remain stagnant, it must go through its own journey. The phases pertaining to this model can be used as a blueprint when writing a story of your own.