Disillusionment

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Disillusionment refers to a feeling that arises from the discovery that something is not what it was anticipated to be. Often, disillusionment is much more severe and traumatic than common disappointment, especially when a belief central to one's identity is shown to be false.

[edit] Disillusionment in popular culture

• Some examples of disillusionment are prevalent through the novel Main Street, written by Sinclair Lewis in the early 20th Century. Characters in the novel express concerns about society that foreshadow The Great Depression even though the work was written before The Depression began.

• Disillusionment is a common convention in film noir. Characters, by personality or circumstance, can seem disillusioned due to many factors. In narrative speaking the Femme Fatale and many other characters may betray the main protagonist, leaving that person to feel paraniod and alienated in their environment.

• Throughout the history of cinema there have been many examples of disillusioned characters such as Travis Bickle from Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, played by Robert De Niro, whose deeds may be admirable but sorely misguided and ends in the act of mass murder.

• In graphic novels like Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman is considered to have a fragmented sense of justice as his quest for lawful and peaceful harmony in Gotham City turns him into a suicidal, violent and psychotic anti-hero.