Character Analysis- Travis Bickle

The movie Taxi Driver movie and the character “travis bickle” performed legendary by Robert diniro has influenced countless number of stories and art since its creation. It has, to a certain degree even influenced the creation of my main character, a distant cold man who doesn’t understand society, always lonely and longing a life of being normal. My main character is not exactly that description but shares a few traits with Travis. Like I have said before in previous posts, the main character I have created is a version of me, the events my main character goes through is inspired by some of the circumstances I have went through. So, what I’m trying to say is that I have always related to the film Taxi Driver and the character Travis Bickle. It would make sense why my character who is inspired by me is similar to Travis. As I am getting into the role of my movie, I thought I should rewatch this masterpiece and make a character analysis so I am better prepared to perform my role.

Travis Bickle is a 26-year-old veteran of the Vietnam conflict who lives in New York City. He suffers from insomnia, which leads him to become an evening taxi driver. Throughout, he is presented as an intensely lonely and isolated individual who cannot find his niche in a city that he sees as decaying and corrupt. His social ineptitude and failure to identify with others add to his isolation from society. 

Alienation & Loneliness is integral to his character. Travis is not close to people and can't identify with others. His attempt at dating Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) fails as he takes her to a dirty B film (sex film), indicating his social cluelessness which I relate to somewhat, not the dirty B film stuff but having social cluelessness in some situations. He laments in his diary of being an outsider, pointing out his isolation from society, another thing I relate to.

Paranoia & Delusions is a staple in this movie. Travis is consumed by savior syndrome over the course of the film, feeling he must "clean up" the city's ills. He is fixated on political candidate Senator Palantine, first seeing him as a person worthy of admiration but later considering killing him because he is a product of the corrupt system. 

Violence as Redemption: Cut off from significant relations, Travis turns to violence as a means of being significant. He arms himself with a variety of guns and begins preparing for a violent crusade, seeing himself as a vigilante. His ultimate objective shifts to rescuing Iris (Jodie Foster), a 12-year-old prostitute, from her pimp, Sport. His ultimate violent outburst is seen as an act of grotesque heroism.

The famous Mirror Scene ("You Talkin' to Me?") is not only a legendary scene but a highlight to his story in which Travis practices pulling out his gun in the mirror illustrating his downward spiral into madness. He rehearses an imaginary showdown, affirming his growing isolation from reality.

The taxi is a symbol and an extention of the character. It's emblematic of his confinement within. He drives for hours around town, viewing what he sees as corruption and sleaze, yet never actually connecting with it—merely gazing at it through glass.

His Haircut (Mohawk Transformation) is a precursor to his violent spree, Travis buzzes his hair into a Mohawk, which is a warring-like fury sign. It represents total devotion to his unofficial cause. 

 

Ultimately, Travis is welcomed as a hero for having killed the criminals who were dominating Iris. His survival and the newspaper's labeling of him as a hero reflect that society is not aware of the problems lying beneath him. The final scene—where he stares eerily into the rearview mirror—reflects that his violent nature is very much present.

 

Inonclusion, Travis Bickle is a complex antihero, defining loneliness, mental illness, and the lethal allure of violence. His transformation from a solitary man to a vigilante represents how society's neglect and internal demons can drive one towards radical action. The film leaves the audience questioning whether he is a misunderstood hero or a product of a system that fails.