Introduction
Throughout his overt novel, Alan Moore encourages his readers to investigate both anarchism and fascism in order to determine their ideal society. Moore writes a story about his main character, V, with great attention to detail. He prompts the viewer to challenge V's morals. To accomplish this aim, he deftly blends story options, traditional form, intricate attention to graphic detail, and the social narrative. V for Vendetta serves as a traditional definition of England in the twentieth century.
The Symbolism of Institutions
In November 1997, the narration started in London, England (Moore, 2016 p 5). The anonymous anarchist V conceals his identity with a Guy Fawkes mask. He wants to murder the Norsefires fascist leaders, the dictatorship that governs England in the current period. Moore tries to demonstrate the tyranny of fascist as an organization; the five establishments are identified appropriately. The monitoring companies are called "The Eye" since they protect the citizens. The branch of detectives is referred to as "The Nose". This use of symbols suggests that detectives recognize their suspects similarly to dogs searching for bones. The media controlled by the state is called "The Mouth", responsible for spreading propaganda in the society. Lastly, the institution of law enforcement referred to as "The Fingers" (Moore, 2016 p 39).
V's Actions and Evey's Experience
When the novel starts, V protects a girl called Evey from men from "The Fingers" who were about to molest her sexually and finally kill her. While on the roof where he has taken Evey, V explodes a bomb, damaging the Westminster Palace. They go back to his residence, The Shadow Gallery, where Evey narrates to V how her father was arrested since he was a political protestor. V explodes a bomb in England's Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey Later he murders three key leaders belonging to the fascist party. In 1998, V announces on radio persuading people to manage their lives and avoid supporting and electing leaders who did not care about them. V's anarchist announcement ignites an ethical shock in the community's leadership (Moore, 2016 p 54).Evey and V's association with each other starts to grow, and at one point, Evey believes that she is the daughter of V, though it is not so. Following a fight regarding the morals of V, Evey is left alone on the street. Evey soon meets Gordon Dietrich with whom she falls in love. A criminal called Harper kills Dietrich. Evey attempts to murder Harper in revenge, but she faces accusation for different killings and is kidnapped. She is placed in a poorly lit cell where she is tortured. While inside the cell, she comes across a passionate letter from Valerie, a woman who is already dead by Evey thinks she is alive. She is motivated by the letter and decides to become brave. Evey is released when she discovers that her confinement was set by V who wanted to put her through what he and Valerie experienced. This experience made Evey believe that she is an anarchist.
The Finale and Symbolism
In 1998, V explodes bombs at the Post Office Tower which is "The Eye" and the Jordan Tower which is "The Moth", killing Etheridge, the leader of the monitoring division "The Ear" (Moore, 2016 p 77). He discovers that anarchy leads to chaos and that there may never be peace in society. Detective Finch who is "The Nose" strikes V while within the Shadow Gallery, killing him instantly in the arms of Evey. She opts not to remove his mask, letting him remain an ambiguous character. Rather, she wears one of V's new outfits and completes his last goal. After wearing V's clothes, Evey bombs a train in the underground at 10 Downing Street. With the body of V in the train, Evey offers him the "Viking Funeral" that V always wished (Moore, 2016 p 84). Evey proceeds with V's mission, achieving her apprentice. Finch stops attempting to maintain order, and the novel ends as he remains on his own.
Symbolism and Graphics
This graphic symbolism assists the audience in observing the impact of anarchy. The remainder of the book has the same imagery that enables the analysis of critical concepts in the book. The graphics technique of this story could be categorized as a constituent of the superhero class. Much of the storytelling is conveyed via six panels in one page. This novel's colors are bland and dark, however, vary during crucial scenes. The minimal use of coloring in the story results in a darker tone in the book. Some scenes do not adopt this pattern, becoming more significant.The starting of the novel's fourth issue is merely an introduction to the remainder of the chapter. V relaxes and begins to play his piano. These panels are illustrated in full pages in dark red and black. When he starts to play, events occur below his sheet music. The song lyrics are separated from the graphic story and indicate the control and influence of V over people to give the society a shape. Additionally, there are scenes where the cityscape spreads across full-pages. The city is a significant context for the story. The spread of cityscapes across full pages attracts the focus on the significance of England and the country's landmarks. With these markers, the state can manage the public. To prevent the government's control, V must damage these organizations. The dispute between anarchism and fascism is analyzed in this graphic book. The mixed narratives of Evey, Finch, and V are essential to explaining morality and action in the culture of society. V tries to introduce freedom to the world using force and destruction.
Exploring Morality and Anarchy
The quest by Finch to reveal the identity of V enables the reader to explore the ethics of V's activities and view the state as an operational institution. Evey's narrative of evolution, desperation, and hope enables the reader to understand this character better as a malleable, fused, and scared person. Through these three perceptions, the audience can confront their attitude towards rebellion, anarchy, and V's ideologies. The true identity of V is never shown to the reader to emphasize his ambiguity. The writer wants the audience to decide on whether this character is mad or sane, right or wrong. Moore allows people to understand the experience of V when he was confined. Even though V is the story's primary character, he should not be examined as a person because he represents anarchy, explaining why a symbol identifies him.
Symbolism of V and Evey's Names
The number five and the letter V are significant in Moore's book. V's name refers to his experience in room five, and it is considered a scientific subject. The use of letter V and number five is prevalent throughout the book. Every title of a chapter starts with the letter "V". The important dates of the explosions happen on November fifth and February 23, whereby two plus three equals to five. This symbol appears on many pages throughout the book. Similarly, the character V is implied to represent anarchy. Letter V inside a circle represents turmoil turned in the reverse. This image is notable on page 304 in the ninth issue where V places dominoes on the floor in this shape.The name Evey is also as insignificant as V's. It could mean number four in Roman numeral or IV. Interestingly, Valerie, the actress woman was captivated in room four. While in captivity, Evey comes across a letter written by Valerie to V, which inspires her to go on because she is having a similar experience of imprisonment. Even though V manipulates all this, Evey becomes hopeful in her link with Valerie. Consequently, she is provoked to begin a life of independence and anarchy.
Anarchy and Freedom
Anarchy or lack of governance and how it relates to freedom constitute a key theme in the novel. Besides the author, V also describes himself as an anarchist. According to V, the entire government leadership is corrupt because its leaders do not respect the freedom of human beings. It is evident from the beginning that the non-existent government of Norse Fire in England is responsible for denying liberty to people in England. One can observe some of the techniques applied by Norse Fire to deny reading rights to the people, jailing individuals due to their skin color or sexual orientation, and killing older adults by sending them to gas chambers. These actions precisely correspond to the name given to the system of radio used by Norse Fire, "Voice of Fate" (Moore, 2016 p 97).Evey, another key character in the book, supports V in despising the government of Norse Fire. Throughout the novel, it becomes more evident that the author supports the "freedom from" type of freedom. Releasing people from their slavery to the government is not enough, and it becomes clear when V closes government facilities for three days, following which bloody enormous riots erupt across England. V maintains that genuine freedom requires hard work. According to him, people need to be freed from not only jails within their governments but also the prisons in their minds as well. This situation describes why V is persistently learning, studying, and reading. More upsettingly, it assists the reader in comprehending why V captures Evey and makes her suffer for some time. V aims to liberate Evey from her weaknesses of happiness and desire. According to V, happiness constitutes the most secret prison of all.
Conclusion
Through this graphic book, Alan Moore prompts his readers to examine authority and power in society. He compares anarchy and fascism using metaphorical terms for the various institutions that govern the community. The reader is made to question the kind of world they choose to live in. Using academic references, Moore defines a world where one uncertain person is in control and fights the government.This authoritative work of graphic literature conveys a story that motivates individuals to fight for their rights as they consider the outcomes of their actions. V informs the reader that to achieve independence and freedom, first comes damage and finally chaos. As the novel ends, people are left to judge if his decisions were right. By ascertaining their views of V, people can realize their own beliefs that affect their status in the society.
