“V for Vendetta,” by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

“V for Vendetta,” by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

            “V for Vendetta” is the work written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd in the 1980s, which is categorized as a British graphic novel. The setting of the work is dominated by virtual reality, whereby Britain was ruled by a fascist type of political system, while the remaining world seemed to be ruined as a result of nuclear war. In this novel, “V” is a character who is seen as a self-described agitator and mysterious person that rebels against the totalitarian government. The central theme of “V for Vendetta” is the freedom that is enhanced through anarchy. In the novel, liberty of the people was narrowed by the government terroristic activities, meant for the selfish interests of those in power. Besides, training and education are the key factors for successful liberation since individuals are enlightened to avoid perceiving it as a source of anarchy and violence. Also, the theme of fatherhood and mentorship is brought out through Evey. The authors are trying to transmit the idea that unpleasant dystopian events should be learning sources about the things people value, which should always be preserved. Generally, the book is about freedom, which entails cutting the chains of weakness and ignorance through hard work, discipline, and education.

The central theme of the novel is how freedom is enhanced through anarchy. In trying to bring out this theme, V is described by the authors as an agitator who holds that the authoritative government is the major obstacle to human freedom. In this novel, V is painted as an anarchist freedom warrior who adopted terrorist actions meant to spark a rebellion (Call, 2008). Consequently, the main force that drove this character is the past terror activities that made him be incarcerated by those people he battled against. The freedom of V, therefore, was cut short by the dictatorship of his government, hence forcing him to become a new societal icon whose further terror attacks targeted only those involved in this unwelcoming form of the political system (Moore and Lloyd, 1989). V’s primary objective was to cause a socio-economic transformation since the society had been eclipsed with injustice practices that subjected many people to severe suffering. This goal was to be realized by eliminating the authoritarian government through his terroristic actions for the freedom of the whole population

Moreover, the freedom of the people was deprived by the terroristic activities of the government, meant for the selfish interests of those in power. This perception is shown at the beginning of the novel, where the Norse government contributed towards the absence of human freedom. People were imprisoned due to skin color or sexual orientation, restricted to get a better education with the “voice of fate,” the broadcasting radio, which all symbolized lack of human freedom that the citizens had been subjected to (Moore and Lloyd, 1989). Moore and Lloyd used these examples to illustrate what is likely to happen when a political system of any country does not prioritize the citizen’s interests.

According to Moore and Lloyd’s suggestions, training and education play a critical role in promoting freedom, which is seen from a different dimension of just anarchy and violence. This situation is portrayed in the book, where symbols overpower society. For instance, the “V” signs, such as Guy Fawkes’s mask, pulled the oppressed population to follow his rebellious path (Moore and Lloyd, 1989). Consequently, symbols of power and strength that represented the government, such as the parliament, were destroyed by V, thus marking the end of dictatorship. This theme revolved around two separate symbols; V’s anarchic and the Norse government, whereby the protagonist sabotaged that of the existing dictatorial political system through the use of terroristic attacks (Call, 2008). From the course of events, many people started to realize the defects of the Norse government, and at the same time, they realized the strength and beauty concealed in the unrecognized symbols of V. Despite the death of this character, he managed to transmit education and symbols to his home and Evey, his learner.

Furthermore, the theme of fatherhood and mentorship revolved around the character called Evey. In V for Vendetta, this character battled with her inner feeling about her father, which led to a great outcome on her relationship with the government and V (Moore and Lloyd, 1989). This government apprehended her father, whom she treasured most due to his socialist teachings and later killed him. Bearing in mind that Evey lacked fatherly love at a younger age, she seriously looked for figures that would replace the gap that was left by this male parent. According to this claim, Gordon and V became one of the figures who took the fatherly responsibilities meant to protect this girl, thus narrowing the gap.

According to the authors, Evey seemed to have an “Oedipus complex” where her male parent had conquered her sexual aspiration. This situation is seen when Evey kissed V, slept with Gordon, and dreamt about sleeping with all of them and her father. Also, these events indicated how the nuclear war left England to crave for fatherly love, which led to the rise of this dictatorial government. Evey, however, learned to rise against her fatherly aspirations the moment she came across V, who allowed her to take part in battle tactics against the government officials by teaching the girl about weapons and explosives. Initially, these teachings stirred up the aspect of a father figure, as showed when she kissed the mask. Later it faded away the moment she was kidnapped and inflicted on pain by V. This torture was intentionally done by this father figure to act as an inner resistant power to the oppression of the government. Besides, the act made Evey lack any craving for the father figure but learned how to get new knowledge and maturity by controlling her actions.

In the end, Evey is taught how to live without the male parent, which made her become the second V since she adopted his roles. This character illustrated her newly adopted roles by teaching a new learner in the home of V, along with wearing the robe and mask. This statement implies that Evey had matured and became a parent since she had overpowered the Electra complex feeling by designing herself to become a male parent.

Additionally, in V for Vendetta, the authors are trying to show how the society dominated by unpleasant dystopian events helps people to know those things that should be preserved and valued for the benefit of the society. According to this statement, the authors were warning the audience through the novel using an idea of social change, where individuals are continuously watched by the dictatorial government (Moore and Lloyd, 1989). V for Vendetta, therefore, represents various events, such as the cold war and Reagan conservatism. In this graphic novel, V is seen as a personality who rebelled a government by putting aside the personal motives and incorporated the anarchy ideals for the betterment of the society.

Finally, this analysis shows that the motive of the book is freedom, which entails cutting the chains of weakness and ignorance through hard work, discipline, and education. Also, the book tries to show that freedom is not a matter of unchaining from the slavery of the government but also involves the liberation of the minds of people. This explanation is illustrated through Evey, who was continuously inflicted on pain by V to liberate herself from her happiness aspiration (Moore and Lloyd, 1989). Under this protagonist’s mask, he is seen as a sign of protest against the tyrannical government, which brings freedom.

In conclusion, “V for Vendetta” is a graphic novel that adopted the virtual reality of the world through the totalitarian form of government in England. The major theme of the book is freedom, where V uses the anarchy ideal to bring changes in the society since the government had not focused on the interests of the people. Training and education are the primary tools used to encourage people to participate in liberation under oppressive rulers for future benefits. Envey, however, is used to show another theme of fatherhood and mentorship, who later plays a vital role in the efforts to bring freedom. From these analyses, the authors aimed to show the importance of preserving the things that are valued by people since they represent their interests. From the book, the readers, therefore, recognizes the importance of fighting for freedom through hard work, discipline, and education.

References

Moore, A., & Lloyd, D. (1989). “V for Vendetta.”

Call, L. (2008). A is for Anarchy, V is for Vendetta: Images of Guy Fawkes and the Creation of Postmodern Anarchism. Anarchist Studies, 16(2), 154.