Anarchism vs. Fascism: The Politics in “V for Vendetta”
If we look back at Alan Moore’s and David Lloyd’s career, it’s no surprise that they both created “V for Vendetta” (DC Comics, 296 pages, $19.99).
Both had written material in their pre “V for Vendetta” days that would form the basis for this dystopian political graphic novel. Lloyd worked on art for an issue of the weekly “Hulk” series (1979) titled “Scarabeus’’, about an insane doctor who creates mutants and he also worked on a comic about an immortal superhero called “Night Raven” (1979). And both Moore and Lloyd collaborated on several issues of the “Doctor Who” (1980–1981) series and worked on stories about citizens who commit treason against their political party members.
It wasn’t hard for Moore to find inspiration for the novel itself either. The political climate of Moore’s time made it very easy for him to find a basis for this novel. The Thatcher era of politics brought with it many political struggles including economic strife, war with foreign countries, and an increase in police force and surveillance. With so much going on, there’s only so much that could be done to remedy the situation in real life.
But Moore’s solution or rather V’s as he proposes in the novel is anarchy. Given all these circumstances, the real question is, does anarchy really sound that terrible compared to fascism? Think about it.
The graphic novel “V for Vendetta” begins one November night in fascist Britain in 1997 when sixteen year old Evey Hammond realizes that she has no other means to support herself and decides to go into prostitution.She is found by three Fingermen, policemen, who decide to exact immediate punishment on her for her crime, by attempting to rape her before implying that they’re going to kill her afterwards. But lo and behold, the vigilante V swoops in, like a superhero with his mask and black cape quoting “Macbeth” before he executes them all in cold blood: “The multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him.”
While Eric Finch and Dominic Stone, a detective and a policeman, begin to investigate these murders, V takes Evey into his secret hideout The Shadow Gallery, a cave full to the brim with prohibited contraband like philosophy books, a jukebox and theatre posters. Distraught after her encounter with the policemen, Evey breaks down while V consoles her. She recounts the horrors that plagued her childhood. She tells him of the rise of the Norsefire regime, a fascist political party and of the imprisonment camps where all the “undesirable citizens”were sent and never returned. And V just sits there and listens, eagerly awaiting for the perfect moment to turn her into his new protege.
At its core “V for Vendetta” is a graphic novel about ideas. And central to the novel is this government oppression but also this idea that what really keeps the characters binded to their current fate is themselves, their fear. One of my favorite lines from the movie adaptation is when V tells Evey over breakfast: “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.” He doesn’t say the same thing in the graphic novel, but somewhere in “Book Two”, he does sneak into the Jordan Tower, the media broadcasting tower, and he plays a video for London’s citizens to watch on TV. In this video, he tells London quite plainly that he feels that the human race has failed. But he doesn’t just blame those that are in positions of power, oh no it’s not just management:
“We’ve had a string of embezzlers, frauds, liars, and lunatics making a string of catastrophic decisions. This is plain fact. But who elected them? It was you! You who appointed these people!”
But like the idea that government officials could abuse their power took hold and transformed into reality, V suggests to the citizens of London another powerful idea which can also become a reality: that freedom is an option. But whether anarchy is the best immediate solution for London is unclear at the end of the novel; Moore leaves us on a cliffhanger.
In terms of writing style however, Moore shows us his strength as a writer in the plot, dialogue and the characters he has created. But what I love the most is V’s character. V is in essence a more mature Hamlet. Poetic but with a taste for vengeance. Moore really makes him the good guy. While I was reading the novel (spoiler alert) I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that V is a terrorist. But how can that be? How can someone who wants something else for London, who wants to rip off London’s shackles of oppression and the blindfold from London’s eyes be a killer? The truth is I really don’t see V as a bad guy. He’s the guy you’re rooting for. He’s the guy you want to succeed. And only a seasoned writer like Moore could make you cheer for the antihero with a rap sheet. Writing at its best.
Lloyd’s artwork brings the story to life. The overall design of V’s character, his Guy Fawkes mask and his daggers, bring with them a reminder of the classical, of the past, of the heroic. He is almost like one of the three musketeers. The color scheme throughout the novel, grays, black, and shades of blue adequately reflect the tone of the narrative: gloomy.
Gloomy like the ending of the novel, because with few characters left to defend London’s fascist principles, the same question remains in the end, is anarchy that terrible compared to fascism? We already have V’s response. What’s yours?
