V for Vendetta, Thematic Study, Lady Justice
April 1st 2007 14:35
I am a little bored and philosophical right now so I thought I'd post.
One of the more interesting scenes in V for Vendetta (the comic book, though if someone wants to write something similar relating the comic and movie feel free) is the confrontation between V and the statue of Lady Justice. V raises a few good points, though there are few good points worth considering.
The first thing to take into account that V himself is not a person but the embodiment of an idea. In this case, the idea is not freedom or liberty, it's anarchy. He is chaos, pure and simple. He enjoys his own freedom, but will take freedom from others in order to retain it. He will destroy in order to preserve. Anarchy wears two faces, that of creator and destroyer - Alan Moore. The main force that he is against is a the Chancellor Sutler. Where V is anarchy, Sutler is facism. Where V has abandoned Justice as she was manipulated by another man (who we can only assume is Sutler and his facism) Sutler does not even love Justice, but Fate (the fate illustrated by the author is a pre-destined Fate, an unshakeable resolution of the future). For them both, Justice is only a mistress, not a companion.
What keeps him from being a hero and creates him as an anti-hero is that he as anarchy will destroy at a whim in order to preserve himself. Destruction and harm are the only means he has left (a futher note would be his treatment of Evey, but that is perhaps another essay). He can destroy a facist regime (which he does) but he himself cannot operate in a world where freedom is available. For freedom without responsibilty and justice is not freedom at all, and V himself as anarchy cannot adapt to where order is a necessity (in this case being both justice and responsibility) so as his actions to remove a justice that had become opression and replace it with true freedom could only be a halfway measure. The half he was capable of, he completed.
As a general note, where V himself can fight against a facist regime, he is incapable of existing without one. The fact that he is anarchy means that he is defined by his struggles against facism, against law and order.
JZ
One of the more interesting scenes in V for Vendetta (the comic book, though if someone wants to write something similar relating the comic and movie feel free) is the confrontation between V and the statue of Lady Justice. V raises a few good points, though there are few good points worth considering.
The first thing to take into account that V himself is not a person but the embodiment of an idea. In this case, the idea is not freedom or liberty, it's anarchy. He is chaos, pure and simple. He enjoys his own freedom, but will take freedom from others in order to retain it. He will destroy in order to preserve. Anarchy wears two faces, that of creator and destroyer - Alan Moore. The main force that he is against is a the Chancellor Sutler. Where V is anarchy, Sutler is facism. Where V has abandoned Justice as she was manipulated by another man (who we can only assume is Sutler and his facism) Sutler does not even love Justice, but Fate (the fate illustrated by the author is a pre-destined Fate, an unshakeable resolution of the future). For them both, Justice is only a mistress, not a companion.
What keeps him from being a hero and creates him as an anti-hero is that he as anarchy will destroy at a whim in order to preserve himself. Destruction and harm are the only means he has left (a futher note would be his treatment of Evey, but that is perhaps another essay). He can destroy a facist regime (which he does) but he himself cannot operate in a world where freedom is available. For freedom without responsibilty and justice is not freedom at all, and V himself as anarchy cannot adapt to where order is a necessity (in this case being both justice and responsibility) so as his actions to remove a justice that had become opression and replace it with true freedom could only be a halfway measure. The half he was capable of, he completed.
As a general note, where V himself can fight against a facist regime, he is incapable of existing without one. The fact that he is anarchy means that he is defined by his struggles against facism, against law and order.
JZ
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Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I haven`t seen this film yet but have heard alot about it. Must seek it out sometime.
ash
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
I saw the film but haven't read the strip yet.
The film was both good and bad in my mind. Clever and stupid. "You were tortured to set you free.." sounds like crap logic to me.
If not for the current war on terror it may have had little impact on anyone. It offered angst and rage against the totaliterian machine but no solutions or path to salvation. As such I found it a bit like an anti - 24 and V as the anti - Jack Bauer.
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
I liked the movie more than the book as V was a better character. He was a person, not just an idea.
I'll leave you to that, as to say more would be saying too much.
Glad you came by.
JZ
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
I too am someone that enjoyed the movie quite sincerely. It didn't go down well with too many of my friends from church though......
JZ
Comment by JoshZ
A Simple Christian
Thanks for the compliment, it means alot to be told that you are good at something.
I agree with you that the film was both smart and stupid. The fact that they made V human in the movie as opposed to an ideal in the book meant that while in the book you WOULD expect him to do what he did to Evey you wouldn't think he would have done that in the movie. It was out of character.
The war on terror is something that made the movie relevant, but what also makes it relevant is the political build of the USA at the moment, and at times Australia as well.
You might want to look at my other blog and check out the link about net neutrality.
JZ