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Tuesday, 9•16•14
Essay: "Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Illustrated by Dave Gibbons
"Watchmen" by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons is about an alternate version of our world where there were costumed vigilantes fighting crime in New York. A law was then passed stating that all vigilantes not employed by the government were outlawed. Some of the vigilantes, however, still operated, against the laws. A prominent message in the book is that justice is relative. This is supported by the character Rorschach, the character Dr. Manhattan, and the character Ozymandias.
To the character Rorschach, justice is maintaining justice no matter what the price is. Rorschach did not stop being a vigilante when the law was passed, for he believes that justice is something that always needs to be fought for. He thinks that the world has good and evil, and that evil has to be punished. Rorschach uses excessive force on those he fights, often breaking their bones or killing them. When Rorschach is being analyzed by a psychiatrist in prison, he says he was "soft" when the psychiatrist says there was no record of excessive violence on criminals against him. Rorschach thinks of justice as black-and-white.
Another character in the book, the Comedian, thinks of the world as a joke. He knows how corrupt it is, and is very cynical about it. He is without remorse. He raped another hero, the Silk Spectre, and killed civilians in Vietnam. He is out for himself, and does not care about justice.
Ozymandias , the book's villain, thinks of justice as the general welfare of the world. In the world of the book, nuclear war is threatening to break out between the U.S.A. and Russia. Ozymandias sets off an neutron bomb in New York, uniting the world and avoiding war. He is willing to kill those who try to stop him. He is willing to sacrifice millions to save billions.
In conclusion, "Watchmen" is about the relativity of justice. Rorschach believes that justice is punishing evil, the only thing that exists other than good. The Comedian believes that the world is a joke, and that trying to save it is futile. Ozymandias believes that sacrifice is needed to make the world a better place. All of these people have helped their societies, even if it was at the cost of others.
