“Everybody is special. EVERYBODY. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, a villain; everybody. Everybody has their story to tell” (26).
V makes this statement to Evey early on in the story. This statement shows many things about the story’s definition of an individual and also makes a reference to the division of main character roles in the story. Although I only count 3 main characters, each of which can be stereo-typically labeled by one of these types, this statement really says that all four roles are within EACH PERSON with their own story to fuel the role.
V is undoubtedly viewed as a villain, for he even proclaims it himself; He tells Evey, I am the “King of the 20th century. I’m the boogey man. The villain. The black sheep of the family” (13). Yet, his destructive character saves special memorabilia, teaches his way personal liberation to help Evey, admits to his vulnerabilities, and selfishly survives with the hope of being loved. His leader role has a loving obsession with fate, while his counterpart has the same for justice. While the two are closely related, I’d say fate is an inevitable solution where as justice usually requires participation and is explicitly targeted. “Fate, massive fate, remote fate, uncaring fate? … Tell me this then, Am I loved? Not feared, not respected. LOVED…. Please, Please give me a sign” (184). The opposite aspect of his “love” in the two different roles, shows just how opposing one’s character can become. You say “that’s the ONE THING I HATE,” and usually that’s one thing the individual can find themselves guilty of. But, for his destructive character the way to settle and accept happiness in his situation is clearly stated by himself: “All I can do is pack away all the things I remember, put them in a drawer with all the other useless souvenirs.. and just carry on. You’ve got to carry on. We’ve all got to just carry on. That’s how we survive. That’s our purpose. Our purpose is to survive” (105-6).
Evey Hammond and Eric Finch are the other main characters.
Evey’s struggles and emotions through the story kept reminding me of all woman in today’s society. It is very commonly assumed that women are insecure, self-doubting, emotional thought bubbles with more questions than answers, generally speaking. And although she plays a role with minimal similarities in the physical aspects of her life to ours – the internal similarities are still evident. After her transformation, V reasons with her that he only tortured her “Because I love you. Because I wanted to set you free” (176). Evey does not understand his actions at first. She is angered and confused. And, this happens all the time in our society. Parents these days always think that THEY KNOW THE BEST WAY to raise their children. Well, the small percentage that have FUNNY ways of TRYING to educate and help their children – beat them, drop them off instead of watching after them, tell them every little detail about bad things in life, or kick them out of the house – the lessons might be there, but the method for trying to communicate them doesn’t always work. I think if Evey’s character wasn’t so passive, she definitely could have NEVER understood why he did what he did. A couple of pages later, he tells Evey “All the blind folds are gone… I simply provided the backdrop. The drama was all your own” (171, 174). His intentions were to provide the force that helped her see reality. He wanted her to make the right choices when she was ready, which is what most parents want for their kids. But when you are sitting in the student seat, you can’t always see the reasoning through the madness. This dramatized story of a woman’s transformation within the chaotic environment could serve as a symbolic replica of the transformation all women should seek.
Eric Finch provides a main role in the form of a very clever and involved character who is usually very aware or involved yet avoids major contributions. Dr. Mandell offered up the idea of Finch serving as a symbolic version of everyday citizens, normal people. Early on, he states “we’re up against someone who isnt normal people… Either physically or mentally” (23). Well, the quick assumption for someone to be NOT NORMAL because they have physical or mental differences than you do, is the first similarity between his character and the general population. Most of the time, it gets assumed that living on the same planet, our one common factor to every soul alive, makes us all the same. Or that there is “normal” which results from us sharing the same planet. Finch goes on “It’s the ‘mentally’ bit that bothers me” (23). Dramatized example from a dramatized graphic novel, however the presence of an assumed state of normalcy is more detrimental to those accused of differences than is to those who blamed. He goes from “I’ll see him dead for this” to “I’m sick of facts and dates and dead bodies. I’m too old. I’m too tired,” in the same page!! (78). This is a very popular way of behaving these days. People are there on the scene, talking and spreading their thoughts endlessly yet the amount of conversations that actually provoke any kind of activities or committed cooperation are minimal. People like to be involved – just to be part of something instead of nothing.
I’d like to close with the beginning lines to the rhythmic opening of Book II:
“They say that there’s a broken light for every heart on broad way. They say that life’s a game and then they take the board away. They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story, then leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret.” (89).
There’s also a broken story behind every villain, no matter how different they seem. The hypocrisy in how we raise, then educate, and entertain ourselves with the larger hypocrisy in our perception vs. actual reputation should clearly have symbolic comparisons with the act of wearing a mask and costume. But if everything is provided, why does it seem like this vicious cabaret harms (takes more away) us more than pleasures us?
Also, I now see why it was said that “it is impossible to create any science fiction which will not become reality.” Both good and bad, humans copy behavior. The more ideas you put out there, the more people that are going to attempt to make it reality. You may not understand, you may not for see it. But….
IDEAS ARE BULLETPROOF
This post was based on many different ideas that were kind of hard to pull all together. I think there is a hero in us all, even though you are also a fool a villian and a lover within yourself at the same time. It is your choice, and your actions, and your perception that create your being. I think this book shows more than anything SPECIFIC, it shows how culture can inevitable persuade your senses and shape your being. You must be pushed into a realization or forced to feel something different, as it is the negative emotions which bring out the best in us. Transformations are not regular growth or progress; transformations come when a monumental event changes your course of action, in terms of character, of course.
Narrative and Digital Technology 