Using "V for Vendetta" to Show Aspects that Make Up a Society

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Recommended: Political themes in v for vendetta

Fictions are often used to examine more complex societal concerns as scene in the graphic novel and popular film “V for Vendetta”. “V for Vendetta” asks the question what exactly is the expectations of society? This topic is explored by using a fictional world to show the known and possible aspects that make up society and its ideologies. Humans have a strong desire to explore how one can better society. Because of this desire, “science fiction works, ‘V for Vendetta’ is often a strong indicator of how humanity may progress as well as how it relates to current political, religious, and social ideologies” (Alsford). Even though the film and the graphic novel are set in different time periods with different societal concerns, I believe that overall they both show the same goal of questioning common systems and their impact on the future of humanity.

The Contextual Makeup of “V for Vendetta

“V for Vendetta” was originally a short comic book written by Alan Moore in 1982. It was reportedly greatly impacted by the social and political concerns of the early 1980’s. Moore’s world was set in hypothetical United Kingdom in early 1980’s. Moore drew upon Margret Thatcher’s conservative political tactics and the issue of disarming nuclear weapons.

The story revolves around a masked figure V, and his relationship with the young Evey Hammond. She is fed stories by the government claiming that societal out casts such as homosexuals, extremists, and immigrants were behind the vicious nuclear attacks. Evey, herself is a victim of this social environment, as her father is taken from her and placed in a concentration camp. The story parallels to World War II and the government tactics are similar to the Hitler’s regimen. History remains an impo...

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...ndetta. New York: Vertigo/DC Comics, 2005. Print.

Oberschall, Anthony. Social movements: ideologies, interests, and identities. New Brunswick (U.S.A.): Transaction, 1993. Print.

Works Cited:

Alsford, M. "The Primal Question: What are We." What If? Religious Themes in Science Fiction. London: Logmann and Todd, 2000. 26-48. Print.

Althusser L. "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses.". 1970. La Pensee.

Gramsci A. “Prison letters”. 1996. Pluto Press.

Horkheim M., Adorno T. The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception.” Original copywrite 1944

Moore, Alan, David Lloyd, Steve Whitaker, Siobhan Dodds, Jeannie Connor, Steve Craddock, Elitta Fell, and Tony Weare. V for vendetta. New York: Vertigo/DC Comics, 2005. Print.

Oberschall, Anthony. Social movements: ideologies, interests, and identities. New Brunswick (U.S.A.): Transaction, 1993. Print.

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