V for Vendetta

In class we discussed briefly what V’s motivation really was for his actions against the government. Certainly he told Eve that he was fighting for justice. But, at least to me, it would appear that his crusade is motivated by a desire for revenge, as is suggested by the title of the book. The first evidence of this is that V tracks down and murders everyone connected to the facility where he was held and tortured. V may have done that to get rid of anyone who might have had a chance of figuring out that he was behind the terrorist attacks, and therefore had a better chance of apprehending him. Or he may simply have been looking for revenge.

 

I think the main argument in favor of his entire mission being built on revenge is the fact that he tortured Eve. He seems to think that she won’t be able to appreciate his mission if she hasn’t experienced exactly what he himself has experienced. V doesn’t believe that just explaining to her, or even what she’s seen and experienced herself, is enough to convince her that his mission is justified. Perhaps because she is too young to really remember what the world was like before. Instead she has to endure the same terror and torture that he was subjected to.

 

What V manages to create in the end is complete chaos. An anarchy that, he probably hoped, would resolve into a better world. I love watching superhero movies and TV shows, and I always find it particularly fascinating when the vigilante/hero is morally ambiguous. I feel that life is more morally grey, and no people are really either good or bad. So having a protagonist who doesn’t always do things for the right reason, or who sometimes goes to far, is very interesting to think about. In the case of V for Vendetta though, I didn’t find much to identify with because I’m not sure that V has any noble motivations at all for what he does.