In the graphic novel V for Vendetta, a mysterious figure by the name of V is set to murder all those who practically tortured him while in a Nazi Germany like concentration camp, bring down the government that is controlling all facets of life, and convince the people of the United Kingdom to rule for themselves.

A concept of this book that I found incredibly interesting is the identity of V, or lack thereof. He wears a Guy Fawkes mask throughout the novel and never reveals his face to his protégé Evey Hammond. When V is shot and killed by Finch, a government detective, Evey contemplates on whether she should remove his mask or not, thinking of the multiple possibilities his identity could assume.

Although we all know that V is a person with a face and a past, the ambiguity of who he is emphasizes his ideas on anarchism and freedom. It provides the audience the freedom to determine whether or not V is a hero for saving the people from the oppressive government or an insane villain for killing those around him so ruthlessly and believing their death to be just.

Revealing V’s identity could possibly retract the attention away from his ideas. We are led throughout the novel hoping to see his face and when the time comes for the possibility of knowing him, we are left with nothing. If his identity is known, then his past would be revealed and he would become this person that we could judge for his actions, rather than the reason as to why he is placed in the book, to be an idea for the people of the United Kingdom. We are thus left with the one concrete thing about him that we truly know, his anarchist ideals. These principles are what embodies V and what gives him purpose in the graphic novel. His anonymity bolsters his ideas to the forefront. As Evey had said after deciding to not take off V’s mask,

”If I take off that mask, something will go away forever, be diminished because whoever you are isn’t as big as the idea of you . . .”