This is my second attempt at writing a sort of critical study for The Watchmen. My first entry was based more towards the grey atmosphere of the movie and its characters, but now I realize the stupidity of that effort because until and unless you have gone throught the graphic novel written by Alan Moore (atleast twice) till that time no critical study can be truly correct cause as we all know a book, a graphic novel, even a comics has more depth than the movie made out of them.
So this piece of analysis is dedicated to my friends Gaurav Shukla, Abhishek guha Roy, Sanjay Pratyush, Ruchir Gupta and Akanksha Satyawali who make an argument interesting and make me think and work harder regarding understanding of inane and mundane things.
The meaning behind Watchmen runs deep,This analysis only begins to deal with the complexities of certain issues and layout.
Initially, one may not even think of wondering why Adrian Veidt, the hero Ozymandias,is given so much importance. It is confusing to be honest, he is not a hero you expect. However, after multiple reads through Watchmen, different interpretations of his appearance can be made. Perhaps even the end of the graphic novel will come to mind. Why is this? My theory is that because Adrian Veidt was the one man who could unify the world – even if only temporarily – his ‘unification’ of the planet was appropriate for a man capable of such. It is not easy to let go off things for the greater good, a man who his entire youth and manhood fought for humanity has to kill human beings to maintain peace.
Symmetry is, itself, violent as it can only be achieved by deconstructing the parallel world of the novel. Its people and places become the layout, leaving readers in a constant search for a formal symmetrical structure. A beautiful instance comes to mind from the movie where The Comedian is being buried and Simon and Garfunkel plays in the background. The sky is grey, wet, all the ex vigilantes are there to give their last respect. The camera zooms out and we can see rorscach standing with a placard keeping an eye out for his fellow heroes. The motivation for the search lies in the need to produce a single unified meaning that the various characters and images signify – a reconstruction of what was already deconstructed.
Reconstruction and deconstruction are terms that could very well be used when referring to the unification at the end of Watchmen. Though the World began to prosper, questions rose as to whether this unification would last. How could it when the only way to unify was/is to create fear? Inevitably, deconstruction would once again occur and a dystopia would form. Another unification (most likely another catastrophe) would have to occur for reconstruction – known as a vicious circle.
However, what can be said about an otherwise symmetrical image, such as the smiley pin, when a blood stain is interfering in its balance? Does it lose it’s meaning when it obviously has great meaning throughout the story? Does this asymmetry really have to prove as an imbalance, or can it create more meaning? A question is raised but the imagery is too strong, for those who are intimate with me know that I pin the smiley on the roof of my car. Right above my head, it reminds me of what we have and what we stand to lose.
Some may say – “If not for the blood stain on the smiley pin, it too would be considered a symmetrical object, continuously appearing throughout Watchmen, creating constant meaning wherever it treads”. But do you really think Alan Moore intended for the smiley pin to be dismissed so easily? Not likely. Let us not dismiss the use of this asymmetrical, iconic pin as a metaphorical statement – the tragic flaw, of sorts. The tragic flaw – a flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero – may portend to the deconstruction of our main heroes/anti-heroes as well as the Minutemen.
Although all of our heroes had experienced a deconstruction, Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias faces those closest to the tragic flaw. This probably has to do with his picturesque do-gooder attitude, similar to Alexander the Great’s – a man who had also wished to unite the world, yet failed to because of his untimely death. Adrian Veidt may have created unity in the world, but for how long, no one is completely sure. And here brings Adrian’s tragic flaw, shortsightedness. He and Alexander alike, both seemed to be short sighted men of power. Men who never considered who would take their place after death.
Similarly, the sociopathic bent of mind which Rorshcach and The Comedian face turn them into something which is not us. Their cynical approach and their fear of letting go shows us that their life is nothing beyond the mere garb of a vigilante serving justice. Comedian dies trying to defend himself and Rorschach treads onto his life of vigilante hooliganism till the time he is killed by Dr. Manhattan. The shift in his mask is not to create fear but to tell us that our perceptions change, we change every second hence a man who holds on to his belief cannot adapt and is no match to a Hero/Anti-hero like Veidt.
In the end, the greater good would suistain or not is the question. But it cannot, according to Dr. Manhattan nothing ever truly ends. So if today we have War tomorrow there will be peace and so on.
PS Its a shame no one ever talks about Nite Owl II and the girl in yellow spandex (whatever her name was)!!
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