V for Vendetta
For those who may not know, V for Vendetta is a graphic novel originally published in 1982. It was written by Alan Moore.
V for Vendetta takes place in a dystopian future where the United Kingdom has become a fascist police state. A masked vigilante known only as V wages a one-person rebellion against the oppressive government.
He rescues a young woman named Evey Hammond, who becomes drawn into his mission. V uses theatrical, symbolic acts of terrorism—like blowing up government buildings—to inspire citizens to rise up and overthrow the regime. He reveals the state’s corruption, including the fact that it gained power by engineering a biological attack and then “saving” the public from it.
Throughout the story, V remains mysterious—his mask (based on Guy Fawkes) represents the idea that a revolutionary identity is bigger than any one person. His goal isn’t just revenge, but to ignite a revolution where the people reclaim power.
In the end, V sacrifices himself, and Evey chooses to continue his legacy, giving the people the chance to decide their own future—free from tyranny.
Core themes:
resistance against authoritarian rule
the power of ideas over individuals
identity, anonymity, and symbolism in revolution
V over the years
Personally, I watched the movie before I read the graphic novel.
I saw the movie in the theater when it came out in 2005. To be honest, I’m not sure what attracted me to the character or the film. Maybe the commercials hinted that V was an anti-authoritarian anarchist that fights the powers that be.
V has a white mask and wears all black. I like that.
V is intelligent and eloquent. He’s physically strong, he executes elaborate plans to take revenge on those who wronged him. I like that, too.
I guess you could say he’s been one of my heroes for the past 20 years.
When the mask was used as a symbol of disobedience toward the church of scientology by the Anonymous hactivists in 2008, I was quite pleased. Wearing it represents decentralized, leaderless activism and the idea that “anyone can be Anonymous.” Ever since, the white face has become synonymous with opposing fascism and lawlessness.
It became a global symbol of resistance against authority, corruption, and government overreach. It’s commonly seen at rallies, protests, and activist movements.
The story of V for Vendetta turned the mask into a symbol of anti-authoritarianism, freedom of speech and resistance against oppression. I stand for all of these things.
The face itself is based on Guy Fawkes, a real historical figure involved in the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British Parliament. Originally, the mask was tied to that event, but the modern symbolism has moved far beyond it.
It represents defiance against power, anonymity, and collective rebellion.
Why it resonates with me
I believe in freedom.
I also believe our freedom is being slowly reduced year after year. Our government doesn’t care about us, the people of this country. They don’t respect us and want to take everything from us. They take our money, our time, and when we want to retire in our golden years, we’re useless to them and they don’t want to give us social security, support or care. I believe in freedom of religion and freedom from religion.
Along with that, I don’t believe we should take certain actions just because we have the opportunity to. We have the right to bear arms, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna go to a rally with a rifle or walk around Clackamas Town Center with a .44 magnum on my hip just because I can.
I believe in peace.
I also believe times of peace have gotten fewer as the years go on. Why has it been this way? Selfish people in control. We’re made to suffer because those in power have commanded us to. Eternal conflict all for the sake of making rich people richer while the people battle each other.
I believe in altruism.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.
We should not be greedy and egotistical. If there’s one thing the bible got right, it’s the part about being good to other people. All I see these days are backwoods, country yokels, blasting down the road in giant trucks with massive American flags, rolling coal and driving like idiots because they assume they have the privilege to do so in Trump’s America. There is a leader in office that has impressed millions of people to be as narcissistic as he is. That is not a good thing. I am against that.
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
Words will always retain their power
Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is…
This humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate is a virtuous visionary, and I will forever value his valiant, velvet-voiced vengeance against voracious villains.
His voice, a vibrant volley against the vile and venomous vultures of authority, resonates in the very ventricles of my being. This vigilant visage of revolution, veiled and valiant, mirrors my own vendetta against vacuous systems and vapid submission.
Thus, in V, I see a version of myself. A vanguard of vitality, vexing the venomous, vanquishing the vain, and validating the visceral value of volition. Verily, I venerate the virtuoso that V is, for in his valor and vengeance, I find the vindication of my own voice. I am volatile, vibrant, and vehement.
I am a visceral vessel of vexation against vapid systems; a vanguard of variance in a world that worships vanilla. My vision isn’t vacant or vague. It’s volcanic. I’m a vandal of the mundane, I vivify my work with verve, velocity, and voltage. I value virtue over validation, venturing beyond the veneer of normalcy to validate a vaster version of myself. I’m not just vibing with V… I’m vibrating on his victorious and vivid voyage.
But, why the vigor?
Because 20 years after the film was released and 43 years after the graphic novel was published, the truth is…
There is still something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there?
Most have vacantly watched, vainly waited, or voluntarily veered away from the vicious violations V warned us of. Instead of valuing vigilance, we've been victimized by vapid voices, voluntold into obedience, and vexed into viewing our own vanishing liberties as normal. The venomous forces of power still vanquish the narrative, veiling the truth behind a veneer of virtue and we’ve validated it with our silence, when we should’ve vocalized our veto. The virus isn’t V; it’s our own vassalage.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
