Malachai

The book was incredible. As not to ruin it for anyone interested, I will not disclose what happened in the end but it was amazing. In fact, the book turned out to be far better than the movie. Additionally the fact that it was a graphic novel added incrdibly to the story. What I will say is that V’s identity is never revealed. In fact, it is insignificant. The face that lies under the mask diminishes everthing that it truly stands for. In the book, we never know who V truly is. It is what V creates in the end that is the focus. Through his destruction, V birthed anarchy. In its ruins he set up foundations that helped to lead the people of London to freedom. This book left me with a better understanding of facism. While it is not something I long to know to a familiar degree, I still found the future government to be fascinating. V managed to take the rights of the government and give them to the people to do with as they pleased. This book managed to adress the problems of certain governments as well as outline an idea that should be true everywhere. That governments should be ruled by the people.

In the aftermath of this book, I find myself wishing to read more on the gunpowder plot. This book did not deal directly with the famous terrorist act itself, but rather it dealt with the ideas that drove the act. V stood for the same thing as did Guy Fawkes- that people should be governed by themselves, not by others. One of the minor characters was in fact the catalyst of the book. While he was seemingly irrelevant, Edward Finch is one of the more important characters. He is the one explaining how the public feels. And as one could imagine, they want their freedom. Every one.

Lately in V for Vendetta, V has been doing some peculiar things. For example, he impersonated the government and reinacted the conditions at his old concentration camp. This charade he used when he abducted Evey and tortured her. He tested her in brutal ways and tried to make her sign a false confession. The consequences if she didn’t were death. She refused to sign it. Upon this, V revealed his charade. He justified it as right because he had shown Evey what freedom truly was. 

Another interesting part was the song written right before the second half of the book. V is the singer, and the song itself outlines the rest of the book.

(This is kinda long, but good nonetheless)

THIS VICIOUS CABARET:

They say that there’s a broken light for every heart on broadway.

They say that life’s a game and then they take the board away.

They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story,

Then leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret.

In no longer pretty cities there are fingers in the kitties, there are warrants forms and chitties and a jackboot on the stair,

There’s sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime, and at least the trains all run on time but they don’t go anywhere.

Facing their responsibilities either on their backs or on their knees, there are ladies who just simply freeze and dare not turn away,

And the widows who refuse to cry will be dressing in garter and bow-tie and be taught to kick their legs up high in this vicious cabaret.

At last the 1998 show! The ballet on the burning stage! The documentary seen upon the fractured screen,

The dreadful poem scrawled upon the crumpled page!

There’s a policeman with an honest soul that has seen whose head is on the pole and he grunts and fills his briar bowl with a feeling of unease.

Then he briskly frisks the torn remains for a fingerprint or crimson stains and endeavors to ignore the chains that he walks in to his knees,

While his master in the dark nearby inspects the hands with brutal eye that have never brushed a lover’s thigh but have squeezed a nation’s throat,

And he hungers in his secret dreams for the harsh embrace of cruel machines. But his lover is not what she seems and she will not leave a note.

At last the 1998 show! The situation tragedy! Grand opera slick with soap! Cliff-hangers with no hope!

The water-color in the flooded gallery.

There’s a girl who’ll push but will not shove and she’s desperate for her father’s love. She believes the hand beneath the glove may be one she needs to hold.

Though she doubts her host’s moralities she decides that she is more at ease in the land of doing as-you-please than outside in the cold.

But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play. There’s a murderer at the matinee there are dead men in the aisles.

 And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through, and with sidelong looks await their cue,

But the frozen mask just smiles.

At last the 1998 show! The torch song no-one ever sings! The curfew chorus line! The comedy divine!

The bulging eyes of puppets strangled by their strings!

There’s thrills and chills and girls galore. There’s sing-songs and surprises! There’s something here for everyone, reserve your seat today!

There’s mischiefs and malarkeys,

but no queers,

or yids,

or darkies,

within this bastard’s carnival

THIS VICIOUS CABARET!!

This song seems to adress everything that is happening in the book. In the beggining of the song, V sings about how horrible life has become for the people of London. The song adresses how the people of this nation have lost their freedom. The song compares life under a facist goverment as a vicious cabaret, or a grim play. V tells of all the people who ignore their oppression. These people are the one’s in the play. In the song, the actors are eaten by the play. In other words, the charade is exposed by a murderer. I think V is referring to himself in this instance. I think the object of this song is to tell how V wishes to be the one that will free the people from the government, by showing the people what freedom truly is. Also, it shows how he vents his anger on the government. “There’s mischiefs and malarkey’s, but no queers, or yids, or darkies, within this bastard’s carnival, this vicious cabaret.”- This tells how the government rid the nation of all minorities. A horrible thing to do, and now, codename V is venting his anger on the government. And it is incredible to see.

In V for Vendetta there have been a few things that I have strongly appreciated so far. One is V himself. In the book so far, he has been an incredible character. He has in fact been extremely theatrical throughout the book. In the book, he is the sole representative of all of the culture that has been lost. There is a very interesting scene in which V and Evey are dancing in the shadow gallery. Personally I find this place in the book to be fascinating. In the scene there is a dance floor with a disco ball and the whole deal. When Evey asks V if he is her father, he takes her away from the shadow gallery back into the outside world. I find this interesting. Is it that V is afraid to tell her or is he being sporatic and eccentric as his character usually is? In the book so far he has killed everyone that ran his concentration camp and with this behind him, he took over a radio station to tell England that he was going to fire it. In the book, V acts as though he (or mabey what he stands for) has employed London in his services. He goes on to say that he is not pleased with the latest work they have given. V seems to be insane, yet he is very thoughtful and has developed a strong stand point. Even through his madness, V seems to be inspiring the people of London throughout the book.

Another thing that has happened in the book is that V has started acting sporatically. First, he makes Evey leave the shadow gallery, and then he decides to take over a radio station. However, he has managed to avoid the government despite, yet his motives are as unclear as ever. I think V is doing these random acts of violence to show the people that they are not helpless. In the movie, V hopes to remind people that it is the government that should be afraid of its people- not the other way around. I think the book is trying to show this as well, only they are doing it in a much more roundabout manner, by showing V to the people of England. The book can only get better.

I chose the book V for Vendetta because to begin with, I collect masks. Now, while this is all but irrelevant, I was fascinated by the use of the Guy Fawkes mask in the movie. It was used more as a symbol than a mask, and this caught my interest. Having seen the movie myself, I also wish to compare the two. I have never read a book that wasn’t better than its movie, and the movie of V for Vendetta was incredible. Additionally, I find that books dealing with futuristic, oppressive governments are simply fascinating. Books such as this always make me think hard on the potential course governments. 1984 by George Orwell is an excellent example, and while V for Vendetta is a bit more unlikely, it still outlines a potetial future. All in all, I think that this book is going to be far better than the movie.

As for my expecta they are extremely high. Not only have I seen the movie, but the book has been highly recommended. Another thing that excites my interest is the fact that V for Vendetta is a graphic novel. Truth be told, I have never read a graphic novel, and I can only think that it will improve the quality of the book. I also have not read anything in depth on the Gunpowder Plot.  A man by the name of Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliment with barrels of gunpowder. That is about all I know on the subject. Reading this book is gonna be awesome. Even better than comics…

…well, exept for the green lantern…