Science fiction scholar Darko Suvin
refers to the genre as that of “cognitive estrangement.” He suggests that
placing readers in an unfamiliar universe or time period forces
them to examine their own world (Suvin, 374, 375). V for Vendetta estranges readers through its position in the near future, where, in the wake of a
devastating international nuclear conflict, Britain’s fascist government commits
genocide. It forces all non-whites, homosexuals, and socialists in Britain into
concentration camps and kills them. Following Suvin’s model, readers can use
the genocide in V for Vendetta to understand
genocidal behaviors today.
Moore and Lloyd explain several
aspects of the British genocide in detail. First, they emphasize that the
genocide occurs because the English want a scapegoat for the bleak and
tumultuous world that they live in. When the protagonist, V, tortures Lewis
Prothero, a former concentration camp commandant, Prothero repeats, “it was us
or them!” (33). Prothero’s sentiment falls in line with a phenomenon described
by Straub in which “[t]hreats or frustrations give rise to hostility and the desire
to harm others,” a phenomenon that can lead to genocide (16). Using the
cognitive estrangement model, this scene challenges readers to think about the
way stressful conditions in their own time give rise to sadistic impulses.
Rummel cites power as a key factor
in genocides, noting that, “the more power a government has…the more it will
make war on others and murder its foreign and domestic subjects” (1, 2). Moore
and Lloyd corroborate this. The fascist government of the novel comes to power
and keeps it through unprotested violence. Through their ability to keep order,
the government gains support, one character recalls that “everyone was
cheering” when the fascist marched into London (28). Shortly thereafter, it
begins the purges. By illustrating the way in which consent to a monolithic
power can lead to genocide, Moore and Lloyd caution readers against supporting
the former.
The cognitive estrangement that
occurs in V for Vendetta ultimately
serves as a reminder to readers of the banality of evil—the concentration camp
doctor V executes even mentions Milgram’s experiment (73). By addressing
genocide in a constructed universe, Moore and Lloyd emphasize how simply it can
occur in our own.
Works Cited
Moore Alan, and David Lloyd. V for Vendetta. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Graphic Novel.
Suvin, Darko. "On the Poetics of the Science Fiction Genre." College English, Vol. 34, No. 3 (December 1972). pp. 372-382. PDF.
I have adhered to the Honor Code on this assignment.
Mr. Helmsworth outlines Darko Suvin’s theory on cognitive estrangement and applies it the comic V for Vendetta. He argues that Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s fantastical portrayal of a post-nuclear conflict genocidal Britain can help people “understand genocidal behaviors today.” Helmsworth applies Straub, Rummel and Milgram’s theories on genocide to the comics, demonstrating the similarities between real genocides and the fictional series. He conclusively states that “Moore and Lloyd emphasize how simply [genocide] can occur in our own [universe].”
ReplyDeleteHelmsworth concisely applies twentieth century genocidal theories to V for Vendetta. After the Prothero quote, he points out that when a society is frustrated, it may respond by harming others (Staub). To elaborate further on the notion that “stressful conditions…give rise to sadistic impulses,” James Waller argues that a group, although not inherently bad, can amplify the evil tendencies of a member by acting on the member’s suggestions. This is only enhanced by Stanley Milgram’s theory that those working for a genocidal government will cooperate because they are afraid of what will happen if they do not. Therefore, even if Prothero did not want to commit evil, he may have been influenced by group socialization.
Helmsworth’s argument must expand further on why post-conflict powerful governments can be dangerous and does address how the victims threatened society (whether the threat was imagined or not). I argue that it is not just power that can turn a monolithic government genocidal, but macro pressures as well. In the case of Britain in V for Vendetta, the post-nuclear conflict global society strained the fascist government’s ability to protect the quality of life because of the lack of available resources. As a solution to the countrywide starvation, the British massacred minorities. Also, Helmsworth does not address the accusations against the victims. In a synopsis, the victims are described both as opponents to the British and as societal minorities. Clarity on this specificity would strengthen his argument that V for Vendetta is a wake-up call to the possibility of genocide.
Moore and Lloyd do present a world that recognizably close to our own, and in doing so they deftly reveal a lot about the process of genocide through their creation of Britain in the future. The naming of the different parts of the genocidal apparatus - the Mouth, the Finger, the Eye, etc. - are a subtle way to point the way that genocide is largely compartmentalized. Just as discussed by Waller and Staub, the separation of tasks within a genocide allows ordinary people to become part of genocide. Every person has their task in genocide, their own small part in the “body” of genocide so no one person is the whole.
ReplyDeleteStaub also argues that the complacency of average citizens perpetuates genocide. The society and Moore and Lloyd depict is largely ambivalent towards the conduct of the region. V is idea more than a character, although conceivably the hero, we learn next to nothing about him. Instead, he is the embodiment of anarchy and opposition to the regime. Through his interactions with Evey, he frees her from her complacency and indifference to the evils of the society she lives in. Following V’s death, Evey realizes that who is behind the Guy Fawkes mask isn’t important - she realizes that what he represented mattered more. Even though V may die, he lives on in Evey and in any citizen who can take up his mask and oppose the genocidal regime that governs them.