V For Vendetta Essay Questions

What is the significance of V's mask?

V's mask is based on the historical figure of Guy Fawkes, a Catholic who was thwarted in his effort to blow up the House of Lords in 1605. While people in Britain celebrate November 5 by burning effigies of Fawkes, David Lloyd and Alan Moore chose to restyle the mask with a theatrical smirk. They also chose to make V the hero of the story, thereby inverting the figure of Fawkes and what his mask represents by attributing positive connotations of revolutionary politics. The legacy of V for Vendetta has meant that protest groups such as Anonymous have adopted the "V"-style Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol of anarchism and anti-government sentiment.

What does V mean when he says "ideas are bulletproof"?

After Finch fires four shots at V in the abandoned Victoria tube station, V claims he cannot be killed, as he is merely an idea, and "ideas are bulletproof." This statement is a paradox, as it seems to contradict the fact that V in fact does die from his gunshot wounds. But V's claim proves true: though he himself dies, the V persona lives on through Eve, who dons her own mask and continues V's revolutionary movement. The idea that V represents, and which cannot be killed by bullets, is that human freedom can never be curtailed by fear and oppression.

What is V trying to achieve by committing acts of terror?

Through his campaign of terror, V is trying to accomplish two goals. First, he seeks to hold the corrupt Norsefire regime accountable for their actions and avenge the atrocities that had been inflicted upon him and other at the Larkhill concentration camp. Second, V hopes to change society by inspiring people to realize that they can work together as individuals to take control of society in a non-hierarchical, anarchist spirit of cooperation. V uses terror tactics because it is a form of violence that involves enough spectacle to catch the public's attention.

How does individualism come into conflict with state control in V for Vendetta?

One of the novel's dominant themes is the conflict between the state and individuals, most notably expressed through V's efforts to terrorize and collapse the fascist Norsefire party that oppresses and controls Britain. Norsefire's all-seeing panopticon structure—the kind of surveillance-state government analyzed by French theorist Michel Foucault—suppresses individuality through discipline and surveillance, thereby ensuring the population's obedience and control. Through surveillance and the elimination of "undesirables," the state instills fear into individuals. Part of V's campaign is to remind individuals that they, ultimately, hold power—they've merely given it away. However, he has faith that they can take it back, which he captures in the statement that "people shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Explain the significance of freedom in relation to V for Vendetta.

Freedom is one of the comic's central themes. However, the fascist Norsefire government suppresses individual freedoms at every turn through surveillance and controls on cultural production. The oppressive circumstances mean that any given individual's choices are limited. V, however, manages to free himself from Norsefire's control by escaping Larkhill. He reveals that he was inspired to make his break after he read Valerie Paige's account of her life and torture. He later uses Valerie's story to help Evey free herself from the mental chains that bind her. Together, they endeavor to spread the message of freedom to the people of London. Similarly, Finch finds his own freedom by taking LSD, which leads him to realize he no longer needs to live by anyone else's rules. Ultimately, in the context of a dystopian reality, freedom must be accessed within individual minds.