Lissa Gallucci Writing and Rhetoric Amy Bertken 20 February 2012 Short Essay Two: V for Vendetta Every person has his or her own unique story. The series of events that occur in an individual’s life help shape the person they are and help them figure out who they want to become in the future. In the graphic novel, V For Vendetta, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, the character, V, recognizes the importance of overcoming one’s past in order to make positive changes and accomplish what they truly desire in the future.
In the novel, the character Evey experiences extreme adversities that ultimately demonstrate the importance of overcoming past fears. As a child, Evey struggled with her mother’s death and father’s arrest, causing her to grow up with much uncertainty. Later in her life, a masked man, V, whom she grows very close too, rescues her from a group of “fingermen. ” Unfortunately, he ends up abandoning her on the street. Luckily, a man named Gordon offers to take care of her, but just as Evey becomes very close with him, he is murdered.After enduring so many horrific events, Evey gains possession of a gun and sets out to get revenge for all of her losses.
This course of action is based upon impulse, without planning and without realization of what she hopes to accomplish. She must let go of the resentment and fear that she has been holding on for so long to in order to make progress in her life. Under the close watch of V, Evey is able to learn that while many people are living in their own prison created by their past, they are all capable of setting themselves free.After what Evey thought was V torturing her for no reason, she soon feels empowered by fact that she freed herself from the prison V was keeping her in.
she begins to show signs that she is letting go of earlier events and is ready to move on when she says, “ V? Here are some things that I moved out of my room. I don’t need them anymore” (Page 183). By removing many objects from her childhood and addressing V with respect, she shows her acceptance and maturity about previous deaths and betrayals.Ultimately, she moves on from traumatic experiences that she has held on too her entire life in order to transform into a young woman that she is proud of.
As Evey begins to mature and grow up, she is able to see what she desires in the future. Unlike when Evey was a child, she is finally able to look in a mirror and understand exactly who she is destined to be (Page 251). The image shows a large amount of contrast on Evey’s legs as well as the background, yet it does not highlight or shadow any significant objects.This gives an equal amount of both lighting and darkness to the image, showing the possibility that good or bad may come out of Evey seeing her reflection.
Seeing our reflection in the mirror is often a way to reflect on who we are and how we present ourselves to the outside world. Sometimes we may think about things we have experienced in the past that we believe define us and have an impact on how the world sees us. It is when we stare at ourselves through a mirror that we are able to see the image that others associates our character with, causing fear and uncertainty if we will like the image we project to others.The two pictures of Evey walking towards a mirror are focused on her legs. Multiple images of ultimately the same thing provide anticipation in finding out if Evey can finally look into the mirror and recognize who she is and if she can be proud of that person.
The day that a person is able to look in the mirror and be happy with what they see is a huge accomplishment. It tells us that are growing up, learning from our mistakes, and setting goals to continue to be someone who others can look up too and learn from.After Evey has approached the mirror, the next image is framed so that it no longer appears that she is looking at a reflection of herself. This implies that who Evey is on the inside as well as the outside are finally coexistent and show that she is at peace with who she is. The vantage point of the image allows us to see Evey’s reflection through her own eyes.
There is no angle, eliminating an outside perspective of someone else’s view of the person she is.This shows Evey’s confidence that she does not need approval from others and wants to lead her own life based upon her own beliefs. For most of Evey’s life she has been concerned with following the rules set by the government in order to stay out of trouble. It is not always in our best interest to ignore what we believe is right just because a higher power tells us so.
Using a direct approach to the image, we see that Evey is able to look at herself head on and know what her purpose is: To take on the role of V.Once people figure out who they are on the inside, they can feel confident about the person they are displaying on the outside, and no longer need to use their reflection to help discover themselves. As Evey realizes what her future holds for her, she reveals the joy that has for the woman she has finally become. The final image zooms in on Eve’s face and frames her smiling with satisfaction, just as the way V smiles, signifying that V succeeded in teaching Evey everything he knows and has given her the strength to continue living on her own without fear.
Her smile expresses her satisfaction in taking on the role of V to try and restore order to her country. This image is a huge turning point in Evey’s life, which explains why the author chose to make this image twice the size of the other images on the page. Just as the way we remember important events more vividly than others, the larger image portrays the same idea. Getting rid of past emotions that we have acquired over our lifetime can help us create a better future.
Thus it is important to address and deal with these feelings in order to mature into a happy and confident individual. People are shaped by the challenges they face over the course of their lifetime. Every one is capable of moving on to bigger and better things if they learn to accept their past and use it as a way to improve their future. It is these experiences that ultimately give us the motivation and passion to mature into young men and women that we can be proud of.
