Watchmen: Chapter XII - complete annotations

CHAPTER XII:

A STRONGER LOVING WORLD

Thematic Overview: 

Noted creators such as Darwyn Cooke and John Byrne have criticized Watchmen for being too grim, too pessimistic.  They argue it casts superheroes in the “wrong” light, eschewing the inherent optimism of these four-color demigods for a dreary, hedonistic view of humanity and superhumanity.  They protest that Watchmen is bereft of hope, a cornerstone of the superhero genre.  With all due respect, Cooke and Byrne and other like-minded people have completely misread Moore’s & Gibbons’s narrative.

Fittingly, this final chapter encompasses the overall theme of Watchmen, hope.  Hope for a better, more loving world, a world in which governments hell-bent on each other’s destruction find common ground and work toward peace.  It is a hope that subtly permeates this final chapter, simmering beneath the surface of the horror committed by Adrian Veidt and exemplified by all of the main actors in this drama.  In my introduction to this project I allowed that people’s varied interpretations of art are all valid.  But in this case, I must argue that anyone unwilling to see the optimism of Watchmen is bringing his or her prejudices too much to bear upon this narrative and has misconstrued the intent of the authors.  Watchmen is a dark and, at times, horrific piece of fiction, but behind its dismal, gray tones the possibility of a bright future is revealed.

The most obvious indication of this hopefulness is the climax of the book, when news reports stream across Veidt’s television sets proclaiming Russia’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent offer of assistance to America, averting the imminent nuclear devastation that had been hanging over everyone for so long.  This newfound cooperation between Russia and the United States is further exhibited in the final pages, as we follow Seymour through the reconstructed New York intersection that was ground zero for the “alien attack.”  Business signs – the Burgers ‘n Borscht restaurant, an advertised double feature of noted Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, at the New Utopia – and advertisements – Millennium fragrances and Sunburst candy – dot the NYC landscape, signifying this new forward-thinking atmosphere.   

Ultimately, the most significant symbols of hope are the heroes – each, in his or her own way, exemplifying the optimism inherent within the human spirit.  Veidt, unable to conceive of failure, risks his conscience and his life on a shocking plan, the outcome of which is never guaranteed.  Dr. Manhattan, so detached from humanity, brings hope to Laurie and the others when, convinced of the wonder of humanity, he returns to Earth.  Dan and Laurie, overwhelmed by the enormity of Veidt’s plan and the realization they must now become tacit accomplices, choose to take up their costumed mantles once more.  Each of them, despite the weight of their knowledge, chooses life. 

And finally, there is Rorschach.  Some might term it obstinacy, but his unwillingness to forego his moral code, even in the face of Veidt’s apparent triumph, is an unfettered and unflinching hopefulness that most of us cannot aspire to.  We are too practical, too logical, too insecure to adhere so resolutely to our convictions, especially when presented with such a damning argument against such a stance.  And yet, Rorschach refuses to give in, refuses to be swayed, refuses to give up.  And in that act he exemplifies the strongest positive outlook one can have – a hope against hope.

Watchmen: Chapter XII - thematic overview

CHAPTER XII:

A STRONGER LOVING WORLD

Thematic Overview: 

Noted creators such as Darwyn Cooke and John Byrne have criticized Watchmen for being too grim, too pessimistic.  They argue it casts superheroes in the “wrong” light, eschewing the inherent optimism of these four-color demigods for a dreary, hedonistic view of humanity and superhumanity.  They protest that Watchmen is bereft of hope, a cornerstone of the superhero genre.  With all due respect, Cooke and Byrne and other like-minded people have completely misread Moore’s & Gibbons’s narrative.

Fittingly, this final chapter encompasses the overall theme of Watchmen, hope.  Hope for a better, more loving world, a world in which governments hell-bent on each other’s destruction find common ground and work toward peace.  It is a hope that subtly permeates this final chapter, simmering beneath the surface of the horror committed by Adrian Veidt and exemplified by all of the main actors in this drama.  In my introduction to this project I allowed that people’s varied interpretations of art are all valid.  But in this case, I must argue that anyone unwilling to see the optimism of Watchmen is bringing his or her prejudices too much to bear upon this narrative and has misconstrued the intent of the authors.  Watchmen is a dark and, at times, horrific piece of fiction, but behind its dismal, gray tones the possibility of a bright future is revealed.

The most obvious indication of this hopefulness is the climax of the book, when news reports stream across Veidt’s television sets proclaiming Russia’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent offer of assistance to America, averting the imminent nuclear devastation that had been hanging over everyone for so long.  This newfound cooperation between Russia and the United States is further exhibited in the final pages, as we follow Seymour through the reconstructed New York intersection that was ground zero for the “alien attack.”  Business signs – the Burgers ‘n Borscht restaurant, an advertised double feature of noted Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, at the New Utopia – and advertisements – Millennium fragrances and Sunburst candy – dot the NYC landscape, signifying this new forward-thinking atmosphere.   

Ultimately, the most significant symbols of hope are the heroes – each, in his or her own way, exemplifying the optimism inherent within the human spirit.  Veidt, unable to conceive of failure, risks his conscience and his life on a shocking plan, the outcome of which is never guaranteed.  Dr. Manhattan, so detached from humanity, brings hope to Laurie and the others when, convinced of the wonder of humanity, he returns to Earth.  Dan and Laurie, overwhelmed by the enormity of Veidt’s plan and the realization they must now become tacit accomplices, choose to take up their costumed mantles once more.  Each of them, despite the weight of their knowledge, chooses life. 

And finally, there is Rorschach.  Some might term it obstinacy, but his unwillingness to forego his moral code, even in the face of Veidt’s apparent triumph, is an unfettered and unflinching hopefulness that most of us cannot aspire to.  We are too practical, too logical, too insecure to adhere so resolutely to our convictions, especially when presented with such a damning argument against such a stance.  And yet, Rorschach refuses to give in, refuses to be swayed, refuses to give up.  And in that act he exemplifies the strongest positive outlook one can have – a hope against hope.

Watchmen: Chapter XI - the complete annotations

CHAPTER XI:

LOOK ON MY WORKS, YE MIGHTY…

Thematic Overview: 

This penultimate chapter focuses on Adrian Veidt – Ozymandias.  Detached from humanity, his only kinship with a king, Alexander of Macedon, who died over 2300 years earlier, Veidt is a singular being.  His admiration for the lateral thinking of Alexander, with the ancient king’s solution of simply cutting the Gordian Knot, is second to none and has fueled aspirations to solve his own Gordian Knot – the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction was a “knot to try even Alexander’s ingenuity” (p. 21). 

Fittingly, this chapter revolves around knots, both literal and metaphorical.  The knot-tops, whom we have seen throughout the story, are the most obvious example of this motif, as Chapter XI opens, even though we don’t see any besides Aline until the very end of the chapter.  But they are mentioned a few times – specifically by the newsvendor, Bernie – as many knot-tops are at the Pale Horse/Krystalnacht concert in Madison Square Garden.

Aline carries another example of the “knots” motif in the form of the relationship advice book she shares with Joey, entitled Knots.  This is an obvious metaphor for the romantic entanglements we often find ourselves in, and the messy knots from which we must divest ourselves when those relationships do not work out.  And this reality plays out in front of us, as Joey and Aline suffer the fraying of their relationship.

These invisible connections are the ties that bind us as a civilization, and this most important and most significant knot is exemplified across the breadth of this chapter, as we watch the various secondary characters introduced over the course of this story all come together at a single intersection.  And it is at this intersection where the fragility of these binding connections is revealed, as Veidt puts his plan into action and devastates the city of New York – with this intersection as ground zero.  

Watchmen: Chapter XI - thematic overview

CHAPTER XI:

LOOK ON MY WORKS, YE MIGHTY…

Thematic Overview: 

This penultimate chapter focuses on Adrian Veidt – Ozymandias.  Detached from humanity, his only kinship with a king, Alexander of Macedon, who died over 2300 years earlier, Veidt is a singular being.  His admiration for the lateral thinking of Alexander, with the ancient king’s solution of simply cutting the Gordian Knot, is second to none and has fueled aspirations to solve his own Gordian Knot – the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction was a “knot to try even Alexander’s ingenuity” (p. 21). 

Fittingly, this chapter revolves around knots, both literal and metaphorical.  The knot-tops, whom we have seen throughout the story, are the most obvious example of this motif, as Chapter XI opens, even though we don’t see any besides Aline until the very end of the chapter.  But they are mentioned a few times – specifically by the newsvendor, Bernie – as many knot-tops are at the Pale Horse/Krystalnacht concert in Madison Square Garden.

Aline carries another example of the “knots” motif in the form of the relationship advice book she shares with Joey, entitled Knots.  This is an obvious metaphor for the romantic entanglements we often find ourselves in, and the messy knots from which we must divest ourselves when those relationships do not work out.  And this reality plays out in front of us, as Joey and Aline suffer the fraying of their relationship.

These invisible connections are the ties that bind us as a civilization, and this most important and most significant knot is exemplified across the breadth of this chapter, as we watch the various secondary characters introduced over the course of this story all come together at a single intersection.  And it is at this intersection where the fragility of these binding connections is revealed, as Veidt puts his plan into action and devastates the city of New York – with this intersection as ground zero. 

Watchmen: Chapter X - thematic overview

CHAPTER X:

TWO RIDERS WERE APPROACHING…

Thematic Overview: 

The title – “Two Riders Were Approaching…” – taken from the Bob Dylan song, “All Along the Watchtower,” lays out the visual motif for Chapter X.  This chapter is replete with two riders approaching, starting with Air Force 1 and Air Force 2 flying President Nixon and Vice President Ford in to NORAD.  It is here, where they believe themselves safely fortified against the approaching nuclear conflagration, that these two leaders of the free world will wait and see exactly how far the conflict in Europe escalates. 

From this point, we see a number of variations on two riders approaching, from the horror of the Black Freighter scenes to the pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses that stop at Bernie’s newsstand with a copy of the Watchtower.  The most significant instance of the two riders motif in this chapter comes from a comment by Rorschach on page 20 when he tells Nite Owl that the world is “on verge of apocalypse.  Death and War already here.  Other horsemen can’t be far behind.”  This acknowledgement of the metaphorical arrival of two of the four horsemen of the apocalypse heightens the sense of urgency within this story.  The end is nigh, and nothing seems able to halt that.

This metaphor also accentuates the reality that the finale of Watchmen is fast approaching.  As Moore & Gibbons finally start weaving their myriad plot threads together, the pattern begins to reveal itself.  The riders are the readers, marching toward the climax and the denouement that will give offer answers, while also providing more questions about this world.

Watchmen: Chapter IX - thematic overview

CHAPTER IX:

THE DARKNESS OF MERE BEING

Thematic Overview: 

Chapter IX centers on the haze through which we view our memories.  Whether the metaphorical rose-colored glasses (visually symbolized by the bottle of Nostalgia perfume) or the holes that crop into our minds with the distance of time, our memories are more subjective than objective, despite how ardently we might argue the point.  And with “The Darkness of Mere Being,” Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons put that truth on full display.

This chapter is most prominently about Laurie Juspeczyk – Silk Spectre II – learning the truth about who her father was, shattering the fallacies built up over the course of her life.  Not only does her mother deceive her, but Laurie also deceived herself, placing many of her memories into a distorted context that helped keep the truth suppressed.  This blurring of her history, of these memories, is most obviously represented in this chapter by the multiple times we see Laurie in a blurred or formless reflection – both in the polished surfaces of Dr. Manhattan’s Martian fortress as well as the recurring image of Laurie’s young face reflected in the snowglobe. 

Despite this focus, the vagaries of memory are not relegated solely to Laurie.  Dr. Manhattan, who is able to see all things at all times, admits, in this chapter, to having trouble seeing the future.  Images of destruction flicker in his mind’s eye, but the details are vague, stripping this information of proper context.  This is a first for the omnipotent Dr. Manhattan, but he quickly offers a plausible, if hypothetical, explanation, giving readers permission to let that little bit of data to fade away – in the same manner that memories fade over time.  But it is this inability of Dr. Manhattan to precisely see the future that leads to the climax of this chapter.  And, in the end, these indistinct memories are sometimes the realities that allow us to deal with the hardships life throws at us.