Controversy

Almost any sort of literature with political themes has the ability to be controversial, because at least one dissenting voice will always be present. However, in V for Vendetta, the government and V’s actions against it are so different from society in the United States that a greater number of people would find fault with it.

One thing most Americans take pride in is their form of government. With a history of forcing governmental systems on other countries and going to war because of political purposes, the United States is the veritable president of the Democracy Fan Club. Therefore, a rather basic point of contention with V for Vendetta is the fact that the book has no real mention of democracy. V has fallen in love with Madame Anarchy, not Lady Liberty, and while he is fighting a fascist government, it is to rid the system of its Orwellian features, not necessarily instate a democratic replacement.

V himself is another controversial subject. A self-proclaimed bogeyman and villain, he is an anarchic terrorist who does not hesitate to kill anyone – a government’s worst enemy. Although he is the protagonist, a reader who cheers him on is condoning violent governmental upheaval, regardless of the type of administration V is against. Again, Americans in general are proud of their democracy, want to see it flourish, and tend to abhor any threat of dissent.

The topics of anarchy and terrorism would be controversial in any setting, but the time period in which V for Vendetta was released is also important. Although it was toward the end of the Cold War, the United States was still at odds with a country that condoned similar techniques to those seen in the graphic novel, which in itself could make readers uncomfortable.