V for Vendetta Analysis
Seminar Assignment – V for Vendetta 2a) Describe the differences between the fascist Norsefire government’s and V’s anarchist view of a “healthy country.” How do Norsefire and V define the role of the government and the role of the citizen differently? The chaos and fury of the violence of the post-apocalyptic Britain initiated the radically right-winged Norsefire regime: fascists that united with the surviving big companies and businesses, giving them the appearance of wealth and stability. Yet, even if the Norsefire regime did agreeably bring order back to the country, there was a price to pay: ethnic and racial minorities like Black people, Indians, and Pakistanis were gathered and place in concentration camps. Religious groups such as Jews, Muslims, and other minorities such as homosexuals and political leftists were also abused. Once all the plausible enemies were eliminated, Norsefire began centralize their power over the country. They started to use their influence in the Church of England, making it more powerful and influential. They promoted and demoted members of the clergy as they thought appropriate. They also took over the television companies, creating NTV (Norsefire Television), and carried out technologies that could closely monitor the society, including closed-circuit television. V, the anarchist protagonist of the story, threatens their control over the state. He seeks to overthrow the regime and allow the people to decide their own fate. Anarchy means “without rulers.” Anarchism makes no prohibition on the existence of leaders, but rather slightly requires a prohibition on all rulership. Thus, anarchism does not prohibit retaliatory violence, only initiatory violence. Yet, responsive force must be proportional to the aggressive force. One tactic V uses throughout the story is the bombing of government buildings. First, V blows up the concentration camp, the Parliament, the Old Bailey, the Jordan