After her rescue from the Fingermen and throughout the first half of the novel, Evey hides from the world in V’s lair, avoiding contact with the danger of V’s efforts to combat the English fascist regime. The childish nature of Evey is symbolized by Moore by his allusion to the text The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Moore sets a scene with V sitting next to Evey’s sleeping frame as soft hues of yellow light contrast against the black shadows of a child’s bedroom.  V reads to Evey from The Faraway Tree;“ ‘Let’s dig an enormous castle!’ cried Moon-Face. ‘Then we can all sit on the top of it when the sea comes in’ ” (Moore 68). The Faraway Tree  is a series of childrens' books written from­­­­­ 1939-1951 by Enid Blyton, a famous British writer whose over 700 books has made many call her the most successful British children’s book author ever to have written (Rudder 10).   The story of The Faraway Tree is one of coziness and fantasy. In the book, children climb a gigantic magical tree with branches penetrating the heavens. One of the more subtle themes of the book, and the most pertinent to understanding V for Vendetta involves the idea of change. The children to return to a different magical land every time they climb the tree because each kingdom “moves on.”  As V reads, “Yes, said silky, but it’s time we went back to the Faraway Tree. This land will soon be moving on-and as nice as it is, we don’t want to live here forever” (Moore 68). Although not explicitly stated in the quote, the The Faraway Tree is about adapting to changing conditions and growing up, two actions that Evey eventually begins to undertake after the scene with her transformation at the hands of V.  In effect, the increasing height of the Faraway Tree, as well as the Tree's ambitions for growing even taller symbolize Evey's branching out in depth and substance as a character.  In the beginning of the novel, Evey is a scared one-dimensional character. By the end of V for Vendetta, Evey is depicted as a complex, rational adult because of Moore's efforts to expand on her character complexity as the novel progresses.  In terms of the book's theme of anarchy versus totalitarianism, the allusion includes an emphasis on the passage “Isn’t this THE LAND OF DO-AS-YOU-PLEASE.”  With this quote, Moore references the armed revolution of V; the allusion supports the novel's imperative of overthrowing despotic government.

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    One of the most pivotal points in the text is Evey’s escape from her reliance on others for protection and emotional support. In the first half of the novel, Evey continually voices her suspicion that V is her biological father.  In the scene, V blindfolds the confused Evey, ordering her to follow him from the comfort of his layer to the outside world.  Evey finds herself alone on a deserted street outside the lair. V stands with his back facing Evey, cites the same quote from The Faraway Tree read in the earlier bedroom scene. Eventually, V ends the passage with a dramatic “I’m not your father Evey. Your father is dead” (Moore 99-100). Evey, horrified,  pleads for V “to take me home,” in an effort to escape her pain and fear sheltered behind V’s doors (Moore 100). Evey grabs V, only to find that the image of V talking to her is really an elaborate costume and tape-recorder.  The frame pans out to show Evey in the middle of a desolate, lonely scene. The allusion to The Faraway Tree marks a major turning point for Evey because she is thrust from V's sheltered protection out into the real world, starting a progression of maturity leading to her enlightenment.  The timing also marks the beginning of the last time V calls her Evey; after her rain re-birth, she is known as “Eve.”  The Faraway Tree  is a symbol of childhood innocence, dependence and naivete. The allusion is important for describing the maturity of Evey, also changing the novel's main protagonist spotlight from V to Evey.  In addition the allusion highlights one of the book's major messages of changing the status quo, not hiding from it.

Images

 

When reading the graphic novel V for Vendetta one cannot help but notice the use of a rose by V after the murder of one of his victims(word choice). The rose that V uses in the novel is called a Violet Carson and many readers do not even think about the importance and implications this rose can have other than maybe just accepting that it is a rose that starts with the letter V. If this were the case though one would think Moore would use the Vendetta rose. However, the Violet Carson has a much deeper purpose in the novel. Violet Carson is actually a famous British actress whom the rose was named after in 1965. Violet Carson played a beloved character on the soap opera “Coronation Street” from 1960 to 1980 and the show still runs today being the longest running soap opera in England. Through this role Violet Carson became a household name throughout Britain. Violet Carson plays the role of Ena Sharples in “Coronation Street” who is a key member of the community and was a caretaker at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall and then later the Street’s Community Center. Ena Sharples was the self-proclaimed moral voice of the show and this is where we understand the choice for using the rose in the graphic novel.  The rose, therefore, represents both a tribute to the famed actress that passed away in 1983 and a representation of V's morality. V uses this rose on his victims who have done harm not only to him but countless others and V is considered taking moral action based upon the crimes that these people have committed. In the novel V portrays a moral voice and by using this rose and understanding the implications behind the Violet Carson rose helps the reader understand its correlation to V's past of Larkhill and his desire to punish those who have caused harm in the past. This allusion not only serves as an allusion outside the novel but also within it once the reader finds out the purpose behind the use of the Violet Carson rose.

Another key part of the novel is V’s pattern itself. V’s pattern is a circle with a V in it. Even though the circle in the V for Vendetta symbol is not an allusion it still holds a greater implication than just the image itself. The symbol itself is extremely similar to the symbol for anarchy, just upside down and without the cross in the A. The circle A anarchist symbol is thought to of become the better known symbol for anarchy because its simple design is easy to graffiti. The V for Vendetta symbol is also frequently scene throughout the novel graffitied on walls and posters.The variation of the anarchist symbol makes sense as this is the role that V is taking against the fascist British government. Alan Moore the author in an interview stated that a motivator for this graphic novel was that he was upset with the English government in the 1980's under Margaret Thatcher so he decided to write novel based in his own country. Moore also stated, "Well I suppose I first got involved in radical politics as a matter of course, during the late 1960s when it was a part of the culture. The counterculture, as we called it then, was very eclectic and all embracing. It included fashions of dress, styles of music, philosophical positions, and, inevitably, political positions. And although there would be various political leanings coming to the fore from time to time, I suppose that the overall consensus political standpoint was probably an anarchist one. Although probably back in those days, when I was a very young teenager, I didn’t necessarily put it into those terms." Alan Moore's graphic novel V for Vendetta has strong ties to anarchism and this can be the reason behind the similarities between V's symbol and the circle A symbol for anarchy. Having an understanding of what the Anarchism symbol implies can also provide a more clear message of what V's symbol is representative of throughout the novel.

      V Symbol                                               Anarchist Symbol

            Another allusion to identity in the graphic novel and film is the historical allusion to Guy Fawkes and the use of the mask to hide one’s identity. V for Vendetta explores the concept of identity greatly. One key concept based on the use of the mask is to show that hiding one’s identity can help get past only visuals and get to ideas which are what is truly important. V’s identity is more based on the ideas he embodies than what he looks like. The novel is expressing that perhaps we put too much value into looks and not enough into ideas. Also the mask allows us to see V as anyone because we see V’s ideas and attach these ideas to the Guy Fawkes masks that he wears. By us seeing V as anyone so does the Norsefire and this masking of identity also serves as protection. The fact that the mask is made to look like Guy Fawkes also has its own implications. Guy Fawkes is famous for a failed gunpowder plot on November 5, 1605 this date has become a national holiday in England. The fact that V embodies Guy Fawkes only adds to the stories themes of revolution and rebellion. It also adds to V’s purpose himself to recreate the failed gunpowder plot in modern day when the fascist government of Britain gains too much control. By examining this historical allusion and understanding the history of Guy Fawkes one can come across a complete understanding of many of the films major concepts. A key verse from the holiday:

 

 

 

 

This leads back to the theme of identity and how V’s identity is his idea and not his actual appearance. This verse shows the importance of the idea and how ideas can last forever. V wishes to convey the idea that the government should work for its people instead of controlling its people. The use of Guy Fawkes adds to this idea because the government is made for the people and when the people become unhappy with it they have the power to take matters into their own hands as Guy Fawkes and several other men did when they were unhappy with the treatment of Catholics under King James I. This quote is also refers to a quote by Thomas Jefferson, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” This concept of fear is ever present in V for Vendetta and it is pointed out and emphasized that fear is used as a ploy for control and that people need to question these controls. The allusion to Guy Fawkes enables us to get this key concept that one should not be afraid to stand up for their beliefs against a tyrannical government because the purpose of the government is to serve the people. By exploring and understanding this allusion one understands the value of identity and its meaning throughout the novel.

 

Conclusion:

A large part of V for Vendetta's complexity results from instances where Moore gave the work a specific cultural context. Alan Moore enriched the novel's themes and enforced its characters by including historical and cultural allusions that represent, in themselves, the messages of the text. The use of Macbeth in the opening scene introduces the role of fate in V for Vendetta, foreshadowing future events that will shape the character development of V and Evey. A subtle background song, "Dancing in the Street," even in its jovility, suggests a future imperative for social revolt based on its historical context. One passage from a famous British children's book, The Faraway Tree, is used to represent maturation and positive change, detailing the growth of Evey from naive youth to defiant activist. In addition, background elements; the continual use of a famous revolutionary's face, allusion to the anarchy flag and a flower allusion to a famous actress, help to give V for Vendetta a new richness in detail and depth.  As the paper has shown, awareness as to the significance of these allusions can help realize the outside influences on the work and the messages Moore wants to convey.  Continued study and application of this method of studying background allusions can provide both the casual reader and the hardened scholar with an enhanced understanding of the text.

Citations:

 

 

Briggs J, Butts D, and Grenby M .Popular children's literature in Britain. Hampshire, England : Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2008

Harris, William. The Thematic Importance of Skelton's Allusion to Horace in Magnyfycence. Studies in English Literature 1500-1900: 1963, Vol 3, p 9-18.

Hunt, Peter. 1996: 'Enid Blyton.' Hettinga and Shmidt 1996: 50-71

 

Lathey, Gillian. The translation of children's literature : a reader.  Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto: Multilingual Matters Ltd, 2006

Moore, Alan and Lloyd, David. V for Vendetta. DC Comics, Broadway New York, 2005

Rudder, Randy. "World's Most Prolific Writers." Kalmbach Publishing Co: Writer; 2005:Vol. 118, p10.Bowen, Zach. Musical allusions in the works of James Joyce: early poetry through Ulysses. State University of New York Press. Albany, 1974

 

Smith, Suzanne E. Dancing in the Street : Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 2000

http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Annotations/Alan%20Moore/V%20for%20Vendetta/V%20for%20Vendetta%20Revised%20-%20Complete.html