We have witnessed hundreds of deaths occur, and every time we watched with wide-eyed dormancy. Throughout the United States alone, with the help of the government and people alike, countless protests have faded away before stirring much influence, if at all. Without a significant, unified force, the dominoes will always fall in a predestined pattern, but a single piece out of place can transform the outcome of the entire structure. In the psychological thriller V for Vendetta, the piece is V, a revolutionary figure who catalyzed a nationwide uprising against the controlling, corrupt government by frustrated, disillusioned people. However, that premise alone does not fully encapsulate the beauty of the film. Through his methods, ideology, and symbolism, V raised many points—and many questions—concerning the power of the people; and, more importantly, the revival of the forgotten voices and sacrifices we have long since buried. 

Grief is a powerful, gripping force; it can bring people to their knees, yet likewise, hoist many on their feet through lifelong vendettas. As depicted in the film, lost life, sense of self, freedom, control, and happiness had hollowed Great Britain through sorrow. However, that same loss became the spark which burned down the capital. Grief is painful and everlasting, but because of its permanence, the dead will never fully leave us. Through our memories, actions, anger, and woe, they’ll forever live on. 

Similarly, our history is a foreordained cycle that, despite the violence and reformations, may never be broken. A utopia for many is still a dystopia for some. V himself recognizes the danger; although revolutions can dismantle tyranny, history demonstrates that new governments often inherit the very values they sought to destroy. As stated by Rin Fang—a fictional character similar to V in The Poppy Wars trilogy—after successfully taking over the previous authoritarian regime, “She could see the future and its shape was already drawn, pre-determined by patterns that had been set in motion before she was born–patterns of cruelty and dehumanization and oppression and trauma that had pulled her right back into the place where the [the past regime] had once stood. And if she did this…she would only re-create those patterns–because there would be resistance, there would be blood, and the only way she could eliminate that possibility was by burning down the entire world…” (The Burning God). The only way to eliminate inequality would be to eliminate the very complexities of human existence itself; yet, through introspection and action—similar to V’s process of rebellion—we may lessen the divide between poverty and prosperity.

As demonstrated through modern social media, there is much strength behind anonymity. V’s mask shielded his identity; he was potentially anyone and anything, yet resembled no one. Through spreading his disguise as a costume among his followers, that power became collective, unified, and universal. By first inspiring the people through his radical bravery, then increasing his supporters through speeches and violence, and finally unifying them, V successfully rallied an entire country to reclaim the voices they had forgotten they possessed.

V was able to do so much in such a short time, primarily because he was able to shake loose from the one thing holding back humanity—fear of death. If maintaining humanity through shared ideas and knowledge means sacrifice, in V’s mind, there is no greater honor than to do so. Through surveillance, propaganda, fear, and violence, the government cultivated learned helplessness; we are mostly but never fully powerless. Life is fleeting, but beliefs are bulletproof.

However, does this new burden truly guarantee freedom? Can violence be justified for a “good” cause? If we hurt the people we love to change who they are "for the cause”, do we actually love them? V for Vendetta is not by any means a guidebook for political campaigns. It does, though, encapsulate many underlying philosophies of remonstration. Perhaps V’s greatest victory, despite all he destroyed, was the resurrection of the screams long since buried. The dead may never cast another vote or march in the streets, but through memory, conviction, and collective action, they continue to shape the present. Every forgotten protest and every life sacrificed becomes another domino in history’s endless chain. Whether we watch them fall or reorganize the design is ultimately the responsibility of the living.

Image Credit

Mars, Bruce. Man Holding His Chin Facing Laptop Computer. Photograph. February 14, 2018. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/man-holding-his-chin-facing-laptop-computer-xj8qrWvuOEs.