Themes connecting V for Vendetta and The Road

Both V for Vendetta and The Road are based on a post apocalyptic future where the world as we know it has been destroyed and the result is that people have descended into chaos which they cannot control. The ability to survive is what keeps the people in these novels going because not to have this ability means that the people involved will have to be destroyed. In addition, there are various moral themes which are designed to ensure that the reader understands the circumstances that the various characters have to undergo to retain their morality throughout the novels. These novels are essentially a discussion of the possibilities of events which are likely to take place in a post apocalyptic world.

One of the themes in these novels are that of parent children relationships and this is mainly because of the fact that the main characters have these relationships. In The Road, there is an unspecified apocalypse which leads to the destruction of civilization and almost all of the life on the planet and it is during this period that an unspecified man and his son attempt to escape winter by traveling south where it is warmer and there is less danger of their being attacked by cannibals, who, having nothing to eat have turned towards other human beings. This is similar to V in V for Vendetta, who has for years taken drastic action against the order established in the post apocalyptic Britain, where after a nuclear war that destroys the world, the country has been taken over by fascists (Moore, 12). V takes Hevy Hammond under his wing and comes to play a father figure to her after the lack of parental attention that she received for most of her life, since the fascist government killed all of her family and the people that she loved. In both novels, one will find that the father figure is a strong character who serves as the bastion of hope for those who look up to them despite all the odds that they have to face in order to attain their goals.

Survival of the fittest is a theme which dominates both of these novels and this is mainly because of the fact that in the post apocalyptic period, people have to do some very selfish things in order to survive. This can be seen in The Road where because of the shortage of food, some human beings have chosen to become cannibals in order to be able to survive (McCarthy, 147). Moreover, in V for Vendetta, it has become the custom for individuals to only fend for themselves. These people have chosen to become subservient to the fascist government instead of fighting for the democratic tradition that has been a part of British life for many centuries. The fascist government on the other hand, works towards its own survival through ensuring that it runs a police state where all the people in society are placed under close surveillance in order to prevent any form of rebellion. In addition, despite all the odds that he faces throughout his captivity, V is able to survive while all the others who were tortured and experimented on do not. Despite the hardships that he undergoes, V is able to become stronger from them and when he finally manages to device a way to escape, he comes to plant the seeds which will eventually lead to the destruction of the fascist government which is responsible for his experiences. The father and son also go through a lot during their journey as they have to fight off various groups of cannibals as well as gangs as they move towards achieving their goals. Despite the fact that his wife killed herself because she could not bear to live in a world of chaos, this does not happen in the case of the man who chooses to live for the sake of his son. Even though he is most likely suffering from a serious lung disease, he continues to show great strength to the last minute when he dies, leaving his son behind.

Morality is a prominent theme throughout both of these novels and this is mainly seen through the actions of the main characters. Despite the fact that most of the food supplies have been depleted in the country, the man and his son work towards maintaining their morality through making sure not to fall into the temptation of cannibalism. The man tells his son that they are among “the good guys” and that because of this; they cannot indulge in the vices which have come to dominate the society around them. It is also because of the man’s morality that he chooses to live even though his wife commits suicide shortly after giving birth to their son because she could not live in the post apocalyptic world. He chooses not to follow the same path because he feels his responsibilities as a father and realizes that he cannot die without first making sure that his son is safe. Furthermore, he makes sure to carry two bullets in a revolver during his journey with his son and these bullets are meant for each of them in case they come to a situation where they have no option other than dying a painful death, especially in the hands of the cannibals. The same is the case in V for Vendetta where V, seeing the injustice that is taking place in society, chooses to take action to bring the fascist government that presides over it down (Moore, 10). Through the story that he gives of Valerie, a lesbian who was in prison with him, he encourages Evey not to give up on the struggle for a just society. In addition, V is attempting to restore the concept of relative morality in the society as a means of ensuring that all the people have their freedom of choice and are not guided by an autocratic government which tells them what to do.

In conclusion, the lives of the main characters of these novels are driven by various themes which dictate their lives. Among these is the fight for morality in societies where the sense of morality is completely perverted. Moreover there is a sense of parental responsibility for by older individuals over the younger ones as they work towards ensuring that the younger ones survive in a traitorous world. Finally, the theme of survival of the fittest also prominent in the novels as the main characters seeks to survive against all odds.