V for Vendetta- Getting Philosophical

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore is a graphic novel set in fictional totalitarian Britain in the late 1990s haunted by a vigilante who calls himself "V", accompanied by the naive Evey Hammond. The story develops as V rescues Evey from a pack of government agents as they attempt to rape her and the two embark on a journey of vengeance while slowly falling in love. The story is full of symbols and great opportunities for philosophical dwelling, which I will explore in this blog post. 

On one of our Socrates Cafe discussions with my philoso-family, we came across an important philosophical dilemma in the book. While I argued that V was fighting for justice partially because of selflessness, my friend argued that he did it completely out of revenge for his unfair treatment at Larkhill. I believed (as I still do) that some parts of V's fight for freedom was empowered by the feeling of leadership and compassion for the manipulated citizens of the country. I also acknowledge that V was mostly just looking for revenge that had nothing to do with selflessness. However, I believe that if his actions were solely powered by this, he wouldn't had made his rebellion so public. V believed that the more he demonstratedrevolution in   front of the public, the more aware and empowered the public would become. And this shows how we used his drive for revenge to improve everyone's lives, not just his satisfaction. 

Another question my philoso-family formed recently was whether we considered V to be a hero or not. We weighted all the things V did that could be called 'heroic' against his actions that weren't nearly as noble. I realized that V was neither, because while he fought against unjust oppression, he also did this in ways that could be considered ethically wrong. One big indication that lead me to make this point was how almost all V's actions were out of revenge. For me, a hero never sought revenge by inflicting the same damage to whatever hurt them. A hero would always show the enemy compassion and never "stooped down" to their level. On the other hand, V's unjust actions to seek revenge also helped many other people ruled by the government. His violence inspired others to open their eyes and claim their rights. Because he benefited so many people because of his actions, I cannot make the statement that V is not a hero. However, because of all the other unethical things he does, it would not be fitting to call him a hero. The right thing to call V would perhaps be a vigilante; someone that seeks rightful revenge and fights for freedom with punishments and rules set by themselves and themselves only.