Right at the get-go, Moore introduces us to the metaphor of a story-within-a-story; The Tails of the Black Freighter comic. In the world of Watchmen, the entertainment focus shifted from superheroes to pirates long ago due to people growing tired over superhero antics in real life. This is summed up very simply and solidly by the News stand salesman, whilst simultaneously alluding to popular comic book heroes, Superman and The Flash:
"Y.know, Super-heroes are finished. These days it's all about Pirates...Back in '39, before the real masked men showed up, super-hero comics were enormous. Guess their appeal wore off... I remember there was Super-man, Flash-man..."This gives us exposition on the state of the public opinion of superheroes, then and now.
As for the function of the story-within-a-story, it serves as a metaphor for the looming threat of nuclear war. Imagery such as in the opening helps drive this point: We begin upon a man putting up a black and yellow sign for a fallout shelter while narration from the Tales of the Black Freighter is read over it, "Delirious, I saw that Hell-bound ship's black sails against the yellow indies sky, and knew again the stench of powder and men's brains, and war."Tragically, we are beginning to see that war, specifically death, is more of an inevitability than a possibility.
There is an allusion that the "Survivor" in the Black Freighter could symbolize Dr. Manhattan. In the last panel on page 3, the Survivor caresses the face of a wooden figurehead that had carried him safely to land. In the next panel we come in on Dr. Manhattan caressing Laurie's face whilst engaging in intimate activities, in the same manner the Survivor was caressing the figurehead. All the while this narration reads: "Her damp embrace had prevented me from drifting beyond reach, yet this small comfort was all I could offer... (Segues into the panel with Dr. Manhattan and Laurie) I could not love her as she had loved me." This paints Jon and the Survivor both as mostly detached people still holding on to humanity, but barely by a thread. Furthermore, it could be implied that if there were a Nuclear fallout, Jon could easily Survive it. Although, if we assume that the horrible tragedy that struck the Survivor's crew is symbolic of the Nuclear Fallout, after Jon leaves earth, this narration from the Black Freighter may prove that he is not the Survivor, but rather an uncaring, departed God: "That night, I slept badly beneath cold, distant stars, pondering upon the cold, distant God in whose hands the fate of Davidstown rested. Was he really there? Had he been there once, but now departed?" This statement serves to symbolize Jon who had left earth on the forefront of possible nuclear disaster, as the Survivor's God had left his crew when the were slaughtered by the Black Freighter.
An interesting use of symbolism I found in this chapter were the clouds, mists and general smoky substances representing the things that Jon had become detached to. Early in the chapter Laurie says about Jon, "This world, the real world, to Him it's like walking through mist, and all the people are like Shadows... just shadows in the Fog." As Laurie states this, she is blocked from view by the steam from a teapot; because they had just broke up, this represents Dr. Manhattan's detachment from her. On the cover of the chapter, there is a waft of smoke in front of the fallout shelter sign, representing his detachment from the well being of humans. When Jon decides to leave the planet he is surrounded by a ring of dust or smoke right before he teleports, emphasizing the entirety of humanity he is leaving behind.Finally, on Mars, Dr. Manhattan is walking about the new planet whilst a trail of dust and dirt is kicked up behind him, this, along with the simultaneous glimpses of the United States talking possible collateral damage in a coming Nuclear war, help symbolize the huge problem on earth Jon has left behind.
Chapter 4
In this chapter of Watchmen (My second favorite, next to the next chronological issue) We are given a ton of exposition through Dr. Manhattan's omniscient perspective. He experiences time in "all at once", and the entirety of the issue is an example of this. For those who have read Slaughter House Five: this is a very similar technique that Kurt Vonnegut used for the main character Billy Pilgrim; "Billy Pilgrim had become unstuck in time..." This approach gives a very untypical structure of the story, and in doing so helps us better understand Dr. Manhattan's perspective. His narration helps to differentiate Dr. Manhattan's omniscient perspective from a simple flashback; he only speaks in the present tense in each scene regardless of 'time'.
I like your perspective. I noticed the parallel between the Survivor and Dr. Manhattan. I still wonder what Moore's motivation was in including it. Maybe it is purely for story enhancement, it just seems like an oddly convoluted method.
ReplyDeleteThe connection you made about the clouds and mist, what an observation! I didn't notice it, but that's what is so interesting about this story.
I appreciated your reference to Vonnegut. The constant time shifts, and present tense perspective of Dr. Manhattan lends itself to understanding how frantic his mind must be.