Month: January 2015

A graphic novel was the next choice of text to study the theme of antihero. As far as graphic novels go main heroes are usually outcasts fighting beside the law yet never coinciding quite with them. V in this instance is the usual, a failed experiment in which he escaped. This gave him a special mind set, and uses his own ways to keep the world society from evil etc etc. The ideas of breaking out of the controls of government through destruction couldn’t be by a pure hero- that would be sought through other means than the belief of total destruction bringing creation.

My first text was decidedly a challenging linguistic dilemma of a dystopian world, peppered with extremely appropriate antihero themes and ideas. The basic structure and ideas of the text are of a future time in English society where the youth are extremely violent, controlling much of society in gangs. When Alex is caught, the government try to use a new technique called the ‘Ludovico technique’ of which it’s purpose is to effectively brainwash and implicate moral values to change the way the person behaves.

As a character Alex is a character drawn out to gain the attention and side of the reader. His ‘humble narrator’ himself is somewhat of a likable person merely showing his grotesque juvenile life as a front man for the entertainment of youth violence. Representing the problems raised by an intellectual and ultraviolent young population, Alex is a showman of his own words- a delight to be toured around with. Even if some of the cruel events found uplifting to him and the droogs are morally wrong (if not perceived so by themselves) the narrator presents as an ordinary occurrence and manage to lull you in with witty irony. This is where the theme of antihero creeps in. It only succeeds for the people that get along with Alex, where that has to overcome the readers morals and for them to accept that what he is doing feels like the right thing in this world. Otherwise the book could fail with the reader hating the character, all he’s done and feeling no sympathy to what later happens to him. Matching definitions is easy as the protagonist is obviously displayed as the ‘good’ and main character. What he partakes and enjoys in is also respectably cruel, violent and unacceptable, creating a boy who is known for doing wrong but is still liked by the reader because you will have either accepted that he doesn’t know any better, right from wrong or don’t care less about his rebellious nature.

As well as the implications of the main protagonist, the Government contribute to a twisted idea of good and bad. While they are simply stopping crime on their streets by condemning criminals, the lack of free will attached to undergoing the Ludovico treatment changes perspective as noted by the religious gift to the prison Alex was previously held in. Flipping the coin to the other direction the ‘good’ side of the law limits the freedom of others so ends up as the villainous of the the side and Alex being sympathized with by the reader, therefore neatly presenting the theme of antihero.