Profile of Rorschach in Alan Moore’s Watchmen

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Who chooses our heroes? Who watches our heroes? Who watches the Watchmen? Over

the course of history, many public figures have been scrutinized for heroic actions that some

have deemed controversial. Charles Darwin dismantled theories of Creationism with his

discoveries in evolutionary biology. President Harry Truman single-handedly ended World War

II by authorizing the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, killing thousands upon

thousands of civilians. Gangster John Dillinger stole from banks all across the U.S. Midwest in

the midst of the Great Depression and was heralded by some as a modern-day Robin Hood. All

of these figures share a common characteristic concerning their heroic lore: the controversy

surrounding the decisions they have made continues to resonate throughout society.

We find the same debate about controversial heroes in our literature as well. Probably the

most well-known example of this in the graphic novel genre exists in Alan Moore’s Watchmen.

While the story follows the perspectives of several vigilantes, the most interesting of the group

may be Walter Kovacs, or Rorschach. A man with a mysterious ink-blot mask and even more

mysterious persona, he represents due justice in its purest form and will go to any length to make

sure that it is carried out. He must ignore the corrupt authority that exists in the world of

Watchmen and the criticism that he receives from the public to do what he knows is right.

Rorschach’s heroism stems from his immunity from public corruption and opinion. He sees

criminals escape justice, whether it is because of a cold case or botched police work, and hunts

them down himself. Rorschach does not disregard the law, but works above i...

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... the good

people in our society. Lastly, a hero will do the unpopular task in order to make sure good

prevails. They risk the opinion of the public eye in order to preserve righteousness. Rorschach is

not a superhuman with powers the common man is incapable of. He is an individual who had an

epiphany and saw something wrong with the world. Rorschach did not simply go out and spread

the ideas he thought encapsulated “good”; he, instead, went out and made a change in the world

armed only with his journal. Anyone can be heroic and all it takes is an idea and a will to fight.

Works Cited

Dietrich, B.D. “The human stain: chaos and the rage for order in Watchmen”. Extrapolation 50.1

(2009): 120-144. Print.

The Code of Hammurabi. Trans. L.W. King. Holy Ebooks. Web. October 14, 2009.

Moore, Alan. Watchmen. New York: DC Comics, 1986. Print.

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