Watchmen as Literature by Sara J. Van Ness

Author:Sara J. Van Ness [Ness, Sara J. Van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Published: 2014-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Fig. 6.4. Rorschach’s visit brings back Dreiberg’s memories of the past (Moore and Gibbons 1.13).

With the imposition of the Keene Act, Dreiberg voluntarily complied with the government’s mandatory retirement. He placed his costume, gadgets, and other inventions in an underground lair, beneath his New York City apartment, and did not use them for years (4.23). He is apparently unhappy with his present life at the beginning of the novel, especially when Rorschach pays him a visit, which conjures old memories of his past life as a masked adventurer (1.13). When Rorschach leaves, Dreiberg is pictured with the late Comedian’s button in hand, a reminder of his past crime-fighting days (see figure 6.4). Next to him hangs his unused costume, which appears to be in immaculate condition. His body, slumped over and shadowed, is directly contrasted to the hollow costume, which ironically stands prominently, illuminated from the front and casting a shadow behind it. The wall behind Dreiberg is stained and damaged, while the locker that holds his costume is pristine. The railing to Dreiberg’s left casts a shadow that descends diagonally away from his body, but the railings in front of the costume ascend with strong vertical lines. Even the costume’s belt, which would normally be worn horizontally, instead accentuates the vertical lines of the alcove and locker. In one hand he holds his glasses loosely, and they dangle lifelessly from his fingertips. The goggles around the neck of his costume are horizontal and stable. The image suggests that the empty garments hold more authority than the man who once wore them. Who is really living in the “shadows”—Dreiberg the civilian or the former Nite Owl?

Dreiberg is visibly distraught by the loss of his heroic identity as the Nite Owl, but he continues to deny its effect on his life. He thinks that he “eventually [...] realized the Comedian was right—it’s all crap dressed up with a lot of flash and thunder” (7.8). However, his words do not match his obvious demeanor in the previously discussed panel. It is as though he wants to convey that he no longer desires to be a masked adventurer to Laurie Juspeczyk, the former Silk Spectre II, who believes her time as a masked adventurer “was nothing more than ten years running round in a stupid costume because [her] stupid mother wanted [her] to!” (1.25). Dreiberg’s weekly visits to see Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl, as well as his visually evident distress, strongly suggest otherwise. He is denying his natural heroism, constricting himself to following the conventional laws.

Dreiberg continues to downplay the importance of his past as Nite Owl as he and Juspeczyk examine the damage to his Owl Ship: “being a crimefighter and everything. It was just this adolescent, romantic thing” (7.7). He conveys that “adventuring” was merely playing out a childhood dream. Becoming a masked adventurer was not only “romanticized,” but also “adolescent.” This suggests that he feels that his past life as the Nite Owl was childish, and the mask, costume, and gadgets merely offered some type of fantasy fulfillment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.