Book Report: Watchmen

Graphic novels are often underestimated because of their appeal towards more impressionable readers. However, it is possible to find that, in most cases, there is a deep analysis of the society in which we live. The graphic novel Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, and taking place in 1985, is an example of a great work of literature in this field. The novel’s approach towards and alternate historical timeline and its critic of modern society are in fact the two main points that support this thesis.

First of all, for what concerns the alternate historical timeline in Watchmen, it adds a lot of interest to the story because it gives the reader a whole new perspective on what could have been 1985 if the normal course of preceding events was changed. In the novel, some important historical elements were modified. The peak of fear of a nuclear war is in 1985, not in 1962; furthermore, many elements of the cold war took a different course. For example, the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon was covered up, and the war in Vietnam was won by the U.S. troops. This said, it takes the fearful, yet patriotic, climate of the United States before the social shift of the 60’s, and it transposes it to 1985. Because of this, the novel gives a whole new perspective of what would the world have looked like if some other factors came to influence the course of time; it lets the reader wonder about the importance of every event that occurs in our society. As a matter of fact, in Watchmen, the average citizen has a lot of trust towards the government and abides easily to the highly controlling attitude of the authorities; moreover, the U.S. the government has a strong opposition towards the Watchmen because of their free-thinking and independent nature, and leads easily the public on its side. Knowing that in reality people were more suspicious of their government at this period of time, what would our society look like if past events did not occur as they did? In my opinion, those interrogations help a lot for the novel’s quality because a book should not be only used to entertain, but also to stimulate the mind. Taking this depiction of society in context, Watchmen is also worth reading because it lifts questions upon thrust towards the authorities and what we take for granted. The Watchmen, who were once working with the authorities, are now being threatened by the authorities, who have doubts towards them. Nevertheless, the Watchmen really want a stable and peaceful world; therefore, there is a blur between good and evil, something that we also see in our society.

To sum it up, if found that Watchmen was a very interesting piece of literature because Alan Moore really knew how to stimulate the reader’s mind with subliminal questions about an alternate view of history and a nuanced perception of the authorities. Perhaps, we could find some similar views in other graphic novels.