V for Vendetta

Fascism is a far-right system of government that is overseen by a dictator, ruled by force and violent suppression, and values nationalism, masculine authority, and racial purity. V for Vendetta examines the systems that fascist regimes construct to create and maintain power over their citizens. These systems can either be system-driven, such as the entrenchment of white supremacy and patriarchy, or method-driven, such as the use of extensive propaganda and surveillance.

Norsefire collates their power by implementing widespread systematic changes that un-diversify the British population culturally and ideologically. In her recounting of Norsefire’s takeover, Evey says that they imprisoned gay people, non-white people, and white people with diverse political opinions. These genocidal measures result from fascism’s deeply-striated view of social hierarchy, in which a few people—usually white men—accumulate and hold power by stripping it from others. There are no known people of color in the novel because Norsefire has imprisoned and killed them all in concentration camps. The Leader says that he “believe[s] in the destiny of the Nordic race” (37); this is shorthand for white supremacy. Ideas such as these have precedents in Hitler’s Nazi Germany, which believed that “Aryan” people were part of a “master race” and subsequently employed policies of genocide and eugenics against Jewish, Slavic, Romani, and Black people, among others.

Women such as Evey, Rosemary, and Helen see no way to exercise power under Norsefire’s patriarchal society except by using their sexuality: Evey tries to become a sex worker for extra money, Rosemary joins a cabaret, and Helen uses sex as currency. The fact that these women turn to these measures demonstrates that on some level, they know that they live in a society that has disempowered them and that the men around them primarily value women as sexual objects rather than intellectual equals. Even Delia, the only female character with a professional career, was the sole female employee at Larkhill among dozens of men.

To suppress the Perseverance of Ideas and Symbols, Norsefire monitors every moment of the British citizens’ lives. Book 1, Chapter 1 shows people leaving work. They are monitored, both by on-the-ground police and omnipresent cameras and microphones. An illustration shows a camera near a sign that says “for your protection” (9). While fascist regimes claim they are making their countries strong or safe, they are really protecting themselves from resistance among citizens, who they know did not elect them.

The branches of Norsefire are represented as body parts, which emphasizes their codependent and interconnected nature. Some of these branches, such as the Ear and Eye, focus on surveillance, while others, such as the Mouth, focus on propaganda. All the branches together give Norsefire its power. After V co-opts Norsefire’s surveillance and blows up the Mouth’s headquarters, the Leader says that they are “blind and deaf and unable to speak” (186). By targeting the branches that operate these fascist tools of control, V can slowly unravel the entire regime. He compares Norsefire to dominoes: “Poor dominoes. Your pretty empire took so long to build. Now, with a snap of history’s fingers…down it goes” (208). Though Norsefire’s interconnected system was meticulously built, it is that very interconnectedness that makes it easy to topple. By targeting certain important parts, the entire thing falls.