Chapter 6 of Watchmen gives the back-story of Rorschach through the lens of his sessions with the shrink. Immediately, this chapter connects with Chapter Four, which gives up the details of Dr. Manhattan. I was first struck by how seamless both chapters are in connecting past and present. In many novels/movies, flashbacks can be frustrating departures from the story. In Watchmen, the way the back stories are given to the reader is brilliant.
The detail that struck me was how both stories, are triggered by images. For Dr. Manhattan, the image of himself and Janey prompts the back-story. In this chapter, Rorschach’s tale is prompted by the inkblots the psychiatrist shows him during therapy. The use of the inkblots is a fitting way to tell the story of Rorschach, who is marked by his mask.
The stories of Manhattan and Rorschach show how alike the two are, despite very obvious differences. Both characters assume new identities from their “given” names. However, the way these new identities come about shows how different they are. While Manhattan is given his name, and still goes by Jon, Rorschach chooses to become who he is, and completely rejects his life as Walter Kovacs.
The way Alan Moore lays out the story of the two heroes shows a kind of reflection in the two, and yet he still shows how opposite they can be. Moore uses the different images to spark the stories, as well as bouncing back and forth seamlessly between past and present. He shows a sort of connection between the two Watchmen, a connection that lasts throughout the novel.
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