Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Watchmen: Chapter IX - page 4


PAGE 4

Panel 1:  Laurie’s vomiting here foreshadows, while also symbolizing, the violent expulsion of her regressed memories that she will experience at the end of this chapter.

Panel 4:  Jon’s (Dr. Manhattan’s) Martian fortress of solitude – a meticulously crafted edifice constructed of gears and clock hands (one could argue those towering spears are clock hands) and architectural features that resemble an hourglass – can be interpreted on many levels. 
First, one could argue that the care taken to delineate this structure, along with its recurring architectural patterns, can be seen as a metaphor for the manner in which Moore & Gibbons crafted this book.  Watchmen includes recurring motifs and patterns meticulously created and ordered to showcase the unique qualities of the comic narrative.
Second, it can be seen as the ordered creation that stands as a metaphor for the way in which Dr. Manhattan sees time – able to view past, present, and future simultaneously, all the underpinnings (the gears) of time are revealed to Dr. Manhattan in their meticulous glory.
Third, the clockwork features of the various sections of the fortress are symbolic of time and the distinct aspect it holds within this chapter, in particular.

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