CHAPTER IX:
THE DARKNESS OF MERE BEING
Thematic Overview:
Chapter IX centers on the haze through
which we view our memories. Whether the
metaphorical rose-colored glasses (visually symbolized by the bottle of
Nostalgia perfume) or the holes that crop into our minds with the distance of
time, our memories are more subjective than objective, despite how ardently we
might argue the point. And with “The
Darkness of Mere Being,” Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons put that truth on full
display.
This
chapter is most prominently about Laurie Juspeczyk – Silk Spectre II – learning
the truth about who her father was, shattering the fallacies built up over the
course of her life. Not only does her
mother deceive her, but Laurie also deceived herself, placing many of her
memories into a distorted context that helped keep the truth suppressed. This blurring of her history, of these
memories, is most obviously represented in this chapter by the multiple times
we see Laurie in a blurred or formless reflection – both in the polished
surfaces of Dr. Manhattan’s Martian fortress as well as the recurring image of Laurie’s
young face reflected in the snowglobe.
Despite
this focus, the vagaries of memory are not
relegated solely to Laurie. Dr.
Manhattan, who is able to see all things at all times, admits, in this chapter,
to having trouble seeing the future.
Images of destruction flicker in his mind’s eye, but the details are
vague, stripping this information of proper context. This is a first for the omnipotent Dr.
Manhattan, but he quickly offers a plausible, if hypothetical, explanation, giving
readers permission to let that little bit of data to fade away – in the same
manner that memories fade over time. But
it is this inability of Dr. Manhattan to precisely see the future that leads to
the climax of this chapter. And, in the
end, these indistinct memories are sometimes the realities that allow us to
deal with the hardships life throws at us.
Have been keeping up with your fantastic analysis.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows this twists and reveals of Watchmen now but reading it at the time I confess I didn't see them coming. The revelation in this chapter about Laurie's father was a shock to me as it was to her, and yet all the clues were there. Along with everything else they did in Watchmen Moore and Gibbons produced a great detective story.
Thank you, Eamonn. As always, your support means a lot.
DeleteAnd I had the same reaction when I first read this book 20+ years ago. I saw none of the revelations coming; it all flowed so naturally from the scenes and the dialogue. I know it was meticulously thought out, but the manner in which Moore & Gibbons crafted this story never made anything feel forced.
chris