Silhouettes in Watchmen
By Jordan Berka
Hiroshima Lovers
Hiroshima Lovers
Common graffiti in New York during the actual the Cold War in 1985
Commonly appears throughout the novel
Sprayed by Knot TopsNew York City gang
Similar to skin heads
Top Knot hairstyle
Anti-nuclear war
Many characters are put at unease due to this graffiti
Rorschach
Malcolm Long
Terror of Nuclear War
The heat and light from a nuclear bomb burns the skin and shadows of people affect onto nearby walls
Inevitable disaster and death
Foreshadowing the end of the comic
Common theme throughout entire novel
Unity
The imminent threat of a nuclear bomb causes characters to realize that the fear of nuclear war has caused them to become isolated.
Forces them to come together!
Coalescence
Love and Compassion
Rorschach's Past
Rorschach had a troubling past
Silhouettes remind him of the time he walked in on his mother having sex
Silhouettes are a source of tension in Rorschach’s life
Rorschach’s Mask
ConclusionSilhouettes are used commonly throughout the entire comic.
They are used to evoke certain emotions from characters such as Rorschach and Dr. Malcolm Long
Emotions of fear and anxiety.
They are used to show humanities attempt to come together during the final moments and find some consolation and comfort.
They are used to project the hopeful future through the loving relationship between Dreiberg and Laurie.
They are used to show the tension between past and future
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