The
Joke of Existence:
As far as we can
discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in
the darkness of mere being.
-
C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Alan Moore chooses to end Chapter nine of his comic epic, Watchmen,
with this profound quote.
Jung
posits that the only reason human beings exist is to discover a deeper meaning
as to why our universe exists. By using the word “purpose” Jung elucidates the
notion that, we as human beings, must allow ourselves to “kindle a light of
meaning” in the “darkness” of this world, or find a reason to exist. This is
the very foundation of existentialism. Scholar Sarah Donovan states,
“Central to existentialism is self definition and the awareness of one’s condition as undefined in
any metaphysical sense” (Donovan 181). In other words, we as human beings need
to define meaning for ourselves. The direct contrast of existentialism is nihilism,
or the “view that life is essentially meaningless” (Keeping 49). These two
opposing forces, existentialism and nihilism, form the foundation of one of the
main conflicts in Watchmen, the debate of whether life is
meaningful or meaningless. Two examples that illustrate this battle are the
Comedian’s internal conflict and the ideological battle between Rorschach and
Dr. Long.
The battle between nihilism and
existentialism is symbolically embodied in the Comedian. Comedian
veers more on the side of nihilism as evidenced in the flashbacks that show his
encounter with Moloch and his speech at the first meeting of the Crimebusters
in 1966. Crying hysterically and holding a statue of the Virgin Mary,
the Comedian questions Moloch, “I mean, what’s funny? What’s so goddamned
funny? I don’t get it. Somebody explain…somebody explain it to me” (Chapter 2,
23). In the context of the novel the Comedian is speaking directly about
Veidt’s island, however one may look into the Comedian’s more deep-seated fears
about society. The Comedian fears that society will destroy itself through
nuclear annihilation.
The Comedian’s fears are
further revealed at the Crimebusters meeting in 1966 where the Comedian burns a
map of the United States and subsequently tells Veidt, “It don’t matter squat
because inside thirty years the nukes are gonna be flyin’ like maybugs and then
Ozzy here is gonna be the smartest man on the cinder. Now pardon me, but I got
an appointment” (Chapter 2, 11). The Comedian reveals his fears about nuclear annihilation
and symbolically torches the world in nihilistic fashion. Ironically, in
going to Moloch the Comedian admits that the end bothers him more deeply than
it should if he were a nihilist. In asking for Moloch to “explain it” the
Comedian is asserting that life is meaningful. He, like an existentialist,
searches for meaning. Also, like an existentialist, the Comedian helps others
find meaning as well. Veidt says the Comedian “opened my eyes” (Chapter 11,
19). The Comedian helps Veidt
realize his own purpose in life, which is to bring an end to the Cold War and
further assert life’s meaningfulness.
Another battle between
existentialism and nihilism occurs in the conversation between Rorschach and
Dr. Malcolm Long, Rorschach’s prison psychologist. By the end of their
discussions Long has taken the view of the nihilist. He ruminates as he
stares into one of his Rorschach cards, “The horror is this: in the end, it is
simply a picture of empty meaningless Blackness” (Chapter 6, 28). Dr. Long
chooses to ignore the white part of the card and stares simply at the black. He
gazes “into the abyss” and the abyss stares back (Chapter 6, 28). This
is symbolic of Long becoming nihilistic after his conversations with Rorschach.
He sees the darkness in Rorschach’s soul, and this darkness acts as a mirror to
reflect his own darkness. However, Long misinterprets Rorschach by assuming him
nihilistic. Long assumes that Rorshach is a nihilist because of all the dark
things Rorschach has seen in his life.
However, Rorschach tells Long,
“Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it
for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose” (Chapter 6, 26). These
lines may be misinterpreted as nihilistic. Upon closer inspection, though, one
may see the existentialist quality of them. Like Jung, Rorschach looks to
“kindle the light of meaning.” Rorschach goes onto explain, “Streets stank of
fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice,
shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally
blank world” (Chapter 6, 26). Rorschach’s “illusions” about the good in other
men’s hearts is shattered, but he holds steadily to the good in his own heart.
By scrawling his own design on “this morally blank world” Rorschach is looking
to bring light into the meaningless darkness.
Watchmen is truly an existentialist work that seeks to light fire in
the darkness of modern existence. Moore used contemporary issues during the
time of the novel’s inception, such as the Cold War, the increase of crime, and
the proliferation of media, to paint a dark picture of our world.
However, through his group of anti-heroes Moore also shows that there is truly
meaning in this world, no matter how dark that meaning may be. The Comedian, in
searching for meaning, and Rorschach, in finding meaning, both reveal an
existentialist core to Moore’s novel. One needs to look no further than Dr.
Manhattan’s observation about how meaningful the world is, “We gaze continually
at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another’s
vantage point, as if new, it may still take the breath away” (Chapter 9, 27).
