“Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
the gunpowder treason and plot.
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.”
Death is the great equalizer, what lies at the end of the path for all living things. But some people live on in a different way — though their bodies have ceased to function, their life-force no longer present, some people live on as a symbol, a message, an idea. V, the main character in the movie V for Vendetta, died fighting for the freedom of an entire country, and in doing so, he represented something greater than himself. The messenger was killed, but the message is immortal, stronger than ever…
In the movie, V stages a showdown with the dictator who rules over his country with an iron fist, in an attempt to end said dictator’s totalitarian regime of constant surveillance and oppression. V succeeds in ending his life; however, it is at the expense of his own.
Though V overcomes the Dictator’s brigade, they shot him until he was beyond saving. But not before he manages, with the help of a young woman named Evey, to send a train of explosives directly into Parliament, effectively ending the Dictator’s rule and giving the people a chance to build their country again. And though his life ended, V himself became immortal — as a symbol of hope and freedom, as an idea: “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
V’s death is portrayed as relatively drawn out. Though he was shot well over 100 times, he manages to fight his way out, killing everyone in his way. He then makes his way to the tunnel where Evey and his train are waiting, finally dying once he reaches his destination… Evey surrounds his body in red roses. In reality, V would never have made it all the way to the train alive; the human body just cannot withstand that much damage. Though not particularly helpful in terms of society understanding the limits of the human body, it does add to the dramatic effect. However, the part about V living on as a symbol is very accurate. When a person dies for something greater than themselves, be it an idea or for other human beings, they often live on in history. In the same way, anyone who passes on is carried on in the memories of the people who loved them. I think this is a good realization to have about death… though the person may be gone from the physical world, we will always have our memories of them.
Dying Well 
V for Vendetta is one of my personal favorites. Kudos to you for posting this.
This is a great movie, because it shows a character who was ready to die in the name of what he held dear. Before he died though, he needed to do everything he wanted to do in his life, which was to save America and bring freedom to the people. I think he shows what we unconsciously feel when we think about physically leaving this world. Before we die, we want to be remembered for making an impact — even if they are small contributions.
Either way, I feel like we all developed the fear of death, because we don’t want to forgotten. Being forgotten is like never having ever lived. In order to be remembered, we all feel the need to contribute something in this hectic world of ours. Live the life you want. Be in the now.
-Mi
This is a prime example of how movies and actors differentiate from the news. Even though they can both be seen as forms of entertainment, only one actually gives the details of current events. I would look towards movies, such as V for Vendetta, to give me the more emotional and spiritual or philosophical aspect of how to view death and dying. We expect the media to be covering major topics of public interests, and even if local deaths were to be broadcasted on live televison, why would someone want that? Your blog brings up an excellent point on how death and dying is viewed by some, if not most, people in our day today. The idea that a person can live on in our memories and of those close to them even after death is something a lot greater than he or she being mentioned on the local news. Even though that wouldn’t be a bad thing and it does happen, just not as often as if a celebrity passes. Take Evey and V for example, she ended up having strong emotions for V and even though they knew he was going to die Evey knew that V and all the memories she’s had with him are going to live with her forever. I really liked this blog and how you incorporated V for Vendetta into what you talked about!
V for Vendetta was an excellent choice for this topic, in matter of fact, I wish I would have thought about it! The way you described the ending was perfect as it really does show how when you physically die, in many people, you will live on forever in their memories. Now, I do agree with what reality shows us, and that’s exactly what you said; V would have never made it all the way to the train. However, I do feel that V for Vendetta does an excellent job at showing death in a unique way and I think you’ve done a great job showing this.
This movie is also a personal favorite of mine; excellent choice. I do agree that the death of V did serve as a strong and uniting idea. His final act of destroying Parliament was an everlasting symbol of freedom for the people of London. I also agree that the portrayal of V’s final minutes was a bit unbelievable. Despite wearing fairly think body armor, I agree that there would have been a slim chance of survival from the barrage of bullets that punched into him, let alone have the energy to pull of the attack that followed. Another thing to consider is also how the media in the movie dealt with death in the society. Because the government had such a grip on the media, they could, and did, change the stories in the news of how people in the movie were killed. Did they believe that people could not handle that kind of death in society and to constantly keep them brainwashed? I believe so. This was a great blog for a great movie. Good job.