The moral intricacies of the plot in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel Watchmen, portrayed in chapter II entitled “Absent Friends,” only add to the intrigue built in the first chapter. One can thus analyze level II as follows.
Summary of Chapter II: “Absent Friends”
This chapter focuses on the funeral of Edward Morgan Blake (The Comedian) wherein his work colleagues and other former stars of the superhero world assess their past and Blake’s role in it. Through the use of flashbacks, the narrative provides several interpretations of Blake and the deeds he performed, all of which were morally gray.
Key Events
- The Funeral:
- As the chapter begins, Blake’s funeral is witnessed by various attendees including Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl II), Laurie Juspeczyk (Silk Spectre II), Doctor Manhattan and Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias). They all silently reminiscence how each of them met Blake, fostering in them a mix of feelings towards him.
- Flashbacks:
- Laurie’s Memory: Sally Jupiter (Silk Spectre I), her mother, had mentioned that Morgan Blake accosted her and attempted rape. Such an event can cast darkness throughout their lives.
- Dr. Manhattan’s Impressions: He appears as a soldier in Vietnam, who is a picture of the barbaric and nihilistic approach America took in the Vietnam War. While the former is detached, the latter, Blake, was refreshingly and devastatingly realistic.
- Ozymandias’s Encounter: VediDeej recalls a meeting with Blake during which blake explains his view on topics like this: the one presented by countless propagandists about the great mask covering a zealous nation bent on a chokehold over their enemies during the cold war.
- Nite Owl’s Reflection: Dan thinks about the time when he saw Blake citing fierce force against the rioters during the keene act protests which marked the end of the good old days of the era where masked heroes roamed around.
- Detective Subplot:
- In the process, detectives follow the trail of Blake’s murder, ignorant of the intricate web that has only started weaving itself.
- The Final Flashback:
- Sally Jupiter, who has shown bitterness toward Blake at the start, tells Lauren how the power couple turned the relationship into a complex one later on. This adds more depth to Blake’s persona and examines the theme of forgiveness and the messiness of being human.
Themes
- Moral Ambiguity: There is no straightforward dichotomy of good and evil because blake is neither a superhero figure nor a supervillain figure, a perspective that cleanly describes watchmen but makes it more complex. There are some morally wrong actions carried out by blake that are true in the world as it is.
- The Illusion of Heroism: This chapter explores the hero complex which many people look up to but so casually forget the multiple situations and dynamics which include flaws in the character’s personality and in society half of the situation always revolves around heroism.
- Death and Legacy: In this chapter the author seeks to answer one fundamental question – how people are remembered, it turns out even only the most provocative of people do have substantial legacies.
- Ties Between Anarchy and Order: In the graphics novel, Blake appears especially emotive in his flashbacks and full of animation in his sentiment. Graham Blake’s story and artwork is a tribute to a divided society. He expresses views not too different from those of his antagonists: “honor and country require sacrifice.”
Art and details
- Recurrence: Dissonance also shows faces signifying grief and pain while thrilling genocidal scenes occur and when the audience meets Blake again.
- The Black Freighter Comic:
- In the main story “The Black Freighter,” the eponymous pirate ship serves as a metaphorical device, allowing the reader to draw parallels to the main characters. One could evoke a wider tenor in order to anticipate and construct the total perspective within the graph novel.
Cultural Significance
- Since Watchmen advocates postmodernism, there is an indefinite respect towards created ideals whose paradox often brings forth prospective critique.
- So for instance Second Chapter depicts the story theme from multiple antagonistic prospects, the band showing differences of opinions expanding the backdrop of actual history.