Essay Sample: What Is Alan Moores Argument of Authority in the Watchmen?

Alan Moores in his book the watchmen describes a very hostile people in authority who use their power to bulldoze the rights of the common citizens. The story unfolds with the death of detective who is a human activist and has the human concerns at heart. The investigation into his death is on. It is speculated that Edward Blake who is a government representative is responsible for the death. He even refuses to attend the burial ceremony of the dead. This a clear indication that he is guilty of the dead (Moores 15). He uses the authority to make sure that the investigation does not catch up with him. This situation paints the authority as very inhuman and does not respect the right to life.

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The authority in the book the watchman is described as very unconcern individuals who are only busy with what concern the but not others whether bad or good (Ferguson 23). Back in the funeral of Detective, Dr. Manhattan witnesses comedian fighting with the woman but does not intervene. As a doctor, it is expected of him to love life and that anything that might harm a human being in his presence he should help. In chapter three of the book, we are told that it is the doctor that gives cancer to his close associates and those who are around him. We see this trough accusation that the doctor has injected his close associates with the drug that has the virus (PRINCE, MICHAEL J. 56). This does not only describe the doctor as unprofessional but also as a greedy person who only thinks of how to get money even when it means using human life. This is because he expects the people affected with same cancer to come to him for treatment where he charges them very high prices (Moores 34). At the same time, we see betrayal aspect of the authority in this chapter. This is evident considering the fact that the doctor gives cancer to his close associates. In an ideal society, one is not expected to do such a thing to their close friends and confidants. This means that it is very easy for the doctor to even kill his friends.

The authority is again painted as that which does not care about the security of its common citizens. The book describes how there is a lot of killing that goes around in this society. It is the duty of state authority to provide security to citizens. Even after the killing, the investigation does not succeed. This is because; it is the same authority that hides the evidence thereby making it hard for the investigating department to ensure that justice is done. The rape case is also common, but the authority turns a deaf ear on the matter. Therefore, the issue of security in left on the hands of the helpless citizens who are not harmed with the necessary weapons to fight for their lives.

The authority in the text the watchmen' embraces the art of nepotism. This is the process of favoring somebody because he is a relative or a friend. The authority in the text gives a lot of cover to the wrong doings of its friends. For instance, Doctor Manhattan has a powerful link with the government. Therefore, whatever he does is covered. He gives cancer to people to make money. The government mask also kills people, but the authority makes sure that he is not prosecuted.

The scientist accidentally gets locked in the experimental vault where he undergoes empirical alterations. He returns in pieces by first having his spirit come back, then the circulatory system, the body which is assembled to form an entire body. He comes back s while in possession of strange powers with the ability to do the extra ordinary. He keeps his previous memories and still pretends to be in love with Janey Slater. Under his new name Dr. Manhattan, he distances himself from the people working on him in the lab while at the same time, he comes up with new and unique discoveries.

The government comes in and thumbs its authority by making the special creature, Dr. Manhattan, a secret weapon to the US military. The super weapon is renamed from being the scientist, Dr. Manhattan, to a real super hero (Moores 46). He was a top weapon for the government as it helped in accomplishing top missions that were highly classified. His arrival in the department of super heroes brought a lot of misunderstandings as other super heroes were objecting to him being named real" super hero. However, it was with not doubt that Dr. Manhattan possessed high skills and outstanding intelligence that would help secure the entire space of the US from enemies and foreign attacks. The government is thus depicted as authoritative in taking the likes of Dr. Manhattan because of their outstanding abilities and using them for projects that might not be in line with their beliefs and aims in their entire life. The government depicts a high level of exploitation too by taking the super heroes into custody and making them to things that might be inhuman in most circumstances. While working under the US military, Dr. Manhattan now known as a real super hero comes up with several inventions building electric cars, space aircraft and other advanced devices that can be used during the war. Despite being instrumental in the handling of US security, there are some occurrences that he was able to prevent such as the assassination of the then US President John F. Kennedy.

The US engage in the Vietnam War where several super heroes perish leading to the government making a law that bans vigilantism within the American territories. However, the authority of the government is a gain depicted as they ensure that they keep the survivors of the war such as Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian who both are forced to work under the government (Moores 96). As they work together with a group of other scientists, there is a fatal attack on the colleagues of Dr. Manhattan who perish and their deaths blamed on Dr. Manhattan. This left the government, with no option but to showcase his authority hence forcing Dr. Manhattan to flee to Mars. The departure of Dr. Manhattan to Mars left the human beings worried as they feared their enemies will take advantage of the exposure and attack them now that they lacked proper protection from Dr. Manhattan and his godly powers.

There are still people who believed in Dr. Manhattan and wanted to help him prove his innocence. Rorschach and Nite Owl engaged in various researches to help unfold the real cause of the deaths of the associates of Dr. Manhattan and who was behind the set up (Ferguson 49). They struggled to ensure that Dr. Manhattan could return to earth and get back the authority he had in the military wing. Through these attempts, they would secure United States against enemies such as Soviet Union who had plotted nuclear weapons to use against The US. Through the Journal of Rorschach, he exposes Veidt as the sole perpetrator of the happenings that drove away Dr. Manhattan (PRINCE, MICHAEL J. 145). He later confesses to having been the one who ensured that the colleagues of Dr. Manhattan contacted cancer and passed on to have the blame on the real super hero. He also explains his reasons why he killed Rorschach and why he staged his assassination attempt for him not to be suspect in the whole saga.

After the discoveries, Manhattan and his lover, Juspeczyk returns to Earth where they are met by a lot of deaths and mass destruction, that bare caused by creatures that are from the laboratories that are made by Veidt. This makes it very difficult for Manhattan to recover his authority as his powers are limited by tachyons that are emanated from the teleport and Antarctic that were made by Veidt. Manhattan and his ilk approached and confront Veidt for the wrong things he was done but still agrees that it will be in the best interest of the innocent human beings that they conceal from them the true happenings. By so doing this, the whole movie depicts how authority is essential and can help in managing unfortunate situations.

Works Cited

PRINCE, MICHAEL J. "Alan Moore's America: The Liberal Individual And American Identities In Watchmen." The Journal Of Popular Culture, vol 44, no. 4, 2011, pp. 815-830. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00864.x.Moores, A. Watchmen, And Philosophy. 1st ed., Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

Ferguson, Christopher J. "Watching Watchmen." PsycCRITIQUES, vol. 54, no. 14, 2009.