Circles

"Rorschach's Journal October 12th, 1985: Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach. This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face" (panel 1, page 1, chapter 1).

It is in the first panel that Moore and Gibbons first hint at the importance of circles. Not only is the smiley face round, but the dogs stomach has been burst by a rotating circle, a tire. The presence of circles become more and more important as the story continues, Dr. Manhattans forehead, the flying machine, planets, the list goes on and on. Circles are generally linked to cycles, which is what Moore and Gibbons are trying to accomplish. The cycles of society have continued for hundreds of years, and they won't change unless someone takes a stand.

Your Hands

"I leave it entirely in your hands" (panel 7, page 32, chapter 12).

Now that Dr. Manhattan has left man kind, there is no godly figure on earth, no one person to turn to and to rely on completely. This means that the future of society depends completely on the people who are part of it. Moore is saying that if a change is going to happen, we have to make it.

Pictures

(Panel 7, page 30, chapter 12).

Throughout the entire book, Moore and Gibbons have used pictures to let the reader peak into the past lives of the main characters. They are using the power they have of having drawings in their novels to enhance the readers experience. In a normal novel, Moore would have to have written all of the hidden information out. This way, Moore and Gibbons make their readers stay concentrate and add secrecy to their novel.

The Manhattan Project

"Good evening, Dr. Manhattan" (panel 1, page 20, chapter 1).

When the US joined WWII, a famous and crucial race began. Which country (or side) would develop a nuclear bomb first. In the US, this project was called the Manhattan project. This is why Moore named Jon 'Dr. Manhattan'. He is subconsciously connecting him to nuclear power before the reader has any physical evidence. This act also indicated that the USA planned on using Manhattan for violent acts. This hinted to other countries that unless they themselves became savvy to nuclear technology and informed the world of their new power, the US would take over the world. The US government actually brought on the war with Russia themselves.


Link:
http://www.atomicmuseum.com/Tour/manhattanproject.cfm

One Minute to Twelve

(panel 1, page 1, chapter 12)

The other clocks Gibbons has drawn through the book have been set at one particular time, which has represented that the world was on high alert for something horrific to occur. Now, the clock is about to strike, twelve, which foreshadows this chapter. If the world is going to be saved, it has to happen before the clock strikes its target, which means that this chapter will either spell to destruction or the rebirth of human kind.

Triangles

(panel 5, page 11, chapter 11)

One important piece of symbolism used in this novel is the symbolism of triangles. Scattered across the many panels that have preceded this one, triangles have been used to frame things, to decorate things, and hide things. In this panel, the control panel is inscribed with a triangle, and an V, which as similar annotations. Triangles have been used as important symbols throughout history, for example, the Nazi's used triangles to distinguish between the backgrounds of prisoners at their concentration camps. Triangles have been known to represent masculinity, the three holy entities of the church, strength, and man kind itself. In this panel, Moore is using it to represent the power Adrian has over all of humanity.

Links:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_symbolism_of_a_triangle

http://deoxy.org/greentri.htm

World War III

" East Germany: tanks massing, allegedly in response to 'Western Alarmism'" (panel 3, page 3, chapter 10).

By referring to possible military problems in Germany, Moore is pushing the reader into connecting the issues of the story to the beginning of a war. Unfortunately for Germany, when anyone links military happenings to Germany, people immediately make a quick connection to WWII. This connection is showing the reader that the world is very fragile, and that even the slightest mistake could begin our worst nightmare, World War III. Other connections are also present in the novel between WWII and the characters reality. The most apparent is that both eras were run by atomic power. WWII was when the bomb was invented and the only time it has actually been used. Another use of the bomb would indicate the arrival of WWIII.