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.

Reflections

"Huh? What happens is I just stay down here and screw all your predictions, Huh? What happens then?" (panel 5, page 5, chapter 9).

Chapter nine explores Dr. Manhattan's humanity. Moore uses this dilemma to discuss the importance of human kind, which is a debate that has been discussed since the creation of human kind. Laurie speaks for the goodness of human nature, while Manhattan is sceptical. In this panel, Gibbons has draw Manhattans reflection, which connects him to human kind. His reflection, although blue, would be thought of as human if removed from the object casting the shadow. Moore is telling the reader that he still is connected to human kind, and only needs someone to remind him of it.

Old Ghosts

"Old Ghosts" (panel 7, page 2, chapter 8).

Several of the past chapter have been showing the reader into the past lives of the characters of this novel. In this panel, Gibbons has illustrated children dressed up for Halloween. With the words "old ghosts" underneath it, readers first think of physical ghosts, the type you see on Halloween. However, Moore and Gibbons are actually alluding the the past lives of their characters. Each of them has done something that they are not proud of, and even if it happened in their childhood, still haunts them today.

Dogs

"What can you see?" (panel 7, page 1, chapter 6).

In this disturbing panel, Gibbon's has illustrated a dog that has had an ax split his head, and the picture is symmetrical. As the reader already knows, Rorschach wears a mask that is always changing, but is also symmetrical. In fact, the entirety of chapter six shows the importance of the symbol of symmetry. Moore and Gibbons could be hinting at several different things. The repetition of history, the uniformity of man, individual lives, all possible motifs that are being illustrated in this panel. This points to the deeper meaning of the novel, man kind is flawed.

Buddha

" We need to know everything Mrs. Hirsch..." (panel 1, page 7, chapter 5).

This entire chapter has been focused on symmetry, including the picture of Buddha in this panel. The poster of Buddha has been splashed with human blood, which refers to many things. Not only does it show the violence of what is presently happening in the comic, but it hints to the state of religion in the past. Religion has fueled most of histories wars, and it is only now that some people say that wars are not based on religion (however, this is also up for debate). Moore and gibbons are showing us that history repeats itself, and that nothing is truly pure.

Standing Still

"...While I'm standing still"(panel 8, page 17, chapter 4).

In space, time is lost. If a person were to sit on Mars, like Dr. Manhattan, they wouldn't be able to keep track of human time. They would be lost in their imaginings, memories, the past, and the future. Dr. Manhattan is experiencing just that. Moore is showing that although Manhattan now outwardly considers human kind disposable, he still does have a connection with them. For example, he constructed a huge fortress that was inspired by watch pieces and gears. Time is relative, and even though Manhattan is no longer experiencing man kinds time, he is still obsessed with it.

God

"' After that, humanity is in the hands of a higher authority than mine. Let's just hope he's on our side" (Moore and Gibbons, page 28 chapter 3, first row last column).

The only other time when there was a clear allusion to God or religion was at the funeral of the Comedian. Because it is being brought into the story here as well, Moore and Gibbons are showing that religion and the belief in higher powers are import to society. The chapter ends with a reference to Genesis, which only continues the trend. The appearance of religion only strengthens the stories connection to our reality. Dr. Manhattan is also considered a god like figure to man kind, holding the power to destroy society at a moments notice. It is also interesting that Dr. Manhattan has removed himself to space, considering space is often referred to the heavens, and past cultures have believed that space is where heaven resided. Watchmen is a book that does denounce the ridiculous traditions of our society. Moore is saying that he doesn't believe in a higher power and doesn't think that society should so heavily rely on that idea.

Time

"'... Well, it just keeps on getting brighter all the time'" (Moore and Gibbons, page 5 chapter 2, third column first row).

When Laurie visits her mother, most of the conversation is dominated by time. Not only is time relative in this chapter, whether in conversations or in flashbacks, but it is also very important to the story. The most obvious connection is time to Watchmen, watches are how humans check time. Another connection is that there have been clocks, all set to the same time, scattered throughout the pictures and text. Because the Moore and Gibbons are focusing in one the relevance to time so early in their novel, readers can be assured that time will be a theme of the story.

Gold Watch

"'Uh, nothing...just a shiver. Must be gettin' a cold'" (Moore and Gibbons, page 4, third row third column).

If the reader just glances at at the picture, they would not notice that the homeless man appears to be wearing a gold watch. This is surprising, considering that homeless men usually do not own gold watches. Moore and Gibbons are hinting to the reader that there is something more to this mystery then meets the eye, and to pay attention so that important details are not missed. It is also interesting that this homeless men is wearing a watch considering that the story is titled Watchmen. Could this be the character that the book is named after?