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Book 3, Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in V for Vendetta, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom and Anarchy
Bigotry
The Power of Symbols
Vendettas, Revenge, and the Personal
Fatherhood, Mentorship, and the State
Summary
Analysis
It is November 9, 1998. Conrad Heyer sits below Helen Heyer, massaging her feet. As she reads through a binder of government information, Helen explains that the Leader is scheduled to appear before the public to restore confidence in the government. This is a risky idea, she acknowledges, because it’s rumored that the Leader is slowly going insane. She guesses that Mr. Creedy organized the speech in the hope that the Leader’s insanity would cause further riots and allow him to stage his coup.
Once again, we see that Helen Heyer’s drive, ambition, and intellect far outstrips that of any of the men in Norsefire. Yet Helen Heyer herself can never be the Leader of England—she’s a woman. Conrad Heyer, for his part, seems utterly weak and powerless: he’s massaging his wife’s feet as if he’s her slave.
Themes
As Conrad continues rubbing his wife’s feet, he mentions that when Creedy is the Leader, he’ll have a difficult time running the country. Helen whacks Conrad in the face with her binder. She stresses that Conrad will be the Leader soon, and walks out of the room.
Helen’s cruelty and violence parallels that of Derek Almond’s earlier in the graphic novel—she has the right temperament to be in the Norsefire government.
Themes
Mr. Creedy meets with Alistair Harper early one morning. Walking through the streets (surrounded by guards), Harper cheerily tells Creedy that his predecessor at the Finger, Derek Almond, was a superior man—yet even Almond died because of his job. Creedy, Harper continues, isn’t “superior” at all. With this, Harper walks away. Creedy is disturbed and suspicious after this conversation.
Harper is clearly planning to attack Creedy in the near future—he seems to be getting pleasure out of hinting at this possibility with riddles and double entendres, much as V speaks in allusions and puns.
Themes
Rosemary Almond dresses herself one morning. She takes an old photograph of herself standing with Derek Almond, and walks out of the room. We then cut to a room, in which Helen Heyer stands naked. She’s explaining to someone (off-screen) that every bedroom in London has a camera—nevertheless, she says, the cameras haven’t been working lately. We see that the man she’s talking to is Alistair Harper. Helen explains to Harper that she’s carefully maneuvered Conrad, her husband, to the point where he can assume power after the Leader is deposed. We see that V is watching Helen and Harper talk, using his own access to the Fate Computer and London’s surveillance cameras.
Curiously, V now takes on the role of Adam Susan or Conrad Heyer—watching the goings-on of Englanders. We can guess that V will use this new information to manipulate both Helen and Alistair. The scene is also important because it reminds us that Helen skillfully uses sex to control the people around her: here, she seems to have no problem using her sexuality to convince Alistair Harper to follow her plan and betray Creedy.
Themes
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At the Head, the Leader sits in his chair, silent and seemingly grieving. A guard enters the room and tells him that a motorcade is ready to take him to his speech. The Leader kisses the Fate Computer, whispers, “I forgive you,” and walks out.
The Leader’s final words to the Fate Computer are almost moving in their sincerity. Despite knowing full well that V has hacked onto the Fate Computer, The Leader continues to regard it as an autonomous entity, capable of listening to him. Here more than ever, Susan’s imprisonment in his own powerful position is apparent. Although he seems to have unlimited control over England, Susan’s control ironically deprives him of any happiness or freedom.
Themes
Eric Finch, unshaven and dirty-looking, walks through the streets outside London. He continues muttering words that begin with “V" to himself, trying to think like “the terrorist” thinks. Suddenly, he finds himself standing in front of the Victoria subway station. “Of course!” he cries.
Finch seems to have embraced V’s thought processes now, and so apparently discovers where V is hiding: the “V” in the subway station’s name suggests as much. It remains to be seen whether or not Finch will join forces with V, given how close he’s come to “being” V.
Themes
