Who’s Watching the Watchmen? The Postmodern World, That’s Who!!

In the film Watchmen by Zack Snyder, postmodernism prevails in every scene and through every character. The setting is an alternative universe in 1985 where Richard Nixon is in his third term as President of the United States and all the superheroes have either died or been outlawed through federal law. The Watchmen are disbanded, but psychological character Rorschach, is still fighting crime in the streets of this pre-apocalyptic version of Manhattan. There is Historio graphic metafiction and temporal distortion throughout the film as well as fragmentation, intertextuality, black humor, irony, hyper-reality and paradoxical moments. All of these help with the deconstruction of the comic book superhero and brings forth this new anti- hero to the comic book genre of film. To get a better understanding of these traits of the postmodern text and this film version of the graphic novel we shall take a look at some of the critics of this genre of literary criticism.



Linda Hutcheon differentiates the terms "metafiction" and "historiographic metafiction." She says that "historiographic metafiction, in deliberate contrast to late modernist radical metafiction, attempts to demarginalize the literary through confrontation with the historical, and it does so both thematically and formally" (Hutcheon 289). Two things become apparent in this film with Hutcheon's description of this trait of postmodernism. The first being with the use of this trait in this film gets brought to the level of other literary texts, not just relegated to that of the lower “comic book” genre. Second, it gives the text believability in historical roots, even though the film is fiction. Temporal distortion uses historiogarphic metafiction in this film by bouncing from the past to the present of film. Sometimes the time lines are just hours apart and sometimes years and decades. The other interesting point is the way temporal distortion rids the film of any past we may recognize even though the present looks very familiar. Jacques Derrida’s Différance explains, “Temporalizing….to differ, in this sense is to temporalize, to resort, consciously or unconsciously, to temporal and temporalizing mediation of a detour that suspends the accomplishment or fulfillment of desire or will in a way that annuls or tempers their effect” (Rivkin 283). Watchmen has moments of belief, disbelief, and historical fact turned into fiction. All these make for moments postmodernists dream of.



Derrida also speaks about deconstruction as a way, not to destroy, but to analyze text. He suggests tearing the text apart and studying the parts rather than the whole of the text. Derrida explains, “All reality is textual. The trace structure where one thing depends on others to be what it is , and the referential character of identity” (Rivkin 259). This is especially true in Watchmen. Each scene, part of story or character absolutely depends on the other parts to make the whole. Such as, you can study the character The Comedian. You can do psychoanalysis, a cultural study, ethnic origin on just his character, but without the rest of the plot-line, story line, and characters it makes no sense for him to be there by himself. Don’t get me wrong according to this theory by Derrida it is important to that you “tear something apart” for the purposes of seeing how the parts work. Deconstruction certainly has the notion of “coming apart” wrapped into it, but with a different bent and purpose. Instead, deconstruction is largely about looking for ways in which stories and ideas contradict themselves. The story “tears itself apart” because it says one thing, but does something else. Even if it doesn’t mean to do it.

One of the significant traits of postmodernism is intextuality. Intertextuality is a word coined by French linguist Julia Kristeva, meaning the shaping of texts' meanings by using other texts. Kristeva explains, "The notion of intertextuality replaces that of intersubjectivity" (Kristeva) a popular theory of Mikhail Bakhatin. Bakhtin believed the subject was enough to include within the text. Kristeva however points to the postmodern binary that it needs to be the text, not just the subject of the text that explains the larger picture of the text. There are plenty of examples of this in Watchmen. The use of former President of The United States Richard Nixon throughout the film is a third term president in an alternate reality. There is a copy of Hustler magazine lying on The Comedian’s coffee table. There is the use of the American Flag in the scene where there are riots in the street. All of these examples lends integrity to the scene, even though it is fiction, it still appears to part of an actual existence by having these items of text within the main text.

The next trait seen is Jean Francios Lyotard's postmodernism and the ideas of fragmentation. This is where storyline does not follow a linear progression. Instead it goes from time-line to situation, back and forth between entities such as alternate universes and planets. Watchmen does this all through the film. It starts with character Rorschach stating, “Rorschach’s Diary, October 12th, 1985” and then shoots to that scene. It also does this with scenes within scenes. Dr. Manhattan teleports between locations such as planets, residences and vehicles all within the same scene.

"The sublime feeling is neither moral universality nor aesthetic universalization, but is, rather, the destruction of one by the other in the violence of their differend. This differend cannot demand, even subjectively, to be communicated to all thought.” - (Jean-Francois Lyotard)

Lyotard bases his definition of Postmodernism on the idea that postmodernist thought questions, critiques, and deconstructs the metanarrative, a story about a story, by observing that the move to create order or unity always creates disorder as well. Lyotard attacked contemporary literary theories and encouraged experimental discourse unbounded by excessive concern for truth. He says,“Let us wage a war on totality; let us be witness to the unrepresentable; let us activate the differences and save the honor of the name” (Rivkin 359). The characters in Watchmen personify this theory. In trying to create justice through vigilantism they instead cause riotous chaos. The Comedian even states in a riotous crowd, in front of an American flag after being asked by Nite Owl, "What about the American Dream?" The Comedian answers, "We are living it right now!" Justice though vigilante chaos doesn't seem to work very well, even with the best of intentions.

G. de Purucker says, “The gods of all ancient mythologies were looked upon as the powers of nature plus consciousness…the gods shown to be the divine causes of existence, the fountains of self-consciousness and enlightened will - guardians of the cosmic law and order. They were the causes of cycles of nature herself, the exemplification of order an time periods” (Fountain). This not the case with the Watchmen characters. They have neurosis (Nite Owl II), psychopathic tendencies (Rorschach), sexual aggravation Silk Spectre II), and some are just aggressive for the sake of aggressiveness (The Comedian). But the main issue with all these anti heroes is the fact they want to fight for the greater good. Even when Ozymandias is playing the villain of this film he is not really encompassing the traits of the villain, he is trying to achieve world peace. he is trying to do it through nuclear war, but still has a greater purpose. Joseph Campbell says in A Heroes Journey that "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself" (Campbell). This line is quoted from the Vietnam Vets Memorial to small town memorials for deceased persons fighting and dying in the line of duty. One has to wonder, was Ozymandias a hero or simply another anti-hero trying to make the world in his view.



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. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'Save us!' And I'll look down, and whisper 'no.' They had a choice, all of them. They could have followed in the footsteps of good men like my father, or President Truman. Decent men, who believed in a day's work for a day's pay. Instead they followed the droppings of lechers and communists and didn't realize that the trail led over a precipice until it was too late. Don't tell me they didn't have a choice. Now the whole world stands on the brink, staring down into bloody hell, all those liberals and intellectuals and smooth-talkers, and all of a sudden nobody can think of anything to say. (Watchmen)


This dialogue from the film is very important in terms of phonology. The dialogue is spoken in almost a whisper yet the intensity of the words spoken is fiercely felt. It strikes fear from the outset of the film. Here is a perfect example of Ferdinand Saussure's views on the arbitrary binaries. The Saussure Essay "A Course in General Linguistics" states that "the linguistic sign is arbitrary and is not related by any inner relationship. There is no natural relationship between the signifier and the signified" (Rivkin 62). The signifier and the signified not be related to get the desired effect. The sign is the same, the spoken words. The whisper tone and the fierce intensity are two different things entirely. Rorschach's dialogue was chosen for this essay because he is the most complex character with his dialogue. Rorschach is a a psychopath with a conscious. His being a psychopath has nothing to do with him also having a conscious. The arbitrary binaries are at work. He has just gone on another killing spree in the prison and after returning to the Nite Owl II's lair. Nite Owl tells Rorschach the truth about himself and instead of the expected response of bashing his head in , he sticks out his hand and thanks Nite Owl for being a good friend. This is not the actions of true psychopath and Watchmen has many twists and turns such as this in the film.

Rorschach: Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But Doctor... I am Pagliacci." Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.(Watchmen)

Rorschach:For my own part, regret nothing. Have lived life, free from compromise ... and step into the shadow now without complaint.(Watchmen)

The things about this film that are most intriguing are the way the story flashes all over the place yet you are still able to follow the storyline. The characters are very complicated but, you are able to make your own assumptions by the way the film is constructed through deconstruction. This film is supposed to be the mother-ship for postmodernism and deconstruction in superhero films. It should be, it has all of the elements of postmodernism with a touch of modernism and formalism just to throw the audience off which would be the ultimate postmodern move. Give them what is not expected or even needed. Who is watching the Watchmen? Everyone I hope.




Works Cited
Hutcheon, Linda. "The Pastime of Past Time": Fiction, History, Historiographic Metafiction." GENRE XX (Fall-Winter 1987).

Rivkin, Julie and Ryan, Michael.Literary Theory: An Anthology. Eds. 2nd Ed.
Blackwell Publishing: 1998. Difference. Jacques Derrida. Pp.278-299

Rivkin, Julie and Ryan, Michael.Literary Theory: An Anthology. Eds. 2nd Ed.
Blackwell Publishing: 1998. The Postmodern Condition. Jean-Francios Lyotard.Pp.pp 359

Rivkin, Julie and Ryan, Michael.Literary Theory: An Anthology. Eds. 2nd Ed.
Blackwell Publishing: 1998. A Course in General Linguistics. Ferdinand Saussere. Pp 62

Kristeva,Julia.Intertextuality.www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/kristevaabject.html

G. de Purucker. Fountain-Source of Occultism

Watchmen.Zack Snyder.Legendary Pictures. Div. WarnerBrothers.2008.