Recently in my Sociology class we discussed how people react to emergency situations when in public places, in the company of others, or by themselves. It was very interesting to find out that reaction time is considerably less when an individual sees someone who needs help. Usually, people will react slower when in groups because they feel a diffusion of responsibility. One incident, in particular, that we discussed was the case concerning Kitty Genovese. Immediately, I remembered reading about his incident in Watchmen. Walter began working in the garment industry and dealt with a dress that Genovese had ordered. After her brutal murder he felt compelled to use the fabric from her dress as a mask--Rorschach was born. The fabric was "Black and white. Moving. Changing shape...but not mixing. No gray (Ch6, P10)."
The mask of Rorschach is an interesting and complicated element of his character. Several things I noticed about his mask include the fact that it is ever changing; Second, there are no eye holes and the fabric itself is clearly not see through; Third, that no matter how much is changes and reshapes, it always bears a slight resemblance to facial features. So, here are some questions to ponder: Why does Walter choose this particular ever-changing fabric, how does he see through it, and what is the significance of the distorted facial features portrayed by the mask?
1) There are several theories and much speculation as to why Walter decides to use the fabric from Genovese's dress. Of course, Rorschach himself would claim that the insanity and injustice within her murder drove him to seek a greater good in the world. However, others disagree. His doctor, for instance, believes that Walter Simply used the Genovese story to justify his actions as a vigilante, stating his case as an example of misdirected aggression.
2) I couldn't really find or muster a great answer as to how Rorschach sees through his mask. Some just claim that it is this enough to see through, but if anyone has a theory please share!
3) The fact that the patterns on his mask are ever changing is very significant yet very simple to answer. Because his mask is ever changing, it implies that Rorschach himself is enigmatic.
Persepolis:
of info: Maus was the graphic novel that instilled an appreciation and passion within Satrapi for comics. Here is the link to the video:
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