Moral Issues In Watchmen

By introducing this idea of moral and ethical gray areas, Watchmen is able to better let readers relate to characters while also helping them understand that they represent society’s different view points. In a paper written by a Harvard professor, he states that some examples in the novel are “extreme and exaggerated, but the issues are real for many of us.” By using concepts of real issues, the reader can empathize with characters, and better understand their thought process. This also allows the reader understand that these heroes represent their own different thoughts and ideals, struggling with the same issues as them. In addition, he states, “Watchmen reminds us over and over that attempts to act well are easily susceptible to deformations

By referring to “deformations” it also helps communicate to the reader that more and more issues are arising, resulting in humanity as a whole slowly losing their crystal clear set of morals and values over time. Watchmen employs a sub plot in the story to expand on the idea of the world losing their black and white morality, while also tying in real world events that the novel symbolizes. Over the course of the novel, Watchmen constantly goes back to a little boy and a man who owns a newsstand. The little boy reads a comic that is interlaced throughout the book to help communicate the idea of good intentions resulting in lack of moral standards. A man who is marooned on an island must find a way home, basing his journey off the intention of love, although ends up murdering a few innocent people in hopes to return home and save his town, only to discover it didn’t need saving. He loses his morals and values for what he originally thought was a good cause, supporting the idea that good intentions now

Ozymandias believed the only way to avoid full out nuclear war was to sacrifice New York City, under the pretense of an alien attack to make everyone come together. His idea ends up working, and while people are sad about the traumatic loss, most are happy that the war is immediately ended allowing them to stop living in fear, quite similar to reactions of American citizens after the cold war. After the act though, Ozymandias does have second thoughts, debating if it really was the right thing to do in the end because it did involve such high human life sacrifice. This regret only makes him more relatable to the characters, but because his plan succeeded, many thought it was necessary and truly believed it was the only option to end things