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V For Vendetta Rhetorical Analysis

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In V for Vendetta, James McTeigue uses artworks in an intertextual way to portray his character’s emotional development. Today I will be talking about the artworks The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, Puberty and The Burning of the Houses of Parliament. The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian is symbolic of the political dominance present in V’s society. The term martyrdom refers to killing a person due to their devotion to a religious faith or cause. Saint Sebastian is depicted being tied to the stake and shot at by several archers after being discovered to be Christian. However, he doesn’t die from being shot by the arrows. This is a parallel to when V gets shot at and doesn’t die, suggesting the notion that ideas are bulletproof. Saint Sebastian …show more content…

This is very much symbolic of the mental transformation Evey goes through during the course of the film. The girl is painted naked, a sign of vulnerability. The placement of Evey in front of this painting is suggesting that she is also vulnerable, even though she seems tough on the outside. The blue shadow in the painting represents the repressed feelings and emotions of the girl. It is also casting a shadow of anxiety and fear over the girl in the painting, thinking of what is to come. Ever since Evey was young her own feelings have been suppressed, and she has shut all her emotions out for fear they would overcome her and make her feel ‘weak’. The colour blue also signifies a need for order and direction in this time of great change. There is also a small aura of dark yellow surrounding the girl’s head. Yellow is known to be an irritable colour for people going through a time of transformation. The use of this colour combined with blue also eludes to sexual repression of the girl - much like her mental state. This restraint of feeling reflects the society Evey lives in – one where there is no freedom in everyday

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