Davie 1
Evelyn Davie
Professor Joines
Dystopian Literature
24 October 2023
The panels I will be examining today are the last 3 panels of page 7 in chapter XI. Looking first
at the artwork, the first panel is a view of the inside of Veidt’s vivarium- a tropical greenhouse
he has constructed in Antarctica. The foreground and background of the panel contain towering
trees and lush flora and fauna- illustrating the impressive scale and incredible diversity of this
beautiful ecosystem. Only when we see the midground are we reminded that it is manufactured.
On a reflective silver floor, surrounded by Egyptian themed furniture, stands Veidt and three of
his Vietnamese servants. Veidt hands one servant a glass of wine as the other two hold their wine
and are seated- his own glass sits on the table. One servant asks why they were called to the
vivarium to “celebrate” (5). Veidt tells him he has many things worthy of celebration, and to
simply look around. In the next panel, Veidt walks away from the servants as he continues,
describing the contrast between the verdant vivarium and the harsh arctic directly outside. The
scope zooms outside and we can see the glass enclosure that separates the greenhouse from the
tundra, as well as snowflakes falling. In the next panel, we zoom back in and see Veidt place his
foot up on the edge of the fountain. His servant’s half finished wine makes up the foreground. As
Veidt looks down, he concedes that the accomplishment of today is particularly worthy of
celebration because “it represents the culmination of a dream more than two thousand years old”
(7).
The main theme of Watchmen is the implications of the invention of nuclear warfare. In the
second panel, the juxtaposition of the vivarium and Antarctica serve as a clear parallel between
the natural state of the world and the barren wasteland that would exist if atom bombs were
deployed, causing a nuclear winter. Veidt calls it “a miraculous bubble of tropicana set into
endless subzero wastes… two alien universes, separated by a membrane of fragile glass” (7).
After using the first panel to illustrate the magnificence of nature, the word choice in the second
panel of “membrane” and “fragile” shows just how close the threat of total devastation lurks.
Later, when Veidt exposes the vivarium to the elements, he does so with the push of a single
button- just like deploying an atomic bomb.
The victory that Veidt is celebrating in this excerpt is tricking the near-war nations of Soviet
Russia and the United States into peace by convincing them that Earth is under attack by aliens.
He explains to Dan and Rorschach that while the plan does involve killing millions, it is a
necessary evil in order to save the world. He claims “the world’s present would end. Its future,
immeasurably vaster, would also vanish” (22). This phrase, “saving the world,” is something I
want to delve into. In the context of most superhero stories, there is a supervillain plotting to
destroy the planet with an incredibly powerful weapon, and a superhero must swoop in at the last
second to save the world. These stories are scintillating, but by no means alarming. There is no
person on earth who is willing to destroy the planet, and no weapons strong enough to do that
anyways. Until there were. Suddenly, after the invention of the atom bomb, there are not only
weapons powerful enough to devastate the planet, but our very own elected leaders are seeming
closer and closer to pushing the doomsday button every day. The common person is powerless to
stop this.
The other theme of Watchmen is the implications of the invention of nuclear warfare. In the
second panel, the juxtaposition of the vivarium and Antarctica serve as a clear parallel between
Davie 2
the natural state of the world and the barren wasteland that would exist if atom bombs were
deployed, causing a nuclear winter. Veidt calls it “a miraculous bubble of tropicana set into
endless subzero wastes… two alien universes, separated by a membrane of fragile glass” (7).
After using the first panel to illustrate the magnificence of nature, the word choice in the second
panel of “membrane” and “fragile” shows just how close the threat of total devastation lurks.
Later, when Veidt exposes the vivarium to the elements, he does so with the push of a single
button- just like deploying an atomic bomb.
The victory that Veidt is celebrating in this excerpt is tricking the near-war nations of Soviet
Russia and the United States into peace by convincing them that Earth is under attack by aliens.
He explains to Dan and Rorschach that while the plan does involve killing millions, it is a
necessary evil in order to save the world. He claims “the world’s present would end. Its future,
immeasurably vaster, would also vanish” (22). This phrase, “saving the world,” is something I
want to delve into. In the context of most superhero stories, there is a supervillain plotting to
destroy the planet with an incredibly powerful weapon, and a superhero must swoop in at the last
second to save the world. These stories are scintillating, but by no means alarming. There is no
person on earth who is willing to destroy the planet, and no weapons strong enough to do that
anyways. Until there were. Suddenly, after the invention of the atom bomb, there are not only
weapons powerful enough to devastate the planet, but our very own elected leaders are seeming
closer and closer to pushing the doomsday button every day. The common person is powerless to
stop this.
Looking first at the artwork, the first panel is a view of the inside of Veidt’s vivarium- a
tropical greenhouse he has constructed in Antarctica. The foreground and background of the
panel contain towering trees and lush flora and fauna- illustrating the impressive scale and
incredible diversity of this beautiful ecosystem. Only when we see the midground are we
reminded that it is manufactured. On a reflective silver floor, surrounded by Egyptian themed
furniture, stands Veidt and three of his Vietnamese servants. Veidt hands one servant a glass of
wine as the other two hold their wine and are seated- his own glass sits on the table. One servant
asks why they were called to the vivarium to “celebrate” (5). Veidt tells him he has many things
worthy of celebration, and to simply look around. In the next panel, Veidt walks away from the
servants as he continues, describing the contrast between the verdant vivarium and the harsh
arctic directly outside. The scope zooms outside and we can see the glass enclosure that separates
the greenhouse from the tundra, as well as snowflakes falling. In the next panel, we zoom back in
and see Veidt place his foot up on the edge of the fountain. His servant’s half finished wine
makes up the foreground. As Veidt looks down, he concedes that the accomplishment of today is
particularly worthy of celebration because “it represents the culmination of a dream more than
two thousand years old”