Rorschach: violence as the solution towards problems.

Rorschach is a character that first appeared in the comic book of 1987 Watchmen. The
comic book is developed in an alternate reality during the 1980s where Nixon has been
elected for his third term and the Watergate scandal never occurred, while in the streets of
New York, masked heroes fight crime; among them we found Walter Kovacs A.K.A.
Rorschach, Rorschach is a hero who works solo investigating a murder case, who doesnt
have any special super power (except for Dr. Manhattan) and is reluctant to quite the mask,
despite an Act passed on 77 that banned masked heroes. Being the former member of a
super-hero gang called Crimebusters Rorschach doesnt like to obey orders with a black
and white perspective of life, meaning that for him, a crime is a crime, no matter by whom
or why it was committed, this eventually ends his life, but before we get into it Im going to
write about the reasons this anti-hero has to believe that violence is the only solution in the
world of Watchmen.
Rorschachs view of morality is demonstrated in the first page: 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 Ill look down. And whisper no. From the very
beginning he is observed as a man who despises corruption and wants to end it for good,
his loathe for prostitutes and lowlife criminals comes from childhood and he considers
them one of the scum of society. On the other hand his methods for getting what he wants
are unorthodox and aggressive, we can appreciate this when he talks to Moloch, an ex-
villain with cancer that knows information Rorschach is urged to acquire: lying. Do it
again, broken arm. Not joking even when he founds drugs (cancer treatment) in
Molochs place we can observe his black and white perspective searched your house,
before you got back. Knew you wouldnt mind. Found illegal drugs Laetril. Phony
medication.Illegal... cancer? What kind cancer? ...
Rorschach understands that society evolves, but in the case of the comic book, society has
descended in spiral towards selfishness and individualism that he must counterattacked
with violence. This can be seen in the chapter VI, when Rorschach, in jail, confesses to his
psychologist why he decided to wear a mask and fight crime: stopped at newsstand on
way to work, bought paper. There she was. Front page. Later on he adds: Raped.
Tortured. Killed. Here. In New York Nobody did anything. Nobody called the cops.
Some of them watched I knew what people were then, behind all the evasions, all the
ashamed for humanity. Rorschach understood that people were not going to do anything
to defend the defenseless, therefore he needed to take justice on his hands, he understood
that those violent crimes were not going to stop; he knew at that precise moment that
violence is fought with violence.
At first Rorschach believed in second chances and the possibility of redemption, but
afterwards he decided that second chances dont exist and that the only way to a better
world is through violence and punishment. Walter Kovacs, Rorschach real name, is
investigating a missing girl case, when he comes across really good information to the
girls whereabouts, when he gets there, the girls has been presumable, raped, cut into pieces
and given her body to feed the dog, this was a before and after in Rorschachs life:
under latex, it was Kovacs who closed his eyesit was Rorschach who opened them
again In here Walter realizes that justice doesnt exist and that mankind cant be saved, so
he left that life behind, Walters, and Rorschachs black and white perspective comes in,
just like he said it: Stood in firelight, sweltering. Bloodstain on chest like map of violent
new continent this rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not
God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the
dogs. Its us. Only us With those last words Water says good bye to the world and the only
thing left is Rorschach and his violence.

Towards the end of the comic, Rorschach get to the end of his investigation, a simple
suicide case becomes the murder case of an ex colleague, The Comedian. Resolved
merely through violence, he gets to a point of no return. When the gang gets back together,
after Rorschach is rescued from jail, they come across the guilty of The Comedians death
and whats behind it. When Rorschach confronts a fellow member of the Crimebusters,
Ozymandias, about destroying half of Manhattan with the objective of bringing peace to the
world, Ozymandias, just like Rorschach, understood that in order to bring peace to the
world he needed to bring violence first, however, despite such an act, in the eyes of
Rorschach what Ozymandias had done was a crime and he needed to pay for it, but unlike
him, his friends didnt share that feeling and they were going to keep the secret, therefore,
Rorschach had to die: Back to owlship. Back to America. Evil must be punished. People
must be told and Dr. Manhattan responds: you know I cant let you do that
Finally, after all the evidence presented I can say: Rorschach is a violent man in a violent
world in which he is the only one who really punishes the criminals of the underworld,
because real justice doesnt exist. Rorschachs justice is the only thing everyone should be
afraid of and because of the lack of tolerance in his nature, he is consider to be a violent and
aggressive anti-hero, a man who gets things done with frivolous methods without caring if
he gets his hands dirty. Rorschach is and always be the hero everyone seeks, however, is
hard to recognize that the only way to live in a world of justice and peace is through
violence leaving any indulgence towards unlawful acts.