"Strength through unity, unity through faith."

As the opening scenes of V for Vendetta unraveled, a panoramic view of London became noticeable to viewers. The gloomy cobblestone streets were filled with an air of mysticism. Anything with color and vivacity had been razed, leaving only drab buildings on the streets of London. The formidable government kept an ever-watching eye on the scared public. Megaphones were strategically placed throughout the city so that everyone could hear any “vital” announcements from the government. Government officials precluded the people from roaming the streets of London after a certain time by enforcing a strict curfew. The atmosphere of London in V for Vendetta echoed the atmosphere of London in 1984 by George Orwell. As I read the novel, the shadowing buildings appeared to hover over the streets and ultimately block the roads from all light. At all times of the day, even at thirteen hundred, I pictured an eerie milieu encompassed by always-present fog that resided at the bottom of the streets. V for Vendetta illustrated almost the exact setting that I pictured as I was reading Orwell’s novel. Each person is impoverished, living in fear, and surrounded by a murky ambiance. The only difference was that V for Vendetta did not appear to have omnipresent, intrusive telescreens, although it did give off the vibe that everyone was being watched at every moment.
The unfriendly atmosphere of V for Vendetta could be attributed to the government’s slogan, “Strength through unity, and unity through faith.” This slogan is used by the government as propaganda to get the people to believe that the nation will only be strong if it is united, and it will only be united if there is unquestioning trust in the government. Likewise, in 1984, the slogan “War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; and Ignorance is Strength,” is used by The Party to gain power. In both V for Vendetta and 1984, the government wants to be the supreme ruler of everyone and everything. Thus, the government needs the people to think that it is always right and to never stray from party thinking. In 1984, this is done by a branch of the administration known as the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Truth works to re-write history in the favor of the state of Oceania. For example, when the citizens of Airstrip One received less and less amounts of food, The Party made it seem like they were receiving more food than ever by rewriting their conjectures. Similarly, in V for Vendetta, a man blows up a building, but the government makes it look like they planned the explosion so that it appears to have control over everything. Both governments want to make sure that the public knows they are never wrong because that would equate to an admission that they do not completely possess total control. Also, the government in both stories has the ability to intrude on the people at any moment if they are deemed to have been guilty of a crime. These people are then taken to prisons where they are not fed anything and tortured horrifically, until the government is satisfied.