Rorschach Journal Useless?

[ironwez20]

doesnt rorshach die at the end why did dr manhaten kill him ?

 

[SalaciousVC]

Didn't wanna risk Rorschach revealing the truth about Veidt.

 

[Menthol]

Because in Veidt's new world peace he would have had to live a life of compromise, knowing about the plan. Rorschach sees good and evil, his mask is black and white - no shades of grey. Veidt's plan makes Rorschach redundant in the world, so he removes the mask, knowing that Rorschach can no longer function in the world, and dies as Kovacs.

Good explanation! I never thought of it that way...

 

[JTIZZLEVILLE]

Rorshach always meant for his journal to be found and published.

Yes, Rorshach's journal was not legible. But if you remember, when Rorshach is busted out of jail, he tells Nightowl to take him back to his house so he can grab some supplies.

"Spare clothes. Spare face. Final Draft of journal. Police only found rough notes."

It makes sense that maybe he wrote in code so that, in the case he was captured, nothing could be read until he was ready.

There must be something in the journal that contributes it as Rorshach's writing. How would a paper not print snippets from one of the most wanted criminals on the planet?

 

[Nivek]

Because in Veidt's new world peace he would have had to live a life of compromise, knowing about the plan. Rorschach sees good and evil, his mask is black and white - no shades of grey. Veidt's plan makes Rorschach redundant in the world, so he removes the mask, knowing that Rorschach can no longer function in the world, and dies as Kovacs.

Great Summary, AA!

 

[Afternoon]

Well, it may or may not lead to the discovery of the truth and the arrest of Veidt, if it gets published, but even then it will plant a seed of misstrust in people's heart and this may be enough to break this so-called eternal peace over time.

 

[Timstuff]

Not necessarily. It could just as well mean that even with that "alien threat", the countries cannot work together and soon they'll have a falling out and become enemies again.

I think that the ending of the book / movie, in today's society, is in some ways even more timely than it was in the 80's. Think about it-- on September 11 2001, there was a great sense of togetherness amongst the people of the civilized world. But less than 10 years later, things are almost worse now than they were before 9/11. We've actually had a disaster in our history comparable to Viedt's giant squid scheme, and yet it's done little, if anything, to bring the world together. Peace through shared tragedy in the world of Watchmen would probably be almost as short lived as in real life.

 

[Camisado]

I want that journal....

 

[zmystico]

Here is why his journal would be considered useless....he was seen insane, he's an escaped convict, he lacks credibility. Adrien was seen almost like Superman, the hero that everyone loved, so I really doubt anyone would put much stock into the chicken-scratch ramblings of an escaped insane murderer (he was never cleared of the murder and was wanted for 2 before). Plus, everyone agreed to keep the secret about what really happened, so even if there were questions, credible heroes would deny it all, and with the world at peace, I just doubt that his journal alone would cause enough of a stir.

 

[Addendum]

And that aside from the most loyal of readers and the editor, no one else considers the New Frontiersman as a reputable paper. It's a glorified tabloid. It'd be like someone attempting to break a major scandal in our world by sending their information to the Weekly World News.

 

[Super Freak]

The truth is out there....

(Sorry couldn't resist.)

I wonder if an alternate possibility could be that the curly red-headed, downtrodden Seymour discovers the journal and becomes inspired to become Rorschach II.

 

[Sardaukar]

Cases for the journal being discovered and made public:

Rorschach admits that his previous writing was not legible and attempts to make it so. He's an intelligent, able guy, so let's not assume he can't write decently if he absolutely has to.

If they read the journal through, it's entirely possible that the New Frontiersman would send a sample to the police. Or maybe they publish some of it and the police become interested. The police have his previous journal on record. There's little doubt that an expert could determine that the writing in both journals is the same.

After the prison break, there would be people wanting answers about just what happened and where Rorschach escaped to. At the end, Dan and Laurie are on the run. They're in disguise. They know they are being hunted and they're not paranoid people. There were guards and prisoners who witnessed them breaking out Rorschach.

What's more, Laurie had an especially deep connection with Manhattan. Wouldn't the government want to know what happened to him? She would know what happened, if anyone does. And, again, she has also been connected to Rorschach.

The police and the government would be looking for a lead. Any lead. And if they get their hands on that journal, then all bets are off.

 

[Addendum]

And the police will take the words of a vigilante as truth? Especially one that some people don't consider all there?

 

[Gilpesh]

Addendum, don't forget the almost killing a few cops thing also.