In book 2 the government reinforces racism to brainwash London. The people need to be reminded that they are superior to other races and that they are the strongest race alive. The government uses media to reflect this. The book uses an example from the show The Nightmarish Future England of Storm Saxon. In the show Storm Saxon and Heidi (white) encounter a mongrel (black). Storm calls them “black cannibal filth” (108). It’s obvious that the government is degrading black people and putting them lower than whites. Also right after the transmission, the reporter mentions that people have lost their lives in Aberdeen and Glasgow because of “senseless terrorist violence” (108). The reporter is basically saying that everyone who isn’t white is a “terrorist”, and people should avoid them. The government put the material out there, and the people listen.
In the Leader’s fascist society women really don’t play a role at all. They are mostly viewed as entertainment (meaning sex). Women are more of an item than a person. No women hold major roles in the government. In the television shows they are depicted as very attractive, large chested, dumb, and dependant on men. They don’t hold jobs, so they go to the factories (hostels) or turn towards prostitution or stripping/dancing. Delia was a doctor, but she had no say in what she did, she was told what to do. Also, while in V’s “prison”, Evey was told that if she signed the statement that she would be out of jail in three years and could work with The Finger. Her kind was always getting sent there (162). The women are sent to work as people that do the dirty work or work on the streets. They will never get to sit at a nice desk with a city view instead they are lucky if they can even get a job with The Finger.
In order to get Evey to see the light that V sees, he puts her through a test that is very torturous. Like the techniques used today (that are supposed to be banned), V puts Evey through a test that tests her emotional and physical strength. She needs to see for her own eyes what the government can do. V shows her how they can kill loved ones and other people just because they are looked at as a threat. Valerie’s letter was used to show how far the government will go to create a pure society. Valerie was a lesbian, that’s all, and they tortured and killed her. I think given the circumstances I agree with V’s techniques. He had no intention of killing her. Evey was showing doubt in his motives, so he had to show her the light. He had to release her from her “happiness, the most insidious prison of all” (169).
