In The Watchmen by Alan Moore, Moore introduces the reader to two radically different characters who have a strikingly similar trait. Ozymandias is a handsome, rich, public and powerful man. Rorschach is an ugly, poor, reserved and almost worthless man. Despite all these contrasts, they share a common philosophy: they believe that the end justifies the means. This is a major theme of the story, and through it, Moore leads the reader to ask the question: do the ends justify the means? Before examining the concept of the ends justifying the means, it is important to understand how different the two are. the characters of Rorschach and Ozymandias are each other. Rorschach is strongly right-wing, even going as far as fascism. He believes that "the whole world is on the brink, facing a bloody hell, all the liberals, the intellectuals and the smooth talkers" (Volume 1, page 1). Rorschach is also an avid subscriber to the New Frontiersman, a right-wing conspiracy. review. Ozymandias is an extremely wealthy philanthropist, who once gave away his entire fortune to charity. Ozymandias was the first of all superheroes to go public, two years before the law required him to unmask himself. Rorschach never went public, choosing to live as an outlaw rather than abandon his identity. Ozymandias is considered by many to be the most handsome man in the world, while Rorschach is an ugly man who doesn't even bathe regularly. Ozymandias runs an international conglomerate, while Rorschach doesn't have enough money to pay his rent. These differences present the reader with two extremely different characters, their only similarities being their firm belief that the ends justify the means. Moore presents...... middle of article...... 11, page 25) In the next few pages, he reveals his massive project which involves teleporting an alien-like creature to New York, which will kill half of the inhabitants of this city. Even though it ultimately worked, there is no denying that he used terrible means to achieve his ends. Throughout Watchmen, the reader is confronted with many different characters. The characters of Rorschach and Ozymandias have a Manichean relationship. The line between good and evil is blurred with these two characters: the reader does not clearly know which of the two is good and which is evil. One is rich, liberal and handsome. The other is poor, conservative and ugly. However, despite all their differences, these characters share a common philosophy: they believe that the ends justify the means. Works Cited Moore, Alan. Guardians. 1-12. Canada: DC Comics, 1986-1987. Print.