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Valerie’s Letter
At the Old Bailey—a famous London building—there is an old iron statue of Lady Justice, the personification of the law. For different characters in V for Vendetta, Lady Justice symbolizes different things. To most of the people of London, Lady Justice is exactly what she seems to be: a symbol of justice. To V, however, Lady Justice symbolizes something more tragic. Since the rise of the Norsefire government, the Old Bailey—and the entire legal system—has come under the control of the Leader and his henchmen, who use “justice” to imprison minorities and constantly watch over their own people. For V, then, Lady Justice is a symbol of the weakness of justice and the law in England. V hopes to replace the corrupt legalism of Lady Justice with a new, better form of justice, based in anarchy and individual liberty.
Lady Justice Quotes in V for Vendetta
The V for Vendetta quotes below all refer to the symbol of Lady Justice. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Book 1, Chapter 5
Quotes
Her name is anarchy! And she has taught me more as a mistress than you ever did! She has taught me that justice is meaningless without freedom. She is honest. She makes no promises and breaks none.
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Lady Justice Symbol Timeline in V for Vendetta
The timeline below shows where the symbol Lady Justice appears in V for Vendetta. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 5: Versions
...building, the “Old Bailey,” on top of which there is an old sculpture of “ Lady Justice .”
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...after Adam Susan walks into the Old Bailey, V walks by the building. He sees Lady Justice , and has a mock-dialogue with her. He accuses Lady Justice—whom he’s loved since he...
(full context)
