The Survivor Character Analysis in Watchmen

The survivor is the nameless narrator of the pirate comic, which is read by an unnamed character throughout the novel. After the survivor’s ship and crew are destroyed by pirates, the survivor becomes convinced that the pirates will sail to his home and murder his family as well. He makes his way to his hometown, growing more desperate and crazed the closer he gets. When he reaches his hometown, he accidentally murders his wife, believing that she is a pirate who’s already murdered his family.

The Survivor Character Timeline in Watchmen

The timeline below shows where the character The Survivor appears in Watchmen. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Heroes, Villains, and Vigilantes Theme Icon

American Corruption and Patriotism Theme Icon

...Express, which insinuates that Dr. Manhattan gives people terminal cancer. In the pirate comic, the survivor worries that the pirates will go to his home village and murder his family unless... (full context)

...Manhattan’s disappearance. They suspect the Communists are somehow to blame. In the pirate comic, the survivor digs a pit to bury all the dead bodies washed up on shore. He thinks... (full context)

On the street corner, the pirate comic ends with the pirate ship headed for the survivor’s home and family. The story’s lack of ending angers the man reading it and he... (full context)

...seem possible to escape at all. In the next issue of the pirate comic, the survivor determines he must build a raft and sail home before the pirates get there. The... (full context)

Moralist vs. Utilitarian Ethics Theme Icon

...theorizes that weapons manufacturers are about to make a fortune. In the pirate comic, the survivor contemplates his morality and stares down at the dead corpses keeping him afloat. (full context)

...it’s always the things one doesn’t see that kill them. In the pirate comic, the survivor dozes on his corpse raft and thinks about how regular people “exist upon the whim... (full context)

In the pirate comic, the survivor endures a shark attack. The biggest shark is yellow and strange. It entangles itself in... (full context)

...that Rorschach used to be one of his regular customers. In the pirate comic, the survivor floats on his raft of dead bodies and imagines pirates cutting his wife apart with... (full context)

...Rorschach caused a prison riot that left 5 people dead. In the pirate comic, the survivor starts to speak with the corpses keeping his raft afloat. (full context)

...costumes discover his body when they arrive, looking for candy. In the pirate comic, the survivor jumps into the water to drown himself, but he doesn’t sink. He realizes that he... (full context)

In the pirate comic, the survivor wades ashore, figuring he is less than 20 miles from his home. However, he knows... (full context)

...offer him some religious literature. He angrily shoos them away. In the pirate comic, the survivor finds that killing is easy when death feels near. He ties the woman upright in... (full context)

...Aline, is angry with her and they’re settling things tonight. In the pirate comic, the survivor and the dead woman ride down the street, under the gaze of what he thinks... (full context)

...of Hustler will be in soon. Aline runs away, upset. In the pirate comic, the survivor rushes into his home and bludgeons the pirate he finds sleeping on the floor. It... (full context)

...wishes she were “straight” and she wishes she were “dead.” In the pirate comic, the survivor reaches the ocean. (full context)

...she spots Malcolm down the street and goes to him. In the pirate comic, the survivor hears an angry mob pursuing him. The pirate freighter floats in the sea in front... (full context)

The pirate comic ends when the pirate crew lowers a rope to the survivor. The news vendor says that people ought to connect with each other more. He asks... (full context)