What Was Alan Moore Trying To Say In Swamp Thing American Gothic?

[Timothy Hunter]

In Swamp Thing 50, Swamp Thing basically convinces the Great Evil Beast not to invade heaven by answering it's query about the purpose of evil: Swamp Thing replies that evil exists to balance out good. He gives the example that the Parliment of Trees provided him in issue 57, of a ladybug dying in order to fertilize soil. The aforementioned can be seen as an example of a necessary evil, but it conflicts with the examples of evil seen in previous chapters of the American Gothic storyline such as racism, misogyny, and serial murder which don't lead to anything fruitful and in fact are quite senseless.

People might say I'm overthinking it, but the themes presented in the prior issues of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing are so fully realized that I find the conclusion to American Gothic disappointing.

[Lee Stone]

I think the previous chapters showed that evil had corrupted so much that it had become part of human nature.
To me it seems that the evil was allowed to move about and influence humans that were easily swayed so that good would have something to give it context.

I think that this is a good analysis of the storyline here.

Note: he touches on your thoughts in the end.

I was sorta underwhelmed by the resolution, but not to the degree that it hurt my enjoyment of the story.
I was really into the characters at Winters' manor, and felt that the seance scene where Zatara and Sargon died was a great display of just how high stakes the story was.
I still rank the storyline as one of my all-time favorites, warts and all.