"I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone." p. 135
Well I must say, I've spent quite a long time discussing our good friend Victor, but I've really neglected to say much about the characterization of everyone's favorite sterotypical Italian plumber. Or monster. Either way, really, I am of course speaking of Mario.
Mario starts off as a baby, essentially, as shown by the way in which he reaches out to Victor, his father figure, and slaps on a goofy baby grin. This, of course, is terrifying to Victor, but really he just wants some love. However, this initially rejection just starts a long cycle of repeated instances of Mario saying "lovemelovemelovemelovemeloveme" and everyone else just beating him with sticks. Yeowch. So he goes out into the wild, and at some point, he enters a town to talk with people, at which time he is first beaten with said sticks and run right out of town. So you'd think he'd be pretty bummed, at this point, but don't worry, Mario is still but an innocent child at heart, and he is confident that someday he'll find people who will accept him. So he decides to befriend the DeLaceys while under the impression that the decency he's observed before will make them treat him compassionately. However, one lady faints, one lady flees, and guess what Felix does! He beats him with a stick. So Mario runs off again, and now he's starting to get a little ticked, so he burns down the abandoned DeLacey cottage and takes off into the wilderness, at which time, he finds a lady drowning in the river. Now, Mario's been treated like crap thus far, so it certainly would have been expected of the big guy to just keep on walking and not help her out. But rather, he goes out of his way, saves her life, begins to resuscitate her, and how is he thanked? If you answered that he's beaten with a stick, you'd actually be wrong. Nahh, he gets shot. Poor fella. So that is essentially the last straw. Mario flips out and begins his killing spree, ultimately leading up to his murder of Elizabeth and the death of Victor, and eventually Mario himself.
So that might have seemed like a lot of plot summary, but I feel that really it's the best way to represent Mario's progression as a character. He starts off innocent like a child, but the world just hates him. However, he does not begin to give up on humanity until his encounter with the DeLaceys. But even after that, he is still a good and decent critter, not even close to being worthy of the title "monster." However, his last decent act is repaid with hatred, and he just quits. Ultimately this is the outline of his transition from a fairly human-like character to a totally brutal and bloodthirsty monster.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Frankenstein - The End
"I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct." p. 211
Well that's pretty much sadder than a box full of hungry hungry kittens. Honestly, it's a wonder why the most suicide-prone profession is not writers. They simply strike me as such a depressing bunch of people. I feel as though the ratio of sad endings to happy endings in literature is somewhere around 1000:1. It's reached the point where it's not even realistic anymore. People argue, in real life, not everything is a happy ending....Which is certainly true, but I like to think that they constitute more than .1% of the endings in the world. Yesterday, I drove to school. On the way, I was not involved in a fatal car accident. Happy Ending. I forgot to do my math homework, but I finished it before class. Happy Ending. Honestly, I think that happy endings occur more often than sad endings. Or perhaps i'm just an extremely fortunate person. Who knows.
But I digress.
Let's talk about that ending, shall we? So Frankenstein finally finishes his story, and then he dies. Convenient, am I right? Sure would've made a crappy story if he died halfway through chapter 14. So then Mario also shows up, and I am still amazed by his ability to sneak about utterly undetected despite his massive size. He weeps over the body of his Daddy, taking the blame for his death. Now that vengeance has been exacted, he's not really happy at all. He's just a miserable little giant. And now, according to the quote above, he's just going to truck off to the north pole either to die or start working in Santa's Workshop. The ending is pretty ambiguous, so I'm still pulling for the latter. Sequel, anyone?
Well that's pretty much sadder than a box full of hungry hungry kittens. Honestly, it's a wonder why the most suicide-prone profession is not writers. They simply strike me as such a depressing bunch of people. I feel as though the ratio of sad endings to happy endings in literature is somewhere around 1000:1. It's reached the point where it's not even realistic anymore. People argue, in real life, not everything is a happy ending....Which is certainly true, but I like to think that they constitute more than .1% of the endings in the world. Yesterday, I drove to school. On the way, I was not involved in a fatal car accident. Happy Ending. I forgot to do my math homework, but I finished it before class. Happy Ending. Honestly, I think that happy endings occur more often than sad endings. Or perhaps i'm just an extremely fortunate person. Who knows.
But I digress.
Let's talk about that ending, shall we? So Frankenstein finally finishes his story, and then he dies. Convenient, am I right? Sure would've made a crappy story if he died halfway through chapter 14. So then Mario also shows up, and I am still amazed by his ability to sneak about utterly undetected despite his massive size. He weeps over the body of his Daddy, taking the blame for his death. Now that vengeance has been exacted, he's not really happy at all. He's just a miserable little giant. And now, according to the quote above, he's just going to truck off to the north pole either to die or start working in Santa's Workshop. The ending is pretty ambiguous, so I'm still pulling for the latter. Sequel, anyone?
Frankenstein - Characterization
"Again do I vow vengeance; again do I devote thee, miserable fiend, to torture and death. Never will I give up my search until he or I perish" p. 195
Let's talk about that characterization of Frankenstein. He's a fairly dynamic character, so what exactly changes in him? Before the experiment, he is a bright, optimistic, and adventure-loving young lad. He is paralleled with Walton the explorer as a scientist venturing into the unknown. He also dearly loves his friends and family, particularly Elizabeth. Furthermore, he loves science and the art of experimentation and discovery. He concerns himself solely with the scientific aspect of his actions and not with the moral implications therein. This all gradually changes over time.
The first change occurs before the experiment actually takes place, as he begins to distance himself from his loved ones. He cuts off all contact from them and practically forgets that they even exist. Next, his love of science disappears instantly after his experiment is a success. Suddenly, he no longer cares at all about the incredible scientific breakthrough he has accomplished, and is only able to think "Oh crap, I really shouldn't have done this," which is essentially him focusing on the moral aspect of his actions. Eventually, he returns home and begins to rekindle those family connections, but even though he is physically close to them, his melancholy demeanor still distances him emotionally. However, he still seems to have that love of adventure, as shown by his admiration of nature when he goes off into the mountains on his own, shortly before he meets Mario again. Afterwards, now that Frankenstein has been forced into this new task, he has an even harder time connecting with the family he was once so close to, and his newest project cuts him off from his family and forces him to leave, thus cutting his family ties even further. Also, his love of nature and spirit of adventure is finally extinguished by the time he reaches England with Henry, who is now amazed by the beautiful landscape. Henry, who now parallels Walton, is now a foil to Victor, who no longer finds any pleasure in nature. The various things that once defined Victor have gradually been stripped away, ending finally with the climax of the entire novel, the murder of Elizabeth, his most beloved companion. His social ties have now been ultimately and irreparably severed, and the only aspect of Victor's personality, the one trait that has now surfaced in the absence of his other previous traits, is vengeance. The thirst for revenge, as encapsulated by the quote above, now defines Victor's character, and he has made the full transition from human being at the beginning to total monster by the very end.
Let's talk about that characterization of Frankenstein. He's a fairly dynamic character, so what exactly changes in him? Before the experiment, he is a bright, optimistic, and adventure-loving young lad. He is paralleled with Walton the explorer as a scientist venturing into the unknown. He also dearly loves his friends and family, particularly Elizabeth. Furthermore, he loves science and the art of experimentation and discovery. He concerns himself solely with the scientific aspect of his actions and not with the moral implications therein. This all gradually changes over time.
The first change occurs before the experiment actually takes place, as he begins to distance himself from his loved ones. He cuts off all contact from them and practically forgets that they even exist. Next, his love of science disappears instantly after his experiment is a success. Suddenly, he no longer cares at all about the incredible scientific breakthrough he has accomplished, and is only able to think "Oh crap, I really shouldn't have done this," which is essentially him focusing on the moral aspect of his actions. Eventually, he returns home and begins to rekindle those family connections, but even though he is physically close to them, his melancholy demeanor still distances him emotionally. However, he still seems to have that love of adventure, as shown by his admiration of nature when he goes off into the mountains on his own, shortly before he meets Mario again. Afterwards, now that Frankenstein has been forced into this new task, he has an even harder time connecting with the family he was once so close to, and his newest project cuts him off from his family and forces him to leave, thus cutting his family ties even further. Also, his love of nature and spirit of adventure is finally extinguished by the time he reaches England with Henry, who is now amazed by the beautiful landscape. Henry, who now parallels Walton, is now a foil to Victor, who no longer finds any pleasure in nature. The various things that once defined Victor have gradually been stripped away, ending finally with the climax of the entire novel, the murder of Elizabeth, his most beloved companion. His social ties have now been ultimately and irreparably severed, and the only aspect of Victor's personality, the one trait that has now surfaced in the absence of his other previous traits, is vengeance. The thirst for revenge, as encapsulated by the quote above, now defines Victor's character, and he has made the full transition from human being at the beginning to total monster by the very end.
Frankenstein - Symbols
"I lighted the dry branch of a tree and danced with fury around the devoted cottage, my eyes still fixed on the western horizon, the edge of which the moon nearly touched." p. 132
Light and fire are two prominent symbols throughout the novel that essentially represent knowledge. Even as far back as Walton's first few letters to his sister, light has represented knowledge attained through the scientific process: "What may not be expected in a country of light?" p. 15. The flash of lightning that splits a tree stump serves as an impetus for Lil Victor to pursue science as a profession p. 40. However, though knowledge can oftentimes be used for good and the betterment of the human species, other times, it can be misused and abused to bring harm to the world. Well, hey, that's where the fire comes in.
You see, children, fire and light are connected, and in the knowledge symbolism sandwich, they are essentially two sides of the same coin. One can illuminate a room by either flipping a light switch or tossing in a molotov cocktail. Either way works, really, but the latter is a bit more destructive, really. Thus, light and fire both represent knowledge, but whenever fire is used, it represents the more destructive and dangerous things that come along with the attainment of knowledge. This is first hinted at when Mario discovers fire p. 100 and how the light and warmth are both pleasing to him. However, when he gets tooooo clooooose, that same light suddenly is not quite so pleasant. Knowledge hurts, don't it, Mario? This fire symbolism ultimately cultivates in Mario's realization of the knowledge that the whole world hates him forever, so he resolves to burn the whole place down, starting with that cottage over there. It's a good start, big fella, but you've got a lot more knowledge to gain before you'll ever be happy :D fwoooosh.
(he'll never be happy)
Light and fire are two prominent symbols throughout the novel that essentially represent knowledge. Even as far back as Walton's first few letters to his sister, light has represented knowledge attained through the scientific process: "What may not be expected in a country of light?" p. 15. The flash of lightning that splits a tree stump serves as an impetus for Lil Victor to pursue science as a profession p. 40. However, though knowledge can oftentimes be used for good and the betterment of the human species, other times, it can be misused and abused to bring harm to the world. Well, hey, that's where the fire comes in.
You see, children, fire and light are connected, and in the knowledge symbolism sandwich, they are essentially two sides of the same coin. One can illuminate a room by either flipping a light switch or tossing in a molotov cocktail. Either way works, really, but the latter is a bit more destructive, really. Thus, light and fire both represent knowledge, but whenever fire is used, it represents the more destructive and dangerous things that come along with the attainment of knowledge. This is first hinted at when Mario discovers fire p. 100 and how the light and warmth are both pleasing to him. However, when he gets tooooo clooooose, that same light suddenly is not quite so pleasant. Knowledge hurts, don't it, Mario? This fire symbolism ultimately cultivates in Mario's realization of the knowledge that the whole world hates him forever, so he resolves to burn the whole place down, starting with that cottage over there. It's a good start, big fella, but you've got a lot more knowledge to gain before you'll ever be happy :D fwoooosh.
(he'll never be happy)
Frankenstein - Abortion
"I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on. Even now my blood boils at the recollection of this injustice." p. 210
I'll be tackling what appears to be a motif of Frankenstein: unwanted life. Ever since Victor first created Mario (Mario of course being the creature), there has been this idea of a life existing that nobody really wanted to exist. Mario was, in fact, alive, but Frankenstein immediately regretted it, and actually set out to destroy the life that he created. There's just this sense that now that some living thing has become an inconvenience, it is acceptable to extinguish that little spark of life. This sounds eerily similar to a process that exists today, and Shelley finally mentions it by name on the second-to-last page: Abortion. BOOM. This blog post just got real.
So how about that? Could this novel actually be a commentary on the abortion of adorable unborn babies? Up until five minutes ago, I had no idea if they even practiced abortions way back in The Olden Times, but apparently abortion has been practiced since The Very Olden Times, and maybe even Way Before Those Times! So I like to think that it's actually extremely possible that Shelley is commenting on abortion. But more importantly, what exactly is she saying? Shelley is a noted feminist, so does she portray abortion as a good right that protects a woman's ability to do whatever she may want with her own body? Well...no. You see, throughout the novel, as Victor's desire to terminate the life he created increases, his resemblance to what we actually consider a monster increases as well. He gradually becomes more brutal and less human, more bloodthirsty and less compassionate. He stops caring about human relationships, the beauty of nature, and even science, his one true love (♥). As he abandons these human qualities and becomes more animalistic, it simply reveals that Shelley is conveying her belief that abortion is in fact a monstrous practice.
I'll be tackling what appears to be a motif of Frankenstein: unwanted life. Ever since Victor first created Mario (Mario of course being the creature), there has been this idea of a life existing that nobody really wanted to exist. Mario was, in fact, alive, but Frankenstein immediately regretted it, and actually set out to destroy the life that he created. There's just this sense that now that some living thing has become an inconvenience, it is acceptable to extinguish that little spark of life. This sounds eerily similar to a process that exists today, and Shelley finally mentions it by name on the second-to-last page: Abortion. BOOM. This blog post just got real.
So how about that? Could this novel actually be a commentary on the abortion of adorable unborn babies? Up until five minutes ago, I had no idea if they even practiced abortions way back in The Olden Times, but apparently abortion has been practiced since The Very Olden Times, and maybe even Way Before Those Times! So I like to think that it's actually extremely possible that Shelley is commenting on abortion. But more importantly, what exactly is she saying? Shelley is a noted feminist, so does she portray abortion as a good right that protects a woman's ability to do whatever she may want with her own body? Well...no. You see, throughout the novel, as Victor's desire to terminate the life he created increases, his resemblance to what we actually consider a monster increases as well. He gradually becomes more brutal and less human, more bloodthirsty and less compassionate. He stops caring about human relationships, the beauty of nature, and even science, his one true love (♥). As he abandons these human qualities and becomes more animalistic, it simply reveals that Shelley is conveying her belief that abortion is in fact a monstrous practice.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Frankenstein - Convenient License
"This was indeed a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it." p. 106-107
I for one find it very impressive that The Creature should be able to learn how to speak human language purely by observation (although I suppose that's how all of us learn it, really), however it still seems rather unbelievable that he should learn to speak it so well and in so little time, too. The conversation that he carries on with Victor is not, in fact, a simple conversation containing language akin to a five-year-old, but rather a fairly complex conversation utilizing high-level diction. In fact, it's a little too impressive. Frankly, I just don't believe it. I could understand it if he had learned the language while immersed in an urban environment in which people might help him along. However, to achieve such a mastery of language simply by observing poor cottagers living all the way out in the boonies of Switzerland sounds a tad preposterous, so I'll go ahead and label this as Convenient License, wherein it is more convenient for The Creature to understand how to speak with other people, and thus Mary Shelley makes it so. It honestly reminds me a bit of the Star Trek series in that every alien race speaks English and resembles a human being while every planet has similar gravity and atmosphere composition as Earth. It's just more convenient, although logically preposterous. So if there's not a word for that concept yet, I hereby declare it to be Convenient License.
I for one find it very impressive that The Creature should be able to learn how to speak human language purely by observation (although I suppose that's how all of us learn it, really), however it still seems rather unbelievable that he should learn to speak it so well and in so little time, too. The conversation that he carries on with Victor is not, in fact, a simple conversation containing language akin to a five-year-old, but rather a fairly complex conversation utilizing high-level diction. In fact, it's a little too impressive. Frankly, I just don't believe it. I could understand it if he had learned the language while immersed in an urban environment in which people might help him along. However, to achieve such a mastery of language simply by observing poor cottagers living all the way out in the boonies of Switzerland sounds a tad preposterous, so I'll go ahead and label this as Convenient License, wherein it is more convenient for The Creature to understand how to speak with other people, and thus Mary Shelley makes it so. It honestly reminds me a bit of the Star Trek series in that every alien race speaks English and resembles a human being while every planet has similar gravity and atmosphere composition as Earth. It's just more convenient, although logically preposterous. So if there's not a word for that concept yet, I hereby declare it to be Convenient License.
Frankenstein - Green?
"It became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." p. 57
Wait a second, Doc, you're saying it wrong. You're supposed to yell "It's aliiiive!" and then thunder crashes and the monster rampages around your laboratory, breaking lots of delicate instruments. And oh yeah, don't you live in a castle?
This book is not really close to the general perception that people have towards Frankenstein('s monster). I must admit that I was actually disappointed when there was no classic shout of victory upon the animation of The Creature. Every Frankenstein movie ever made has that line, heck, even the pseudo-movie-poster that is hanging in The Deuce has those two words scrawled across the paper. Furthermore, it's a little odd to see that Frankenstein is in fact a college student living alone in an apartment, rather than an old mad scientist living in a castle with his hunch-backed croney Igor. Even the events concerning the reanimation are different. I always imagined lightning, I don't know why, I don't think I've ever actually seen a Frankenstein movie, but lightning really ought to play a prominent role, I've decided, but really there's just a bit of a light drizzle. It's just sort of weird to see that the common perception of Frankenstein('s monster) is so radically different from the actually story itself. So why is that? Here's a theory:
Lots of people like horror movies. And I'll give you a good recipe for a horror movie: create a monster which is terrifying and evil and prone to indiscriminate destruction, and yells a lot of unintelligible moans and grunts, and make him really gruesome, with green skin and lots of scars and big random bolts on the side of the neck. Here's a terrible idea for a horror movie: create a monster with which the audience can sympathize. Nobody gets scared by a monster that just wants love from his metaphorical father and teaches himself how to speak and function in society through careful observance of human interaction. That's not scary at all. Thus, the details of Frankenstein are tweaked for the movie edit so that we get a big gruesome abomination that shuffles about the silver screen.
Wait a second, Doc, you're saying it wrong. You're supposed to yell "It's aliiiive!" and then thunder crashes and the monster rampages around your laboratory, breaking lots of delicate instruments. And oh yeah, don't you live in a castle?
This book is not really close to the general perception that people have towards Frankenstein('s monster). I must admit that I was actually disappointed when there was no classic shout of victory upon the animation of The Creature. Every Frankenstein movie ever made has that line, heck, even the pseudo-movie-poster that is hanging in The Deuce has those two words scrawled across the paper. Furthermore, it's a little odd to see that Frankenstein is in fact a college student living alone in an apartment, rather than an old mad scientist living in a castle with his hunch-backed croney Igor. Even the events concerning the reanimation are different. I always imagined lightning, I don't know why, I don't think I've ever actually seen a Frankenstein movie, but lightning really ought to play a prominent role, I've decided, but really there's just a bit of a light drizzle. It's just sort of weird to see that the common perception of Frankenstein('s monster) is so radically different from the actually story itself. So why is that? Here's a theory:
Lots of people like horror movies. And I'll give you a good recipe for a horror movie: create a monster which is terrifying and evil and prone to indiscriminate destruction, and yells a lot of unintelligible moans and grunts, and make him really gruesome, with green skin and lots of scars and big random bolts on the side of the neck. Here's a terrible idea for a horror movie: create a monster with which the audience can sympathize. Nobody gets scared by a monster that just wants love from his metaphorical father and teaches himself how to speak and function in society through careful observance of human interaction. That's not scary at all. Thus, the details of Frankenstein are tweaked for the movie edit so that we get a big gruesome abomination that shuffles about the silver screen.
Frankenstein - Alienation
"I have no one near me, gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind, whose tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my plans." p. 18
Well, this is alienation, definitely the most prominent of the three themes I've mentioned. So let's get started.
Shelley notes that there are essentially two forms of alienation, the kind which is imposed by another, and the kind which is brought on by oneself.
Justine's ordeal represents the first kind when all of the people who knew her for so many years, even Victor's father and brother, immediately abandon her when she is accused. The only people who stand beside her are Victor and Elizabeth, although even Elizabeth doubts her upon learning of her confession. She ultimately is alienated by everyone she once knew.
The Creature also suffers alienation, this time at the hands of Victor himself. On page 57, The Creature visits Victor in the night and reaches out to him. Victor assumes that The Creature is trying to attack him, but really it's more likely he was just looking for a bit of human contact. Victor, however, immediately takes off, abandoning his creation and leaving him all alone. The Creature essentially perceives Victor as his father, but Frankenstein bails on him, his "son," and flees into the night. Thus, this is alienation of the deepest kind, of a father abandoning his own son. Well...sort of. His metaphorical son.
Victor and Walton also suffer alienation, but theirs is of the second species, self-alienation. They essentially become so engrossed in their work that they neglect all of their previous human relationships. Walton hops on a ship and sails away, and the only friend he has is his sister all the way back home. He writes a few letters to her, but that's not exactly the best form of human contact. The quote above reflects his desire to have a friend who will identify him. Victor does not even have letters to exchange. He quits writing back to his family and cuts off all contact he has with any friends. His obsession with his experiments is so powerful that he becomes completely alienated from society and begins to become emaciated and extremely ill, and he likely would have died had his friend Henry not shown up to take care of him.
So what's the big theme? Alienation comes in many forms (approximately 2), but no matter what, human contact is a necessity for people to survive.
Well, this is alienation, definitely the most prominent of the three themes I've mentioned. So let's get started.
Shelley notes that there are essentially two forms of alienation, the kind which is imposed by another, and the kind which is brought on by oneself.
Justine's ordeal represents the first kind when all of the people who knew her for so many years, even Victor's father and brother, immediately abandon her when she is accused. The only people who stand beside her are Victor and Elizabeth, although even Elizabeth doubts her upon learning of her confession. She ultimately is alienated by everyone she once knew.
The Creature also suffers alienation, this time at the hands of Victor himself. On page 57, The Creature visits Victor in the night and reaches out to him. Victor assumes that The Creature is trying to attack him, but really it's more likely he was just looking for a bit of human contact. Victor, however, immediately takes off, abandoning his creation and leaving him all alone. The Creature essentially perceives Victor as his father, but Frankenstein bails on him, his "son," and flees into the night. Thus, this is alienation of the deepest kind, of a father abandoning his own son. Well...sort of. His metaphorical son.
Victor and Walton also suffer alienation, but theirs is of the second species, self-alienation. They essentially become so engrossed in their work that they neglect all of their previous human relationships. Walton hops on a ship and sails away, and the only friend he has is his sister all the way back home. He writes a few letters to her, but that's not exactly the best form of human contact. The quote above reflects his desire to have a friend who will identify him. Victor does not even have letters to exchange. He quits writing back to his family and cuts off all contact he has with any friends. His obsession with his experiments is so powerful that he becomes completely alienated from society and begins to become emaciated and extremely ill, and he likely would have died had his friend Henry not shown up to take care of him.
So what's the big theme? Alienation comes in many forms (approximately 2), but no matter what, human contact is a necessity for people to survive.
Frankenstein - Justice
"It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn...Meanwhile Clerval occupied himself, so to speak, with the moral relations of things." p. 37
This wonderful blog post is brought to you by the letter T, for Theme, and the number 3, which looks a bit like a backwards E, for Education. The theme of education in Frankenstein, hahaha #triestoohard
Education is extremely important to the characterization of most of the major characters, particularly Victor and Henry, and even Robert Walton. These people's education essentially ends up defining their characters, as seen in the quote above. Victor is a man of science: he pursues an understanding of the universe which can only be learned through observation and experimentation. He has little concern for what to do with said discovery, and ultimately doesn't care about the implications of his research. His focus is solely on the process of realization. Henry, on the other hand, is a man of language. He cares not so much for the knowledge or discovery itself but what it means to people. This is evident from his concern with morality (the should I? as opposed to the can I?). Thus, the two are foils to each other. Victor, before making The Creature and bringing it to life, becomes obsessed with the question of Can I? After much work he finally discovers that He Can, but sadly he never asked Should I? However, as soon as The Creature comes to life, he gets his answer of Heck no, Vick, ya shouldn'ta done that.
So that's not really a theme, is it? Well, the theme of education, the great big truth that Shelley is trying to convey here is that what one studies, the aspects of life that interest a person, be they science or language, is a huge part of ones personality. Our understanding of Victor and Henry comes directly from our knowledge of what interests them and the fields that they pursued in their education.
This wonderful blog post is brought to you by the letter T, for Theme, and the number 3, which looks a bit like a backwards E, for Education. The theme of education in Frankenstein, hahaha #triestoohard
Education is extremely important to the characterization of most of the major characters, particularly Victor and Henry, and even Robert Walton. These people's education essentially ends up defining their characters, as seen in the quote above. Victor is a man of science: he pursues an understanding of the universe which can only be learned through observation and experimentation. He has little concern for what to do with said discovery, and ultimately doesn't care about the implications of his research. His focus is solely on the process of realization. Henry, on the other hand, is a man of language. He cares not so much for the knowledge or discovery itself but what it means to people. This is evident from his concern with morality (the should I? as opposed to the can I?). Thus, the two are foils to each other. Victor, before making The Creature and bringing it to life, becomes obsessed with the question of Can I? After much work he finally discovers that He Can, but sadly he never asked Should I? However, as soon as The Creature comes to life, he gets his answer of Heck no, Vick, ya shouldn'ta done that.
So that's not really a theme, is it? Well, the theme of education, the great big truth that Shelley is trying to convey here is that what one studies, the aspects of life that interest a person, be they science or language, is a huge part of ones personality. Our understanding of Victor and Henry comes directly from our knowledge of what interests them and the fields that they pursued in their education.
Frankenstein - Justice
"During the whole of this wretched mockery of justice I suffered living torture." p 78.
I'll be tackling the theme of justice in this blog post. Justice is best portrayed in the story pertaining to Justine's trial (hey, Justice, Justine, yageddit???). Specifically, Justine's trial shows the lack of justice that sometimes exists in the world. She is sentenced to death on what is essentially circumstantial evidence which follows the same train of logic as "President Lincoln was shot, you own a gun, therefore, you shot President Lincoln." When you say it bluntly like that, well it just sounds preposterous that a court of law would sentence a person to death over that. However, these sorts of mistakes do happen, and there simply is no justice in that.
Furthermore, Frankenstein himself, though he condemns the mockery of justice that is Justine's trial, is not exactly any crusader for justice himself. He immediately decides that The Creature is responsible for the murder with no better evidence than seeing from a distance what probably could have looked like a really big guy maybe somewhere near the crime scene. Possibly. It just seems silly that he pretends to recognize justice when he in fact is just as oblivious to real justice as the people who condemned Justine.
Also, I'd just like to say that Frankenstein is a drama queen crybaby. I can hardly believe that he's acting like he got the bad end of the deal because Justine gets the happy knowledge that she's actually innocent whereas Victor has to suffer so much because he knows he's guilty (allegedly). Come on, Vick, innocent or not, I imagine it sucks a lot more to be put to death by 18th century standards than to toil in the anguish of guilt.
I'll be tackling the theme of justice in this blog post. Justice is best portrayed in the story pertaining to Justine's trial (hey, Justice, Justine, yageddit???). Specifically, Justine's trial shows the lack of justice that sometimes exists in the world. She is sentenced to death on what is essentially circumstantial evidence which follows the same train of logic as "President Lincoln was shot, you own a gun, therefore, you shot President Lincoln." When you say it bluntly like that, well it just sounds preposterous that a court of law would sentence a person to death over that. However, these sorts of mistakes do happen, and there simply is no justice in that.
Furthermore, Frankenstein himself, though he condemns the mockery of justice that is Justine's trial, is not exactly any crusader for justice himself. He immediately decides that The Creature is responsible for the murder with no better evidence than seeing from a distance what probably could have looked like a really big guy maybe somewhere near the crime scene. Possibly. It just seems silly that he pretends to recognize justice when he in fact is just as oblivious to real justice as the people who condemned Justine.
Also, I'd just like to say that Frankenstein is a drama queen crybaby. I can hardly believe that he's acting like he got the bad end of the deal because Justine gets the happy knowledge that she's actually innocent whereas Victor has to suffer so much because he knows he's guilty (allegedly). Come on, Vick, innocent or not, I imagine it sucks a lot more to be put to death by 18th century standards than to toil in the anguish of guilt.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
1984 - The End
"He had one the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." p. 298
Winston loses. The Party wins. Darn. So then what ultimately causes his conversion? Well, there are a number of things. First off, O'Brien is responsible. He is able to wear him down over time. Winston perceives him as extremely intelligent, far smarter than himself, with impeccable logic. The torture doesn't really cause the conversion, although it does help set O'Brien up. It wears him down mentally and physically, but ultimately O'Brien's demeanor is what changes him in the end. Because Winston views him as such a mental giant, he finds it necessary to adhere to what he says. He begins practicing this rejection of reality even before room 101. However, room 101 helps push him over the edge. His total betrayal of Julia finally severs the one tie that could possibly have made him human. That personal connection he had with Julia was powerful enough to challenge the loyalty that The Party wants him to have towards Big Brother. Thus, by severing that connection, The Party ensures that Winston has only enough room for loving the big guy and no one else. However, even after he is released to the world, he is not fully brainwashed. He still has his own private thought, a memory of a happy day that he had with his mother when he was still just a child. He later dismisses this as a false memory; however, he does still remember it, thus showing that he's not quite fully converted to the Party doctrine. However, the finally straw that breaks the back of this metaphorical camel is the military victory over the Eurasian Army in Africa. Winston views Big Brother as "The colossus that bestrode the world! The rock against which the hordes of Asia dashed themselves in vain!" He views Big Brother as his ultimate protector, and finally is able to love him. He curses his own self-willed attempts to reject the Party and Big Brother and finally embraces him with love.
So my reaction? Well, it's a sad, depressing ending, but it's the only possible ending that really holds true to the theme of the book. There are no heroes, not even Winston. Even after his struggle, he finally gives in. It really is hopeless, which is kind of a downer, but at least this couldn't possibly happen in real life, right?
...
...
...Right?
Winston loses. The Party wins. Darn. So then what ultimately causes his conversion? Well, there are a number of things. First off, O'Brien is responsible. He is able to wear him down over time. Winston perceives him as extremely intelligent, far smarter than himself, with impeccable logic. The torture doesn't really cause the conversion, although it does help set O'Brien up. It wears him down mentally and physically, but ultimately O'Brien's demeanor is what changes him in the end. Because Winston views him as such a mental giant, he finds it necessary to adhere to what he says. He begins practicing this rejection of reality even before room 101. However, room 101 helps push him over the edge. His total betrayal of Julia finally severs the one tie that could possibly have made him human. That personal connection he had with Julia was powerful enough to challenge the loyalty that The Party wants him to have towards Big Brother. Thus, by severing that connection, The Party ensures that Winston has only enough room for loving the big guy and no one else. However, even after he is released to the world, he is not fully brainwashed. He still has his own private thought, a memory of a happy day that he had with his mother when he was still just a child. He later dismisses this as a false memory; however, he does still remember it, thus showing that he's not quite fully converted to the Party doctrine. However, the finally straw that breaks the back of this metaphorical camel is the military victory over the Eurasian Army in Africa. Winston views Big Brother as "The colossus that bestrode the world! The rock against which the hordes of Asia dashed themselves in vain!" He views Big Brother as his ultimate protector, and finally is able to love him. He curses his own self-willed attempts to reject the Party and Big Brother and finally embraces him with love.
So my reaction? Well, it's a sad, depressing ending, but it's the only possible ending that really holds true to the theme of the book. There are no heroes, not even Winston. Even after his struggle, he finally gives in. It really is hopeless, which is kind of a downer, but at least this couldn't possibly happen in real life, right?
...
...
...Right?
1984 - I'll give you a brief history of pain with the back of my hand
"The first thing for you to understand is that in this place there are no martyrdoms." p. 253
O'Brien uses this line to preface a quick history lesson, which ultimately is just one long allusion to the events from the past, everything from The Inquisition to Russian Communists and German Nazis. So what is the purpose of this quick allusion? It essentially shows how the Party learned from the mistakes of the past. In The Inquisition, people who went against the Catholic Church, the major world power at the time, were considered heretics and were put to death. However, they were made into martyrs by their followers and their teachings were actually spread even further through their death than by their life. This is ultimately because even though a confession was made, the heretic was still dragged to the stake screaming his ideals even as he was burned to death. The Party learned from this and thus knows not to ever kill a person until they have actually abandoned their ideals and accepted their own wrongness. The Party also learned a valuable lesson from the totalitarian governments of the early twentieth century. It is not enough simply to get a heretic to confess, because in the end, nobody actually believes that their confession was true. Everyone just believes that they only confessed in order to avoid the torture, and that the heretic still held true to their beliefs deep down. The Party thus is not content simply with a verbal confession. Rather, The Party seeks to convert the heretic to their ways, actually to have them willingly reject their own heresies and accept the doctrines of the Party. And then they kill them. But quietly. By doing all of this, they are able to ensure that the people who try to rise up against the Party do not gain followers through their martyrdom but rather are viewed as insane people who are cured by the Party's benevolence.
O'Brien uses this line to preface a quick history lesson, which ultimately is just one long allusion to the events from the past, everything from The Inquisition to Russian Communists and German Nazis. So what is the purpose of this quick allusion? It essentially shows how the Party learned from the mistakes of the past. In The Inquisition, people who went against the Catholic Church, the major world power at the time, were considered heretics and were put to death. However, they were made into martyrs by their followers and their teachings were actually spread even further through their death than by their life. This is ultimately because even though a confession was made, the heretic was still dragged to the stake screaming his ideals even as he was burned to death. The Party learned from this and thus knows not to ever kill a person until they have actually abandoned their ideals and accepted their own wrongness. The Party also learned a valuable lesson from the totalitarian governments of the early twentieth century. It is not enough simply to get a heretic to confess, because in the end, nobody actually believes that their confession was true. Everyone just believes that they only confessed in order to avoid the torture, and that the heretic still held true to their beliefs deep down. The Party thus is not content simply with a verbal confession. Rather, The Party seeks to convert the heretic to their ways, actually to have them willingly reject their own heresies and accept the doctrines of the Party. And then they kill them. But quietly. By doing all of this, they are able to ensure that the people who try to rise up against the Party do not gain followers through their martyrdom but rather are viewed as insane people who are cured by the Party's benevolence.
1984 - O'Brien
"That is what you are thinking, is it not, Winston?" p. 245
Yes, let's discuss Mr. O'Brien. No character has ever quite angered me quite like this bespectacled chap. Somehow, he seems to know everything that Winston ever thinks, every thought that passes through his head. This sense of O'Brien's apparent telepathy reflects the sense that O'Brien has held so many of these "rehabilitation sessions" that he knows exactly what Winston thinks, what he believes, what he'll say, how he'll react, every argument that he could possibly propose. Being able to say that a person fears the effect of the torture device on their body is not really impressive; however, describing in detail the exact thought concerning Winston's own spine shattering certainly denotes a bit of superhuman understanding of the human psyche. This characterizes O'Brien as an extremely intelligent person. Winston even says that O'Brien contains his mind within his own. He already knows every argument and the perfect rebuttal. O'Brien really does appear to be a genius with his ability to predict Winston's every thought, feeling, and action.
However, O'Brien is actually really really really stupid. Stupidity, as far as I'm concerned, is the brain telling the eyes that they saw incorrectly, taking the objective sensory input from the world and declaring it to be wrong, and substituting in an alternative reality that suits one needs. Denying what is right in front of ones face is not sanity or self-discipline, as O'Brien calls it, but the exact opposite really. True self-discipline of thought is learning to accept the world as it truly is and not how it would be convenient to be. True sanity is believing what one sees, not what one wants to see. However, this stupidity is very helpful to O'Brien, because only the stupid and ignorant can be in the Party. It is simply a prerequisite. The best party members are those who don't think for themselves and can reject the world around them and actually believe that they are in the right. These people are necessary for the Party to exist.
Yes, let's discuss Mr. O'Brien. No character has ever quite angered me quite like this bespectacled chap. Somehow, he seems to know everything that Winston ever thinks, every thought that passes through his head. This sense of O'Brien's apparent telepathy reflects the sense that O'Brien has held so many of these "rehabilitation sessions" that he knows exactly what Winston thinks, what he believes, what he'll say, how he'll react, every argument that he could possibly propose. Being able to say that a person fears the effect of the torture device on their body is not really impressive; however, describing in detail the exact thought concerning Winston's own spine shattering certainly denotes a bit of superhuman understanding of the human psyche. This characterizes O'Brien as an extremely intelligent person. Winston even says that O'Brien contains his mind within his own. He already knows every argument and the perfect rebuttal. O'Brien really does appear to be a genius with his ability to predict Winston's every thought, feeling, and action.
However, O'Brien is actually really really really stupid. Stupidity, as far as I'm concerned, is the brain telling the eyes that they saw incorrectly, taking the objective sensory input from the world and declaring it to be wrong, and substituting in an alternative reality that suits one needs. Denying what is right in front of ones face is not sanity or self-discipline, as O'Brien calls it, but the exact opposite really. True self-discipline of thought is learning to accept the world as it truly is and not how it would be convenient to be. True sanity is believing what one sees, not what one wants to see. However, this stupidity is very helpful to O'Brien, because only the stupid and ignorant can be in the Party. It is simply a prerequisite. The best party members are those who don't think for themselves and can reject the world around them and actually believe that they are in the right. These people are necessary for the Party to exist.
1984 - Heroes
"In the face of pain there are no heroes, no heroes, he thought over and over as he writhed on the floor, clutching uselessly at his disabled left arm." p. 239
This line is a bit of a recapitulation of Orwell's previous assertion that heroes do not exist. When push comes to shove, everybody, no matter how heroic or courageous they may think they are, always buckles in the face of fear or pain. Orwell is able to illustrate this by depicting the torture that Winston and the other thoughtcriminals are subjected to. In the end, all of them confess, all of them submit, and all of them succumb to the will of the party. Orwell states bluntly that no amount of courage, bravery, or intestinal fortitude can allow a person to outlast pain. It is easy to think that one will be able to resist submission even in the face of unimaginable horror. Most people are confident enough in their own inner strength to assume that not even pain and death can force them to rescind their ideals, values, or beliefs. However, Orwell believes that at that actual moment when the dial is cranked up to 75, or the pads are applies to the temples, or the water is poured on the washcloth, at that time, values, bravery, ideals, beliefs, courage, they all simmer on the back burner while the pain takes full precedence in the person's mind. Nobody can resist the pain at the time. In the mind, during that moment, the pain is all there is.
Personally, I like to think that Mr. Orwell is a sad, deranged little man. Heroes exist.
This line is a bit of a recapitulation of Orwell's previous assertion that heroes do not exist. When push comes to shove, everybody, no matter how heroic or courageous they may think they are, always buckles in the face of fear or pain. Orwell is able to illustrate this by depicting the torture that Winston and the other thoughtcriminals are subjected to. In the end, all of them confess, all of them submit, and all of them succumb to the will of the party. Orwell states bluntly that no amount of courage, bravery, or intestinal fortitude can allow a person to outlast pain. It is easy to think that one will be able to resist submission even in the face of unimaginable horror. Most people are confident enough in their own inner strength to assume that not even pain and death can force them to rescind their ideals, values, or beliefs. However, Orwell believes that at that actual moment when the dial is cranked up to 75, or the pads are applies to the temples, or the water is poured on the washcloth, at that time, values, bravery, ideals, beliefs, courage, they all simmer on the back burner while the pain takes full precedence in the person's mind. Nobody can resist the pain at the time. In the mind, during that moment, the pain is all there is.
Personally, I like to think that Mr. Orwell is a sad, deranged little man. Heroes exist.
1984 - The Book!!!1!
"Winston began reading." p. 184
What's that? Winston began reading The Book! The Book is everything! All that once was and all that will be! The Book controls time and space! Love and Death! The Book can see into your mind! The Book can see into your soul! Really? The Book can do all that? Heh...no.
This blog post essentially concerns Orwell's stylistic device of the book within a book. Orwell essentially uses The Book to illustrate the world of 1984 and how it came to be. The entire point of 1984 is that it's impossible to gain any knowledge concerning the past and the real way that things were before the Party as well as the truth about the Party. However, by creating this illegal book of truth, Orwell is able to explain how the Party came into power and how it can maintain this power indefinitely. The focus of The Book is centered around the Party's maxim of "Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace." Through The Book, Orwell is able to explain the true driving force behind the perpetual war. The goal of the war is not global conquest but a means to control the products manufactured by the economy. Everything that the economy produces that is considered excessive simply gets put into the war in order to consume the resources and keep people working, because when people have jobs and the bare necessities, they generally will not revolt. The Book also reveals the way that the Party manages to control and maintain the three classes of society, Upper, Middle, and Lower, or Inner Party, Outer Party, and Proletariat, through ignorance. The Proletariat are kept ignorant and are worked hard for their entire lives and thus never realize that perhaps life would be better without the Party. The Outer Party is controlled by the constant surveillance which can root out any potential unorthodoxy. The Inner Party is controlled because they are so deeply engrossed in the Party doctrine and are so addicted to the power that they wield that they will never let it go. Furthermore, they have learned from the mistakes of previous totalitarians, and thus have perfected the art in order to ensure that the classes do not ever shift. ever. Basically, The Book is used just to confirm the "how" of the Party. The Book also, probably, goes on to explain the "why" of the party, their ultimate motivation for seizing power and running the whole show. However, Winston conveniently stops reading literally just words before the book reveals the motive. Now that's just rude.
What's that? Winston began reading The Book! The Book is everything! All that once was and all that will be! The Book controls time and space! Love and Death! The Book can see into your mind! The Book can see into your soul! Really? The Book can do all that? Heh...no.
This blog post essentially concerns Orwell's stylistic device of the book within a book. Orwell essentially uses The Book to illustrate the world of 1984 and how it came to be. The entire point of 1984 is that it's impossible to gain any knowledge concerning the past and the real way that things were before the Party as well as the truth about the Party. However, by creating this illegal book of truth, Orwell is able to explain how the Party came into power and how it can maintain this power indefinitely. The focus of The Book is centered around the Party's maxim of "Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace." Through The Book, Orwell is able to explain the true driving force behind the perpetual war. The goal of the war is not global conquest but a means to control the products manufactured by the economy. Everything that the economy produces that is considered excessive simply gets put into the war in order to consume the resources and keep people working, because when people have jobs and the bare necessities, they generally will not revolt. The Book also reveals the way that the Party manages to control and maintain the three classes of society, Upper, Middle, and Lower, or Inner Party, Outer Party, and Proletariat, through ignorance. The Proletariat are kept ignorant and are worked hard for their entire lives and thus never realize that perhaps life would be better without the Party. The Outer Party is controlled by the constant surveillance which can root out any potential unorthodoxy. The Inner Party is controlled because they are so deeply engrossed in the Party doctrine and are so addicted to the power that they wield that they will never let it go. Furthermore, they have learned from the mistakes of previous totalitarians, and thus have perfected the art in order to ensure that the classes do not ever shift. ever. Basically, The Book is used just to confirm the "how" of the Party. The Book also, probably, goes on to explain the "why" of the party, their ultimate motivation for seizing power and running the whole show. However, Winston conveniently stops reading literally just words before the book reveals the motive. Now that's just rude.
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