Victor and the Creature: A Parallel Story

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor and the creature act as doubles. Although they are distant from each other at times, they act and feel the same. When Victor was sick after creating the creature, the creature seemed to struggle with life and felt unhappy. When Victor's health improved and his spirits rose, the same happened to the creature. When Victor destroy's the female creature, the creature vows to avenge his "bride" by killing Victor's bride. After Clerval's death, Victor hates himself. He enters a state of depression and only appears to be excited by the thought of marriage. The creature begins to abhor himself as well: "After the murder of Clerval, I returned to Switzerland, heartbroken and overcome. I pitied Frankenstein; my pity amounted to horror: I abhorred myself." (Shelley, 164). The creature then puts his mask on making himself appear that he is happy to murder Victor's friends. Furthermore, once Victor dies, the creature begins to feel his life beginning to disappear and expects himself to die soon. The story of Frankenstein is truly a story of parallel lives.

A Guilty Conscience

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor becomes plagued by guilt. After he creates the creature, he blames all of the family's misfortunes on himself. "William, Justine, and Henry--they all died by my hands." (Shelley, 136). Because of the creature. William, Justine, Henry, and then Elizabeth, all die by the hands of the creature. William and Henry were executed. Justine was framed. Elizabeth was thrown against a wall. Every time, the creature did it to make Victor suffer. Victor should feel guilty. Through his ignorance of the creature, he caused his friends and family to die. He could of avoided this if he showed affection toward the creature, or better yet, he should have never created the creature. Rather than asking if he could, he should have asked if he should.

Creature's Knowledge of Marriage?

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the creature decides to kill Elizabeth, on Victor's wedding night. But how did the creature know that Victor was going to be married: " 'I will be with you on your wedding night' " (Shelley, 123)? The creature has only had human contact with the DeLacey family and Victor. The DeLacey encounter was brief and had no connection with Victor. Victor's first spoken interaction with the creature was upon an isolated mountain. There, they discuss the creature's history and demand. There was no mention of Victor's future planned marriage. After that, they part ways and will not see each other until he threatens to kill Elizabeth. Furthermore, the creature believed William to be Victor's son. If William was Victor's son, then Victor should have already been married. There is no information explaining how the creature understands that Victor will be married.

Creation Equals Destruction

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley utilizes the technique of doubling. The scenes between the creation of the creature and the female creature are similar. Both scenes are quickly described in the novel. There is little detail concerning the processes. Most notably is the creaking door: "In a few minutes after, I heard the creaking of my door, as if some one endeavored to open it softly" (Shelley, 122). In chapter 5, Victor creates the creature and a creaking door is mentioned. The time was at night and it was fairly silent. Furthermore, Victor felt and acted as he did after the creation. He felt helpless, scared and terrified. The only differences are that Victor confronts the creature rather than running away and he is not in his dorm room. This continues to contribute to the theme of parallelism.

Justice

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley uses justice as a central theme to the novel. There are instances of legal justice. Justine and Victor both go to trial and are tried as murderers. Justine, unfortunately was found guilty, but Victor was found innocent. However, justice is more centered on the creature's understanding of it. "but beware! Your hours will pass in dread and misery, and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from you your happiness forever. (Shelley, 122-3). The creature's understanding of justice focuses on vengeance. He teaches himself, from early on, that his emotions must be better or equal to Victor's. The creature's desire for belonging and acceptance distort the true meaning of justice: doing what is right. Furthermore, Victor's sense of justice becomes distorted when he focuses on the creature. Rather than befriending it or make amends with it, Victor scorns the creature and uses the same ideology of justice that the creature uses.

All Alone

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is a reoccurring theme of alienation.  Victor alienates himself through his experiment. It becomes his sole focus while he is at the university. He loses vast amounts of sleep and health while working to create his creature. Once he abandons his creature, he begins to embrace society and become healthy again. Justine becomes alienated once she becomes accused of murder. The town abandons her. Victor, Elizabeth, and Alphonse are the only people who seem to care about her. Furthermore, Victor's creation is alienated from society. "Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone an irrevocably excluded." (Shelley, 69). The creature is hideous and terrifying to the point that he can't enjoy the bliss of the world because everyone detests him. The only thing he asks of Victor is for him to be his friend and then he will stop being terrible. Victor's ignorance of the creature led to the death of his brother William and his servant Justine.

Only the Beginning

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Mary Shelley uses foreshadowing and repetitiveness to emphasize Victor's constant descent into despair. Victor repeatedly states that destiny has led him to this terrible act. He believes that fate has deemed him to suffer for all of his life. His mother, brother, and beloved servant died. Although he had nothing to do with the mother, he believes he caused his brother and servant to die. He accuses his creation of killing his brother and planting false evidence on Justine. Furthermore, Shelley conveys this continued despairing through foreshadowing. Victor continually states that he has unleashed a terrible horror and that this is only the beginning. "I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts." (Shelley, 60). This statement implies that more death and despairing will follow. We can hypothesize that the possible reason that Victor chased the monster into the arctic was so that he may save the lives of those around him.

What Monster?

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has an element of irony compared to today. The discrepancies between today's version of Frankenstein and Mary Shelley's version are many. In today's version, the scientist was evil. He preformed this experiment in a secret laboratory on the outskirts of town. A lightning bolt and several large machines were used to give the monster life. The scientist was also madly happy that the monster was alive. In Mary Shelley's version, the creation process and the giving of life process is brief and somewhat plain: "With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet." (Shelley, 34-35). When I read this part of the book, I didn't realize the creature was alive until Victor returned to his apartment with Clerval and the monster was gone. Victor wasn't evil. He preformed the experiment in his dorm room with a few machines and a spark. Victor happened to be afraid of the monster and ran out of his dorm room. It is very ironic how the scene from Mary Shelley is so different from today's version.

Point of View Hop Potato

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is a story within a story within a story. The frame stories serve to help the transition between points of view. In the letters, the point of view is Robert Walton. Once chapter one begins, the point of view is that of Victor Frankenstein. Within Victor's stories, he sometimes uses letters to describe the characters. Sometimes, those letters are presented in the point of view of the character, not Victor. Since the novel bounces between point of views frequently, it can be confusing as to what Victor happens to be addressing. At one point in the story, Victor abruptly stops telling the story to address Robert Walton: "I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted" (Shelley, 31). He goes from reflecting upon his knew discovery to addressing Walton to going back to telling the story. If one were to read it quickly, he would not notice Victor comes out of the story to address Walton. It can also be hard to remember that this is a frame story and that this story is being told on a ship going to the north pole. The point of view shift can be confusing to the flow of the story.

Frame Story Inception

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a frame story. The preface of the story is set through the four stories at the beginning of the novel. In the fourth letter, we meet Victor Frankenstein, the narrator of the story within Frankenstein. "I had determined, at one time, that the memory of these evils should die with me, but you have won me to alter my determination." (Shelley, 13). Victor then begins to explain his life and the disasters awaiting him. Furthermore, there are more stories within Victor's story. Victor tells brief anecdotes about the important people he meets. Now, we have a story within a story within a story. Additionally, these anecdotes inform us about the characteristics and histories of the characters, which can be used to infer the reasoning behind characters' decisions. The frame stories serve to help the flow of the story. There is no need for the author to explain all the characters' actions. With the background given, we can infer the reasoning.

I Would Prefer Not To Do This

In Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, Bartleby is directly characterized several times. We learn that the lawyer is generous man who always chooses the easy way. It can be inferred that the characterization of Bartleby indirectly characterizes the lawyer. Most people identify themselves with similar people. The lawyer shows sympathy for Bartleby over and over again. At one point, the lawyer invites Bartleby to live in his home: " 'will you go home with me now--not to my office, but my dwelling' "(Melville, 670). Bartleby shows the lawyer that he has no motivation. He shows that the lawyer seems to be alone. It seems that the lawyer spends most of his time at the office. The lawyer offers to help Bartleby get a new job, but Bartleby refuses. This shows the lawyers stubbornness to deal with his problems efficiently and aspire to new heights. Bartleby proves that the lawyer has alienated himself from the rest of society.

Paradoxical Madness

In Much Madness is divinest Sense by Emily Dickinson, the speaker uses a paradox to form an aphorism: "Much madness is divinest Sense-- To a discerning Eye--" (Dickinson, 830). It seems that being insane can be rational, depending on how we see it. The majority of opinion seems to decide what is sane and insane. The paradox points out this hidden truth. We all have our individual opinions on what is sane and insane, but we don't get to decide. Society decides what is sane and insane. If we agree with society, we are sane. If there is a discrepancy  the person with the difference is labeled as an outcast and insane. Even if the majority happens to be incorrect, the outcast is still treated harshly. Additionally, society aims to control those outcasts and maniacs by reducing their freedom and sometimes oppressing them. Their hope is that they will conform their views and agree with society.

Insanity, Here I Come

In I felt a Funeral, in my Brain by Emily Dickinson uses an extended metaphor for her descent into madness. The first stanza is her realization that she is becoming mad. The mourners who move to and fro and tread are her thoughts that run rampant in her head. Additionally, the mourners are sad for the eventual descent into madness. The second stanza shows her progression through madness since she no longer experiences feelings. She has become numb and can no longer feel. In the third stanzas, she loses a precious and essential part of her mind. The loss of this part of the mind becomes a burden and chaos ensues. In the fourth stanza, that chaos emerges into sounds that force the mind to lose touch with reality. Her mind is nearly gone and she is alone, left with the silence of her empty mind since she no longer can think. The final stanza shows that she has lost all reason and she descends into madness, "And I dropped down, and down-- And hit a world, at every plunge" (Dickinson, 776). At every level her madness reveals something new to the speaker that can only be revealed through madness. Once she is in complete madness, she knows everything and something happens that suggests that something exists beyond death or insanity.

I Killed a Man

In  APO 9625 by Larry Rottman, the author uses dramatic irony to communicate the attitude of the American public toward the Vietnam War. When we think of war in general, we think of gore, pain, suffering, and destruction. Death surrounds the surviving soldiers and the whole aspect of war becomes a gruesome thought. Apparently, the mother does not seem to understand this. She asks her son to tell her what it is really like. He avoids the conversation of war entirely because he knows it will upset his mother. After her persistence, he finally tells her that he killed a man and dropped napalm and women and children. The son then gets reprimanded for telling his mother what she wanted to know," 'Please don't write such depressing letters. You're upsetting your mother' " (Rottman, 846). The American public wanted to know what happening in Vietnam. They also did not want to believe the horrors that awaited the soldiers. The American public can't handle the truth.

The Deranged Woman on the Bench

In Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield, we learn about the protagonist through indirect characterization. She listens in on the conversations of others around her, without knowing that most other people seem to ignore her. It isn't until the phrase, "went into the little dark room--her room like a cupboard," (Mansfield, 186) that we understand who she really is. That phrase was repeated earlier in the text and it referenced how there were other people always on the benches. They seemed funny and odd. They were silent and nearly all old. She seems to be describing herself. She is that person that is funny and odd and always seems to be on the bench. Furthermore, she is mentally insane. At one point in the story, she talks to herself about being an actress. She places her feelings and characteristics onto others. At the end, she believes that that she hears crying. From logical reasoning, we know that Miss Brill is actually crying. Miss Brill is a deranged, old woman who is alienated from society.