Team Victor or Team Monster???

Many readers debate over which character deserves sympathy, the monster or his creator, Victor. Neither of them deserve sympathy. They both committed horrid crimes; Victor by creating the monster and then rejecting him , and the monster by going on a revenge killing spree. Victor deserves no sympathy because he was so eager to animate the monster, then the second he awakens, Victor flees, leaving the poor creation to fend for itself. Victor should have known the implications his work would have and he should have faced the consequences of his actions like a man and not a scared little girl. Pathetic. The monster could have been considered worthy of sympathy had he not been blinded by revenge. He should have persevered and tried to overcome people's prejudices against him. I am glad they both died. They were a danger to those around them, in fact none of Frankenstein's family survived because of his creation. So, HA I say, that is what you get, Victor, for fighting the natural order of things!

It Really Is Les Miserables

I thought this was supposed to be a horror story? It ended up being more of a book about internal conflict; not very scary, or interesting. I felt the book was very anit-climactic, I didn't feel as though there was a real action- intense scene. I guess I was expecting the creation of the monster to be the climax, but instead that scene played only a minute part in the book. The book was more about human nature than ghost stories. I am slightly disappointed that there was not a lot of external conflict in the book, it would have made it more exciting. However, I am glad that Victor and the monster die in the end because it seems as if all has been brought to justice. They both got what they deserved; they both committed terrible crimes and paid the ultimate price.

Frankenstein 8 - Foil Characters

"Clerval occupied himself with the moral relations of things. The busy stage of life, the virtues of heros, and the actions of men were his theme; and his hope and his dream was to become one among those whose manes are recorded in story as the gallant and adventurous benefactors of our species" (Frankenstein 37)

Henry Clerval and Frankenstein serve as foil characters. Henry enjoys adventure and heroism, while Frankenstein relishes in science and philosophy. Henry's cheerful and adventurous personality contrasts Victor's brooding and studious personality. Henry's caring personality often highlights Victor's dark air. This is especially evident when Henry cares for Victor in Ingolstadt. Henry is kind and loving, yet Victor remains violent and gloomy. This lessens my sympathy for Victor; if he cannot return the kindness that his friend shows, then I cannot feel sympathetic towards him.

Les Miserables?

"Anguish and despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a hell within me which nothing could extinguish" (Frankenstein 84).

I have determined that Frankenstein is a crybaby. He complains and whines about everything. What did the doctor think was going to happen when he reanimated tissue. Did he think he was going to create some beautiful, handsome being?! He saw his creation before he gave it life, he had to have realized how ugly it was going to be when alive. It's not like the monster was suddenly going to become handsome when given life. Instead of thinking his plan through, Dr. Frankenstein creates this monster and then the moment it is given life he flees and wallows in self pity. He sits in his boat or goes on walks through the woods, and wails about his life even though the pain he is feeling is self-inflicted. I have know sympathy for Frankenstein, he acted rashly as a youth and is now paying for his stupid decision to mess with the supernatural sciences; serves him right. Plus all the scenes of Frankenstein crying make the book boring and frustrating. Who wants to listen to a grown man crying like a toddler?

Frankenstein 6 - Frame Story Cont'd

I have just discovered the drawbacks to the frame story technique. A frame story allows you a glimpse of the resolution of the story and offers a limited scope for the imagination. Specifically in Frankenstein the frame story structure lets the reader know that Dr. Frankenstein and the monster end up in the North Pole. With this knowledge, it is aggravating trying to imagine an end to the story. I have a hard time filling in the gaps between the inner frame story I know and the outer frame story that has not yet been completed. I wish I was able to imagine my own end to the story, instead I am going in circles trying to figure out what events unfold between the two stories I already know.

Frankenstein 5 - Allusions

"If this rule were always observed; if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved, Caesar would have spared his country, America would have been discovered more gradually, and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed" (Shelley 54).

This line is jam-packed with allusions. Shelley was obviously striving to make a point, but did she really achieve it by using allusions? She used too many allusions here, bogging the reader down, causing them to slow down and try to connect the allusions. I am not even sure what two of the allusions are referring two. I got so caught up trying to figure out what the allusions were that I missed the point Shelley was trying to make. I find that this is a trend in her writing. She focuses so much on extra details and flowery language that the reader loses focus of the story she is trying to convey. She stated in the preface of "Frankenstein" that the novel started off as a ghost story. Since when does a ghost story need fancy language and allusions to make it scary. I'm pretty sure no one will ever sit around a campfire and read "Frankenstein" in its entirety in efforts to scare people. Shelley also says in the author's note that she made style changes to "Frankenstein" and that the reader is viewing the revised copy. I wish she had stuck with the first draft, it was probably easier to read and more to the point, the way a good book should be.

Frankenstein 4 - Hubris

" A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility". (Shelley 54).

Dr. Frankenstein's hubris is clearly his curiosity and his obsession with his work. In this passage he agknowledges that a human must be prudent in his pursuit of knowledge. He states that "passion must not disturb tranquility". Why does he not take his own advice. If he knows that he must slow down and rationalize, why doesn't he do it. He could have saved himself a lot of trouble later on if he had just listened to his own advice. His passion for knowledge is ultimately his downfall, leading him to create a monster that only causes him pain and grief.