Happiness is easy

Because of the various points of view, the antagonist switches from Victor to the monster and back again. Both serve as the antagonist for the other. Victor seeks revenge on the monster for killing his family, while the monster seeks revenge on Victor for leaving him lonely. At any time, one of these characters could comply with the other, and their problems could be solved. I don’t understand why they can’t be friends with each other. By doing this, they could solve all their problems, since their problems are each other. The monster would have a friend and would stop killing, and Victor would not constantly be afraid. Happiness is not that difficult!

Frankenstein II

Frankenstein contained a large amount of ambiguity, especially at the end. The reader never finds out how the monster was created or exactly why the monster was created. The ending tells the reader nothing concrete. The monster says he wants to die now because his creator’s dead, but there is no proof that he actually dies. Walton never killed him, instead the monster “was soon borne away by the waves and lost in the darkness and distance” (page 211). The monster could still be alive. I have an idea for Mary Shelley: Frankenstein the sequel: the monster’s change of heart.

Team...Monster

Throughout the book, I never felt sympathy for Victor. It seemed as if all his problems were self-inflicted. He constantly desired pity from everyone. “I have traversed a vast portion of the earth and have endured all the hardships which travelers in deserts and barbarous countries are wont to meet” (page 192). “Mine has been a tale of horrors” (page 188). Victor is constantly complaining and saying “poor me, poor me.” He created the monster for his own self-satisfaction. He ran away from the monster and left it to be alone. And he would not show it any compassion when he realized the only thing the monster wanted was a companion. Why didn’t Victor just befriend the monster so that it would stop killing? On his wedding night, he was stupid because he left Elizabeth alone. He figured the monster would go after him, but every intelligent person knows that the villain almost always goes after the loved one and not the enemy himself/herself. The hardships Victor complained about led back to him each time; therefore, my sympathy leans towards the monster.

Sympathy

While reading Frankenstein, I found it weird how quickly my opinion changed of the monster as soon as the story shifted to his point of view. When I first found out that he had killed William, I had no sympathy for the monster whatsoever; however, when he explained why he committed this crime, I didn’t loathe him as much. I’m not promoting killing, and the fact that he killed so many people was wrong, but I still felt sorry for him once he told his story. “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?..I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery” (page 130). I find it peculiar that the monster only went after Victor’s family. The family in the cottage sparked his initial anger towards humans, but he did not kill them. Instead, he took his anger out on William. Why? I got mad at the family for judging the monster so quickly after he had been preparing to talk to them for months and months. I would’ve done the same thing in their situation, but I wish they had given him a chance. Imagine a monster-looking –thing randomly in your house talking to your blind father/grandfather! Scary!

"It is not good for the man to be all alone." (Genesis 2:18)

“It moved every feeling of wonder and awe that the picture of an omnipotent God warring with his creatures was capable of exciting. I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own. Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hand of God a perfect creature, happy, and prosperous, guarded by special care of his creator…I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition” (page 124).
Mary Shelley often alludes to God and his first creation of Adam. This common allusion can be seen in the quote above, when the monster takes a liking to Paradise Lost and compares it to his own life. Though I’ve never read Paradise Lost myself, I have heard the story of creation millions of times. The monster does parallel with Adam. Victor used science to play God and create a human being, who was different from everyone else. Like Adam, the monster was alone and the only one of his kind. He begged for a companion, except, unlike God, Victor did not grant him a friend. Therefore, Victor turned against his creator and sinned many times because he did not get what he needed. Shelley uses this allusion because it relates another lonely human being to the monster. It’s easy to imagine how lonely Adam must have felt as the only human being on the Earth. By comparing his loneliness to the monster’s, the reader can empathize more easily with the monster.

Goth

The tone of Frankenstein is Gothic or tragic. The subject of the novel is dark and of horror quality. Use of language with sad tones is also used to emphasize the scary scientific story. The letters written encompass a sense of longing and the desire from his family for his return home. The also focus on tragic events, including the murder of his brother William. “Absence cannot have rendered you callous to our joys and griefs…” Most of the characters don’t focus on joyous events or feelings. Loneliness and fear dominate the pages of this novel.

Who’s Afraid of the Dark?

After Frankenstein creates the monster, he is almost instantly filled with regret. What did he expect? Wasn’t he trying to create new life? If I had been in his situation I would not know what to do either. There would be no way to tell if the creature was harmless or not. A simile is used to describe Frankenstein’s fear of his monster. “I threw the door forcibly open, as children are accustomed to do when they expect a spectre to stand in waiting for them on the other side; but nothing appeared” (pg 59). This comparison helps me relate to his situation. When I was younger I used to always push doors open quickly or shout “I know you’re there” because I was scared that a person was in my room, closet or house. I don’t know what I would have done if someone would’ve actually been there, just as Frankenstein wouldn’t have known how to react if the monster had actually been standing there. Because I was able to relate to this scene, I could empathize with Frankenstein’s fear more easily.

Caution: Knowledge

Walton and Frankenstein have similar background goals that mirror one another (parallel characters). Both strive for a new discovery—reaching something that is supposedly impossible. Just as Walton sails to the North Pole to fine a northern passage to the Pacific, Frankenstein tries to build new life. He even warns: “learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (pg 52). I cannot decide if I agree with his statement or not. Knowledge is extremely important, and I want to soak up as much of it as I can. However, he does make an intelligent point when he says that it is dangerous for a man to become “greater than his nature will allow.” Limits must exist or man could create his own destruction.

Painting a Picture with Words

“This manuscript will doubtless afford you the greatest pleasure; but to me, who know him and who hear it from his own lips—with what interest and sympathy shall I read it in some future day! Even now, as I commence my task, his full-toned voice swells in my ears; his lustrous eyes dwell on me with all their melancholy sweetness; I see his thin hand raised in animation, while the lineaments of his face are irradiated by the soul within. Strange and harrowing must be his story, frightful the storm which embraced the gallant vessel on its course and wrecked it—thus” (page 29).
This excerpt from one of Walton’s letters to his sister uses imagery to prove Walton’s admiration for Frankenstein. It also introduces one of the themes of loneliness in the novel, since Walton’s loneliness parallels with Frankenstein’s. Walton is extremely happy for a friend on the ship. He grasps on to every word of the story. The reader is able to see Frankenstein’s expression and hear his voice, as he tells his dark tale. Walton advertizes an exciting story for his sister, so the reader’s expect the same.

Frankenstein: Buy One, Get More Free

As the novel of Frankenstein begins with the introductory letters, it becomes easy to conclude that this novel is a frame story. The letters are from a man to his sister. He is describing the new man aboard his ship and the story the man tells. This man, Victor Frankenstein, tells the actual story of the monster. However, during his telling, he goes off on tangents, describing his father’s life and letters from other people, which also tell other stories (example: Justine Moritz). At times these side stories are hard to follow, but they provide a historical insight on the lives of the characters and explain past events and their meaning.

Apparently Imperfect Perfection is a Trend

1984 reminded me of three books I have read. The first is Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. She wrote a whole series dedicated to a world where families can only have two perfect children, and if there are more than two children, the others are disposed of. This method is supposed to help the society function more efficiently. These books are intense just like parts of 1984. The government controls everything, except, in this series, the people actually fight back (that’s how it’s done, Winston). Another similar novel is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, which is about a utopian society. Children bounce the ball on the street at the exact same time, and the government has absolute control just like Big Brother. Again, a select few finally fight back. The final book is Harry Potter because of the English aspect. The Party has different Ministries dedicated to different parts of the Party. They are very mysterious, just like the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter. Corruption occurs from within.

Are You There Winston? It’s Me Humanity

I hated the ending! I can even pinpoint the exact part I hated, the exact line (which happened to be the last line): “He loved Big Brother.” They got Winston who was the one hope I had that this society would turn itself around. I understand Orwell’s motives in making this the last line of the novel. It’s supposed to scare the readers and make them change their ways of leadership before it’s too late. I am still not a fan of tragic endings though: I wanted revolt! If I would have re-written the ending, I would have only had to change the last line to say: “He would always hate Big Brother.” 1984 was an excellent book, but the ending needed some sort of turnaround; there was no denouement in my opinion because there was no resolution. Big Brother finally brainwashed Winston…the actual human being.

"It is intolerable to us that an erroneous thought should exist anywhere in the world, however secret and powerless it may be. Even in the instance of death we cannot permit an deviation" (page 210).

Just Memories

This book made me realize how important memories are to a person. Memories explain the present, and they teach many lessons. They can be a source of happiness or resentment, but no matter what they are a story to be viewed whenever triggered. Winston’s flashbacks kept him sane (until the very end of course). He remembered his mother playing a game with him and his brother. Though that memory didn’t explain anything to him, it was still a way for him to escape Big Brother for a moment. The entire novel he chants a song as well. It represents normalcy and the way the world used to be. The flashbacks are the past, what is real, because Big Brother cannot take away the memories.

Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s,
You owe me three farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin’s,
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey,
When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch

What a clever cat

They’ve got the Power

Orthodoxy is defined in this book as unconsciousness, which is the goal of the Party. “He realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp of what orthodoxy meant. In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it…by lack of understanding they remained sane” (page 129). The Party gains power through the ignorance of the people. When people start to think about how they’re being treated and why it is wrong, they want to rebel. Ignorance may be bliss, but it also makes a person very weak. In the way the Party is run, it can never go extinct because “until they become conscious they will never rebel and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” (page 61).The people are so brainwashed that they don’t even care what the Party is doing to them. O’Brien admits that the Party is similar to the German Nazis and the Russian Communists; except that the party knows that power is not a means…it’s an end. The power can never die.

Calculate Power

Et tu O’Brien?

The clear antagonist in 1984 is Big Brother who is the source of all power and all conflict. Who is Big Brother though? His representative in this novel is O’Brien, who also convinced Winston to join the brotherhood against Big Brother. I was shocked when I discovered O’Brien’s betrayal not only to Winston, but to me. I was expecting a mass of people against Big Brother to group together and fight. O’Brien gave Winston a book on the truths of the party, and he invited Winston and Julia to his house to tell them how to join the brotherhood. He was their friend. Then he revealed himself as the exact opposite of Winston; the person who was the perfect Party follower and who knew all the answers. He made me angry because he acted so hopeful and then crushed the hope with his power. O’Brien, you were a disappointment.

"Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with ourselves" (page 211).
--O'Brien

Julie Chen is Watching You

When George Orwell created the idea of Big Brother, he most likely feared that it would happen in real life in the future. Or perhaps he wanted people to take the message light-heartedly and rather than reevaluate their governments, they should make a Prime Time reality Television show devoted to Big Brother. His 1984 idea makes for great TV, and the show does line up with some of the ideas of Big Brother. House guests, who don’t know one another (except for Big Brother specials with exes or long lost fathers and daughters), are locked in a house where they are watched and listened to 24/7. They are never alone; the only thing that can be a secret is their thoughts, just like in Oceania. The Head of Household each week serves as the Inner Party with the perks and power, and at the end of each week someone is vaporized and is never seen in the house again (except when there’s a twist where someone gets to re-enter the house). The past does not exist amongst the house guests because they are ignorant to anyone's past but their own. I am sure that being locked in a house with no privacy can be very demanding on the house guests, but hey: at least viewers get to see 1984 come to life in fancy house in a new millennium, and it makes for good dramatic television…George Orwell would be proud.


The torture of Big Brother:

Imagery

As mentioned previously, as soon as Winston discovers that a better world once existed and can exist again, he focuses his attention on that possibility. He can no longer be satisfied with only wearing overalls and being forbidden to marry the woman he loves—he wants real feelings. He is no longer satisfied with the porridge, cheese, Victory coffee, and saccharine that he is given for meals—he wants real food. George Orwell uses imagery to emphasize how wonderful freedom is, especially compared to life in Oceania and its many restrictions. Julia gives Winston real food, real clothes, and real love. “The smell was already filling the room, a rich hot smell which seemed like an emanation from his early childhood…’It’s coffee, he murmured. Real coffee’” (page 117). Winston seems only to use his senses to describe objects and people in full detail when they are real. The reader is able to distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary (which is only what is real) through these descriptions.

Real Coffee

Winston Smith

Winston Smith, from the beginning, had the aura of a dynamic character. From what is written, he was an obedient party member for the most part when the party was first created; however, he clearly had doubts. His first action in the novel was buying a diary, which is a monstrous crime in Oceania because it is a way to express thought. The more a person thinks by himself/herself, the more likely they will doubt the Party. Winston did just that. As the story progresses, Winston changes more and more as different information is revealed to him. His romance with Julia and his following O’Brien and the Brotherhood (against the Party) expose him to more knowledge, which makes him hunger for more rebellion. Winston’s knowledge parallels his dynamic character: the more he knows, the more he changes. Once he knows that a better world is possible, he cannot be satisfied by the one in which he lives.

Below is the trailer for "1984". Take special note of Winston Smith played by John Hurt.

The Changeable Past

Normally if I ever consider how the past could be changed, I immediately think time machine. Without magic, how can anyone truly erase the past? A major motif in 1984 is how important the past is, even though most people take it for granted. One of The Party’s slogans is “He who controls the past controls the future,” and Winston begins to realize that “if both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable—what then?” (Page 69). Winston’s job in Oceania is to change every document of the past so that it agrees with the future and with everything the party says. Thinking about how easy it is for the Party to erase the past is scary; for, how do we know what really happened in the past? The past is extremely important because it controls the future, but if the past is a lie because the documentation is a lie, the only way to know the truth is pure memory, and is reliability in that alone safe?


Lostpedia: an explanation of time travel according to the show Lost (very difficult to understand), but maybe changing the past is possible?

Orwell's Purpose

Almost anyone who reads the first paragraphs of 1984 can tell that it is a satire, making fun of the corrupted society of 1949 (when it was written). George Orwell uses literature to create a world of totalitarian barbarism; he makes the horrible futuristic world harboring Big Brother, who controls every movement, as a warning to the people of his time. Before this “revolution,” the “capitalists owned everything in the world and everything else was their slave” (page 63). If George Orwell would have written his warning in plain English it would have said: We must stop the wealthy from taking all the power because if we do not control them now, they will take complete control over everyone and everything just like Big Brother. They will be able to control the past, present, and future, and they will watch what people do, force them to work for the cause, and brainwash them to think a certain way. George Orwell would have hated his self-created world in 1984, so he wanted to prevent it.