Progression of the Fiend

At first we see him as a very baby like creature.  He starts off having really no moral compass to guide his actions off of at first.  However, the experiences with the Delaceys and the experiences soon after came to define the nature of the beast.  We often experience emotions filled with compassion for the creature for the terrible situations that he had to endure.  The awful weather, the treatment he receives, the fight that he has within himself all contribute to who the creature became.   We saw at first that the creature was heartfelt experiences with the family.  The creature even cries at one point because of the beautiful guitar being played. "...drew tears of sorrow and delight from my eyes"(Shelley,83).  However, mixed with that experience is the experience that he had in the town prior to taking refuge in the woods.  For no apparent reason aside from his appearance  he was viciously attacked.  I believe that it is safe to say that the Creature is a product of the treatment that he received from other individuals.   

Ironic Twist

Laughing uncontrollably, claiming victory, being the typical wretch he is: this is what I expected upon seeing that the creature was on the ship and looking at Victor. Instead, we see a different side of the Creature, still evil, but no uncontrollably evil. "Evil thenceforth became my good"(Shelley, 164).  We see that the Creature is now totally evil but he has a sense of remorse over the death of the creator.  Here's the key difference though from earlier Shelley's Frankenstein: he's okay with the evil that encompasses him now.  Earlier in the novel, he was still trying to distinguish himself from either evil or good and who he should be.  However, at the end, he is in full acceptance of the evil that he is.  He embraces it in a way.  He also has control over what he does now.  He states that he is satisfied with the way that things have turned out but still seeks Frankenstein's.  It;s a very confusing setup because of what we see the creature is capable of and what he can do.  Finally, we the wretch ask for Victor's forgiveness for taking everything from him.  In a way, he has become of mixture of what he aimed for in the beginning.  He is still evil, but he also recognized that and because of it, has a side of good.  

The True Creature?

I mean is the dude evil or not? The Creature, on multiple occasions, shows sympathy and positive signs for humanity. Him cutting the wood and saving the drowning girl are perfect examples.  He decided to be of assistance rather than being an evil wretch as is usually his characterization.  However, he also turns to pure evil on multiple occasions.  So evil, in fact, that he cannot even control his incredible rage.  He states"...and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands..."(Shelley, 102).  I believe this initiates his true being and reveals his inner workings.  How can any mortal rejoice at the death of an innocent and helpless life?  That's the point Shelley is trying to distinguish to the reader.  No HUMAN could ever do that to another and rejoice; however, it is perfectly reasonable to assume and wretched daemon could rejoice at such a horrible event.  This is also why the creature is referred to as a creature not a man or an form of humanoid.  He is not of this earth because of his truly daemonic tendencies.  

Solitude's Importance

Throughout Shelley's Frankenstein, hardly any character, besides Clervel, was portrayed as a social and people-loving individual.  Victory, before the wrath of the creature came into being, he committed himself to a life of solitude while studying at college.  There, he came up with bizarre ideas and did evil work to the max.  Similarly, the creature, not by choice, was isolated from the rest of the world.  He wondered the wilderness as an outcast.  These isolated situations for the creature only brewed evil feelings of hatred and contempt for others.  Similarly, Victor became very sickly and ill while isolated.  He visited no one and was hardly social.  I believe Shelley is trying to create a negative connotation associated with loneliness.  Nearly every character that is alone has an ill-fated experience.  William was killed as we wandered the cemetery alone.  Also, Elizabeth was murdered as she slept in her room alone.  "My person had become emaciated with confinement"(Shelley, 32). 

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing had a major significance in Shelley's Frankenstein.  Without a doubt, the most evident example of foreshadowing was the threat of the creature towards Victor. "I shall be with you on your wedding-night"(Shelley, 123). I mean besides foreshadowing, he is essentially telling Victor, prepare for bad stuff the night you get married. Upon hearing this, Victor goes AWOL.  He vows to devote the remainder of his life towards the end of the creature.  In the end, Victor eventually succumbs to nature and dread, but his final wish will eventually be fulfilled.
When looked at as a whole, the entire characterization of the two main figures can be looked at as a type of foreshadowing.  Victor, the nearly insane, sometimes weak, morbid figures dies before his work is complete.  The creature, a strong, mostly evil, sometimes good, individual outlasts Victor and eventually commits himself to death.  We can extract from the prior behaviors of the characters who will likely outlast the other as well.   

Inception

Shelly does an incredible job of confusing the reader in Frankenstein. The frame story settup that she uses really sets up a realistic situation for the reader.  We are able to see the cause of all the turmoil that the people face through these frame stories.  It is an extremely easy read though.  I am able to pick up on other parts of the novel through past references.  Also, this story being written so long ago scared me.  I was initially hesitant to understand it.  However, it turned into an easy read once I got used to it!

Trial

The confidence that Walton showed of the creatures guilt was interesting.  He was absolutey sure that he commited the crime.  Interestingly, the evidence of the case did not support that.  Justine was acquitted for the murder and the evidence supported that.  THe creature was however spotted in the area.  It was very interesting that Walton jumped to that conclusion so quickly.  Walton however did say that no human would be able to commit such a horrible crime.  This being the case the creature is not human.  The creature was probably startled due to his lack of social interaction and reacted in a bad way.  Justine seems to convict herself too at the trial which was very interesting.  She seems to give evidence against herself!

Destiny

When discovering why Victor is telling Walton the story, we see that it is for Walton's protection.  "...and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wished may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been"( Shelly, 13).  We see that Victor is hoping that by telling Walton his tale, that he may be saved from a horrible tragedy.  What I found interesting though was the word destiny.  Multiple times, Victor brings up the word destiny and his desired goal.  Similarly, Walton speaks about how important this journey is and how he feels that it is something that he must do.  In  a way, Walton sees this journey as the fulfillment of his destiny.  I believe the reason that Shelly brings up the heavy use of destiny in Frankenstein is to give a deeper reason for the tale.  Victor failed at his life even though he accomplished what he thought his destiny was.  He tried to follow his destiny, but in the end, it was the thing that ruined his life.  Victor is relaying his failed destiny to Walton to allow him to see that something you may think is your destiny may rather be something that will lead one to their demise.  This destiny allows the reader to make another connection to the similarities of Victor and Walton.  

The Creation

Going into this novel with an open mind and an unbiased thought was difficult. Frankenstein, as the monster is called essentially everywhere but this novel, by Mary Shelly brings to light the original story of the favorite horror tale.  The first major difference I noticed between the novel's monster and folklore was the life process.  In folklore, the monster is zapped with lighting at the top of a tower. After a few tense moments, Victor is supposed to scream, "Its Alive!" Sadly to say, nothing of the sort actually was accurate according to the novel.  "I saw the dull yellow eyes of the creature open..."(Shelly, 35).  Honestly, that was it.  It seems that he sowed some parts together, waited a little, lit a candle, and there he was good to go and alive!

Another discrepancy was the appearance of the creature and the source of the parts. The skin was portrayed as having a yellowish ten to them.  In folklore, the skin usually was of a greenish tint.  The bolts on the side of the neck were also added at time after the novel was written.  In folklore, we imagine grave robbing as the source of various body parts for the creature.  However, in the original version, the parts were obtained from dissecting rooms and slaughterhouses! 

Walton and Victor

One substantial detail regarding Walton that really stood out to me in Shelley"s Frankenstein was the similarity between Walton and Victor.  Walton and Victor also shared something quite similar that was presented to the reader early on in the novel.  Loneliness affected both of them at some point in their lives.  "I have no friend.."(Shelley, 4).  Both of them are in different situations where they know very few people.  New, scary, adventurous situations.  This fact is why, I believe, they get along so well once Victor is on the ship. 
Both of them also have a desire for knowledge.  They both seek to know more and more out of the books.  Walton learned much from his uncle's books of insane voyage.  Victor also learned much about ancient science from the books of Magnus.  They both enjoy science and math greatly.  The connection is solidified even more when the novel states that Victor is only telling Walton the tale because he does not wish ill upong Walton.  This fact shows that Victor cares for Walton and realizes that the life he has lived has only brought death and turmoil. Victor's seach for extreme science and need for a friend allowed him to create the creature.  Thought Walton is not constructing a creature, Victor can still provide a valid lesson for Walton.  VIctor does not want Walton to neglect the people that mean so much to him.  He wants Walton to concentrate on the important things in life that will bring happiness, not horrors.

Bartleby the Scrivener

Honestly, it seems like I just got a window seat into the "Office Space" or something.  It starts out extremely normal. Turkey, the hard worker in the mornings is a valuable asset.  Nippers is probably more valuable to the team than Turkey is!  Ginger-nut is the errand boy and is liked by most.  Finally, the ad-fulfilling Bartleby comes into the scene and is a good worker! He loves work so much he never leaves the office for home! That's awesome until we discover that he is homeless.  He would sleep in the office! However, the oddest part of Bartleby was the way he handled certain things.  "I would prefer not to"(Melville, 650).  This simple phrase defined who Bartleby was.   He worked hard but it seemed like he almost took advantage of the employment that he was offered in the business.  

Also, why Melville will not tell the reader what the Lawyer's name is in Bartleby the Scrivener is rather aggravating! I did not know how to address this guy in my notes.  I feel like the ambiguity of it provides a sense of the unbiased employer and how Bartleby was given a job in the first place.  

Miss Brill

The first serious connection that I made in Mansfield's Ms. Brill was the cupboard comments.  She mentioned that the old people looked restless and tired and looked as though they had come from cupboards.  Later on in the story, it states that she's returning to her apartment which is like a cupboard.  This gives the reader a hint of her older age
An overarching theme that I got from the story was a sense of loneliness.  She literally imagined the feelings people were having in their heads to suit her perfect image. It was really sad listening to because of all the rejection faced by others.  It made me feel bad for Ms.  Brill!  Also, she was talking to her hat. I mean, she must have really been lonely. The hat says according to Ms Brill,""What has been happening to me""(Mansfield, 182)?

APO 96225

The irony of this story is insane.  What else is insane in Rottmann's APO 96225 is how much I can actually relate to the story and the parent/child relationship.  Also, being able to tell the time era of the incident helps. We are able to see the time era based on the napalm reference and the monkeys. "You ought to see the funny monkeys"(Rottmann, 846).  After we know the time era, we are able to determine why the mother was so upset.  The public does not generally want to know what is going on.  Vietnam was extremely unpopular and it only makes sense that it was so blunt.  I sensed some weariness and a lack of emotion from the soldier.  It was probably because of the constant war and the lack of national support.  It seems that he gives up in his attempt to inform the people that what is going on over here is awful. Overall, the whole story was an understatement.  

Much Madness is Divinest Sense

When researching the word "demur", definitions implying rebelliousness came up.  Then upon further inspection, I saw that, against majority, she believes we should all be rebels.  "In this, as All, prevail-"(Dickinson,830).  This quote in Dickinson's Much Madness is Divinest Sense is essentially saying that most people believe the following words. The following words essentially say that doing what others do is normal and being a rebel is dangerous and looked down upon.  
 In the beginning, we see that she is saying that being mad is the most divine thing.  However, she adds a stipulation to that.  To see that madness is divine, one must know what to look for.  A person who is the most mad has much sense. In all, Dickinson's poem is a giant paradox of the norm.  Also, relating back to the previous poem, A Funeral In my Brain, we see some relation.  We see the similarity between the mind themes and how being mad is not always necessarily bad.  

I Felt A Funeral In My Brain

With Dickinson's odd capitalization in I Felt a Funeral In My Brain, it is difficult to separate special meaning, but one word stuck out to me: Brain. A normal funeral is corporeal and having to do with a body, however this funeral implies the death of someones mind.  Many images and senses are evoked when reading the poem and the situations she describes.  Initially, we notice that she is hearing things inside this coffin that she is in.  Oddly enough though, she is dead! This implies that, as readers, we are receiving a stream of conciseness from the author.  The author is essentially telling us all how her inner being is feeling at this point in life. For her, she feels as though she is losing her mind.  In the concluding portions of the poem, the final burial can stand for the complete loss of her mind. " And Finished knowing-then-"(Dickinson,776). This quote essentially states that her awareness and self-being is gone.  Either she is dead or she has officially gone insane.