Ramen Noodles: The Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner of Champions

"Liberty, however, had been a useless gift to me, had I not, as I awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge." pg 189

So I'm not exactly sure if Victor is a hero or antihero. As illustrated by the quote, his motivation is revenge. Additionally, his motivation for making the creature was an unhealthy obsession of succeeding. He faints and is ill constantly. Definitely not heroic; however, he does attempt to save those he loves. He embarks on a dangerous trek across wastelands to hunt down his creation and he's very strong-willed when deciding never to create another being even at the risk of a life of perpetual misery. That seems pretty heroic to me. You say "potato," I say "Why did you say potato? Weirdo." HA!

Weren't expecting that, were ya?

Dressing Like an 80 Year Old Lady Since 1993.

"...by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs." pg 56

Okay, so the quote isn't from the second half of the book, but this is kind of an abstract juxtaposition so I needed a more general quote. Don't judge me...rude. Baaaasically, I noticed that it becomes more clear in the second half the juxtaposition of life and death. Frankenstein gave life to the monster. The monster then takes life away. For something has joyous as creating life, this was an experiment gone wrong that only succeeded in extinguishing it. Life-death-juxtaposition. It's deep, okay?

HA!

I may be a raving lunatic, but my hair looks fabulous!

"Clerval! Beloved friend! Even now it delights me to record your words and to dwell on the praise of which you are so eminently deserving." pg 149

"She left me, and I continued some time walking up and down the passages of the house and inspecting every corner that might afford a retreat to my adversary. But I discovered no trace of him and was beginning to conjecture that some fortunate chance had intervened to prevent the execution of his menaces when suddenly I heard a shrill and dreadful scream." pg 186

So suspense is exactly what Frankenstein doesn't do. Operating within a frame story, it is very difficult to create suspense because the reader knows that whatever peril the protagonist is in, he'll make it out safely, more or less, or he wouldn't be narrating. Additionally, Mary Shelley really did write the book (HA!) for this genre because, especially leading up to Elizabeth's murder, I felt like I was watching one of those really predictable thriller/horror movies where you talk to the screen at the characters telling them that they're incredibly stupid for wanting to check the closet. Sure enough someone pops out and makes you jump. Well that's kind of what happened with Elizabeth. Victor leaves her alone to go check for the monster. Yeah, capital idea. So, that's how suspense is killed, strangled like the monster does his victims. Metaphor? Oh yes.

You're right Frankie, it's just a book.

Side Effects May Include Death!

"On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the cottage had formerly occupied a part of it, but the panes had been filled up with wood. In one of these was a small and almost imperceptible chink through which the eye could just penetrate." pg 103

Creeper! CREEEEPER! Creeepercreepercreeeeeper!!!!

"My thoughts now became more active, and I longed to discover the motives and feelings of these lovely creatures; I was inquisitive to know why Felix appeared so miserable and Agatha so sad. I thought (foolish wretch!) that it might be in my power to restore happiness to these deserving people." pg 109

Uh-oh, I feel something TRAGIC coming! I'm not quite sure why the monster has taken such an interest in this family. It's nice what he's doing for them. I guess it characterizes him as an inherently nice person with feelings too. Then he's probably gonna get rejected 'cuz they all gon' be like "oh nooo, it's so ugly pa!" And then the monster is going to get its feelings hurt. Which makes it kill a little boy... The half way point had to be right in the middle of the frame frame story!

When you're out in the club and you see a fly girl, do the creep.

Chicken Dinner! I left the head on 'cause I love you.

"A flash of lightning illuminated the object and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy demon to whom I had given life. What did he there? Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother? No sooner did that idea cross my imagination than I became convinced of its truth; my teeth chattered, and I was forced to lean against a tree for support." pg. 73

Okay, what I want to know is how you're so sure that it was your monster that you created. Sure he shows up in a flash of lightning all ominously, but does that prove his guilt? I think Justine is guiltier than the monster. We never even found out if the monster actually killed him in this half of the book anyway. And why would he? What motivation would he have to randomly kill a person, save the fact that his creator shunned him. All he wanted was to be loooved! I blame Victor.

But everyone knows my logic is never flawed!

It's lonely being an oatmeal vending machine.

"From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation. I read with ardor those works, so full of genius and discrimination, which modern inquirers have written on these subjects. I attended the lectures and cultivated the acquaintance of the men of science of the university, and I found even in M. Krempe a great deal of sound sense and real information , combined, it is true, with a repulsive physiognomy and manners, but not on that account the less valuable." pg 49

Oh and that's just the beginning folks! That whole chapter, Chapter 4 as it is so eloquently titled, is an entire chapter devoted to his motivation in making the monster. This is the whole lead-in to the creation of the monster chapter which leads to many subsequent freak-outs. But as a whole, this chapter shows Frankenstein's drive for knowledge and understanding. Additionally, it shows his great intelligence and capability for advancement which makes it more believable that he could make a persony-thing. Oddly enough, this motivation is replaced immediately after with lethargy and invalidity. Then a desire to want to destroy the monster comes after that. (Sunday comes afterwaaaarrrrddsss.) Who knows what Frankenstein wants to do after chapter 12?! Let's let our good friend Rebecca tell us more about this sequence stuff.

My secret super power is eyebrow grooming.

"From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and voiceless grief of my Elizabeth. This also was my doing! And my father's woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home - all was the work of my thrice-accursed hands! Ye weep, unhappy ones, but these are not your last tears! Again shall you raise the funeral wail, and the sound of your lamentations shall again and again be heard!" pg 85

And it goes on like that for a while. In fact, I wouldn't have chosen stream of consciousness if I didn't feel like Victor was freaking out about something every other page. Because this is a frame story with Victor as its narrator, we get the insight of how he felt coming straight from the character, rather than the view of an omnipotent narrator or a third party narration. It seems to me the author's main tool for characterization through the work thus far. Stream of consciousness has shown Frankenstein's cowardice, intelligence, and tenderness all through "Whine, whine, whine, monster, whine, whine." And because his thoughts are so golly gee chaotic, it lends a kind of suspenseful tone as well. Will this crazy monster I've made that I try not to think about, but totally do, come back to haunt me in a more significant way? I can only wonder...as I wander....

Would you like some cheese with that whine?