"Frankenstein"- THE END!!!

"Polluted by crimes and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death?" (page 211).

The ending of the book ends in death. Death, which was a recurring theme throughout the novel is once again present. As all of his victims died alone and in a state of pain, so shall the creation finally perish. He intends to take his own life and fulfill his creator's unfinished task. I find the monster's death to be insufficient for revenge. As he stated to Robert, death now seems soothing to him; "where can I find rest but in death?". Death is what he has been seeking all along and by affording him this wish, he is now no longer suffering because of the evils he has caused. In the last few pages of the novel, the reader learns that the monster claims to have felt remorse and agony for his evil actions. Like Victor, he wishes to die in order to feel pain no more. Once again, the monster parallels Victor in this way. They both wish death upon themselves in order to be free of their pain, agony, and guilt. In the end, they both achieve this wish to be freed from their earthly situations.

"Frankenstein"- Victor

Imagine this... you're at the movie theater seeing the newest and scariest movie that just came out. The beautiful girl who is being hunted my the villain hears a noise outside her house. All you can think is "don't go! don't do!!" Of course, the ditzy and clueless girl slowly, against her common sense, walks out side only to meet her ultimate demise.

This timeless scene which is present in most, if not all scary movies is also present in "Frankenstein." While it is slightly different, I see this beautiful and clueless girl to be similar to Victor. Throughout the novel he makes mistake after mistake only to be surprised by what occurs as a result. First, he makes this creation whom he sees as evil and horrid and yet allows it to go off on its own, to fend for itself. This was his first mistake. He realizes that what he did was wrong yet does nothing to fix it. Next, his baby brother, William is brutally murdered by this creation and Victor is the only human being who knows who the real killer is. Once again, he makes the same mistake by letting the monster get away with this murder and allowing Justine to be punished by death for this crime which she did not commit. Once again, Victor fails to atone for his mistakes. When Henry's inevitable death occurs, Victor exclaims in anguish and sorrow "Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny; but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor" (page 169). He realizes that what he created has caused all this sorrow and anguish, and yet he allows this monster to continue his path of revenge. He plays the monsters game instead of going off in solitude to suffer alone. He once again walks into the monsters trap when he marries Elizabeth and then proceeds to leave her alone while he searches the house. In this moment especially, he becomes that sitting duck that is present in every scary story. It is at this moment, that I want to scream "open your eyes!! Can't you see what is going to happen? Go stop it! NOW!!!"

"Frankenstein"- theme

NATURE VS. NURTURE

Throughout the creation's early life, he characterizes himself as being kind, loving, and helpful. He tells stories of how he helped the De Lacey family and recounts the horrible ways in which he was treated throughout his life. It is not until he finally reveals himself to the family that he truly becomes evil. He recounts it, saying, "from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery" (page 130). This moment in time is the turning point in the novel. The creation has finally reached his breaking point and can no longer sustain the horrible treatment he has endured. He decides that he will no longer treat the human race with respect and care, but will instead use his power and strength to cause destruction for all, especially Victor. This turning point in the novel proves that the creation was not my nature evil. He had lived a peaceful and good life up to this point. It was when nurture (society and environment) created in him this rage and lack of feeling that he finally became the evil monster that everyone always assumed him to be. He finally decided to take on the role which he had continuously been unjustly put into. It was ultimately his nurture that sent him into the downward spiral of evil and revenge.

"Frankenstein"- Foil Characters

"the young stranger knelt at the old man's feet and would have kissed his hand, but he raised her and embraced her affectionately" (page 112).

This passage which serves to characterize the family and Safie also serves to contrast the monster and Safie as foil characters. While Safie is beautiful and accepted, the creation is ugly and rejected from every human being. This difference of acceptance and rejection is one of the driving factors of the creation's rage. He sees how Felix and his family so openly accept and love Safie, so he expects at least some acceptance from them when he reveals himself. Instead, he receives rejection and is beaten by Felix which causes him much rage and sets him off on his path of evil and destruction. The creation describes Safie's voice as being musical and lovely. This also sets her apart from the creation as he is rough and scary, not sweet and musical. These two foils serve to show how the family truly was accepting and loving to human beings. It shows the extent of horror that the monster caused and serves to "set him off" on his path of rage.

"Frankenstein"- foreshadowing

Throughout Victor's narration, there are multiple points in which he foreshadows the unfortunate upcoming events which he will endure. For example, when he says, "the monster had blinded me to his real intention; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I hastened that of a far dearer victim" (page 182). While the death of Elizabeth has yet to take place, Frankenstein is letting the reader know that some type of misfortune is going to take place without directly telling the reader what happened. This is not only foreshadowing, but it also creates much suspense. He leaves the reader wondering if Elizabeth will die and when she will die. The reader has no idea if their union will take place or if the now evil monster will steal her away before they have the time to be united in marriage. Also, this statement in some ways turns the reader against the monster as Victor claims that the monster deceived him. This same technique is used when Victor is re-telling his story earlier before Henry is murdered by the monster. These techniques which are repeatedly used show the reader the guilt and agony Victor has because of what his creation has done.

"Frankenstein"- THE MONSTER!!!

The so called "monster" depicted in the book up to this point is FAR from any monster i have ever imagined. Not only does he not suck out people's brains and kill everyone in sight, but actually performs good deeds and seeks the love and attention of human beings. He realizes early on that he is not wanted and that he must be careful as to who he allows to see him. He is treated horribly when people do see him and is therefore forced to live a life of solitude. As he tells Frankenstein when he is retelling his story, all he wants is someone to talk to and to treat him kindly. Instead of being evil, he actually goes out and actively does good. At one point in time he is actually described as being '"good spirit[ed]" and "wonderful" by the family who he helps out (page 109). Although they do not know his identity, they do know that there is a stranger who is clearing paths in the snow for them and gathering wood for them at night. This shows that he is not mistreated because he is "evil" or mean, but because he does not look like everyone else. He even says that "[he] longed to discover the motives and feeling of these lovely creatures" (page 109). He doesn't wish to hurt them or to scare them, but simply to be liked by them and treated with respect. He is just like every other human being and for this reason, I sympathize with "the monster" who is really not a monster at all.

"Frankenstein"- Connection

In "Frankenstein," one of the main themes is the guilt that Frankenstein feels for the supposed acts of his "creation." After the untimely deaths of both William and Justine, he expresses that he is "torn by remorse, horror, and despair," all of which caused because of the "first hapless victims to [his] unhallowed arts" (page 85). He admits that it is because of his acts to achieve such greatness that Justin and William had to die and he also puts all of this blame on himself. This guilt appears to be what is going to drive most of the novel and the actions which Frankenstein performs.

Like in "Frankenstein," guilt was also what drove the action in "The Kite Runner." Like Frankenstein, Amir was driven by his guilt for what had happened between Hassan and him and this also drove the action of the novel. He sought redemption and Frankenstein is also seeking a form of redemption through revenge when he decides he will seek out his creation. As Amir's guilt affected him throughout his entire life, the reader also gets a sense that the same is true for Frankenstein. This glimpse is shown through Robert Walton's testimony during the letters of the way Frankenstein acted. These two books are connected through this common theme of guilt and how to make things right again.