Darn Monster Ruins Everything

"He had vowed to be with me on my wedding-night... Elizabeth alone had the power to draw me from these fits; her gentle voice would soothe me when transported by passion and inspire me with human feelings when sunk in torpor." pg 180-1

Victor feels Elizabeth is the only left source of happiness in his life. Foreshadowing her death, the only thing capable of keeping Victor sane was his companionship with Elizabeth. I just wanted them to get married already and every time I read into hope, the dumb monster came and tore it all away! Shelley creates the monster in part to accentuate and symbolize pure benevolence in his younger days, before he had experienced true rejection and heartache, and later, the malevalence found in souls who thirst for love. Frankenstein has this passion with Elizabeth and that dumb monster envies it. So what does he do? Strangles her to death on their wedding night. Thanks a lot for a happy ending to a happy story Shelley!!!!

Man and his Creator

"Remember that I am thy Creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed." pg 95

"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 aspect." pg 124

"...no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him." pg. 125-6

As references appear sporadically in the novel relating Creature to the biblical Adam and Frankenstein to God the Creator, I ultimately realized Creature's view of Victor. He saw him as the only person who might give any bit of consolation to the exiled life he lived. Shelley incorporates biblical allusions into the story to call to mind possible faith questions. Creature relates himself to Adam for several reasons. He was made the only being of his kind with no mate to share in his struggles. He sees Victor as the only person readily able to create him a companion, just as God alone could create a companion for Adam. Also, Adam was abandoned and exiled by his Creator based on shame of the created. God punished Adam for sinning; Victor unknowingly punished Creature for being so terribly frightening.

Safie

"... I beheld a countenance of angelic beauty and expression... Felix seemed ravished with delight when he saw her, every trait of sorrow vanished from his face, and it instantly expressed a degree of ecstatic joy..." pg 112

Safie, in her foreign beauty, serves as an important character in the formation of Creature's tale and development. For one, as indicated by the quote, she is the sole link to Felix's absent happiness. Creature quickly picks up on the fact that once Safie arrived, the attitude and atmosphere of the family changed. In his young brain, this appearance of a woman starts him on a notion: If Frankenstein creates a woman for him, he'd have someone to love and appreciate him in all his ugliness. Safie gives the monster a glimpse of love between she and Felix; furthermore, Creature decides a female version of himself would bestow upon him this love.

Safie also gives monster a way for learning the French language since Felix had to teach her; he could learn quicker than Safie.

Human Error

"Shall I respect man when he contemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance. But that cannot be; the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union." pg 138

In the middle of the novel, Creature conveys through his story a major theme: the need of human acceptance and love. I am entranced at the deep thought and truth in this quote. Creature talks of how he has been shunned from all of society, an outcast based on prejudices. He longs for a companion or any glimpse of kindness from a human being. The hatred which shuns Creature based on his homely and frightening appearance is the barrier which Shelley deduces blocks union from the abnormal outcasts to the rest of society.
I feel like so many themes we've studied have been centered around the crucial reliance on a friend or acceptance or love of others- O'Brien searched for answers to deep questions long after the war, Phoenix Jackson attached herself to the memory of her grandson for companionship, the little old lady found pleasure in watching the scenes of the park with her little fur friend. All in all, authors have introduced us to characters whom suffer what we suffer- loss, fallout of friends, death of loved ones.

2 Pi

"Once my fancy was soothed with dreams of virtue, of fame, and of enjoyment. Once I falsely hoped to meet with beings who pardoning my outward form, would love me for the excellent qualities which I was capable of unfolding." pg. 209

Before the slightly disturbing suicide of Frankenstein, Victor relays to Walton his main point in telling him this story. Victor imposes the goals and aspirations which he once had to delve into a place no one has been before. In doing this, utter destruction and devastation followed him around like a grey cloud. He could never escape the haunting presence of the monster he created. In telling this story, his woes, his nightmares, Victor speaks directly to R. Walton in hopes of altering his mindset. The story, in its frame story style, takes us completely full circle in understanding where and why Victor adamantly works to pry Walton from his obsession 2 Pi= full circle, eh? eh?) Walton, like Victor, wishes to discover what no human ever has. Victor Frankenstein tries desperately to defer Walton's obsession with finding a passage through the North Pole because he knows how his seemingly pointless ambitions paved the way for the most desperate life. Almost as if a last ditch attempt, he dives from the cabin window of the ship in front of Walton. If this doesn't prove to Walton his aspirations might be a little too lofty, I don't know what is!

It's ALIVE! And IT TALKS!

"It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the orignial ear of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct." pg. 98

Creature reflects on the first hours and days of his life beginning in Chapter 11. The shift in narrators adds to the frame story style in such a way that we once again see the story in another light. As Frankenstein educates Walton on his inevitable destruction if he continues down the "discovery" path he purues, he incorporates Creature's words. The whole chapter is based on Creature's adjusting to the busling, bright, and loud world around him without a companion on whom he could rely. It is in this chapter that we as readers send sympathy to Creature.

I found it semi-ironic that Creature spoke so distinctly and refined after living months on his own and having been made from NOTHING! In that aspect, I'll admit I was disturbed. I expected him to be this wollering mass of giant stature stomping around make cavemen grunts... nope. Disappointed as I was to find this not the case, I am glad Creature's intellect adds to the plot and drama of the story.

Justine vs. Justice

"I commit my cause to the justice of my judges, yet I see no room for hope. I beg permission to have a few witnesses examined concerning my character, and if their testimony shall not overweigh my supposed guilt, I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence." pg. 80 First off, thank you once again timeless and classic literature for bestowing upon your reader the most depressing of circumstances which students are prompted to read for English classes!! I felt so much sympathy for these fictional characters upon reading of William's death that I felt as if I needed to protect my own little brother! His death, preceded by his mother's, hints at the misery and misfortunes Frankenstein alludes to throughout the story. Based on the time period, I wondered briefly if Justine's being a woman had anything to do with her condemnation, but soon reflected upon all the evidence against her. She didn't stand a chance, especially when Victor sat silently fuming thinking he knew the utmost truth about the real murderer. His loathing of the monster only fueled events in chapters to come... dun dun dunnn!

Poetry Please

"My heart palpitated in the sickness of fear, and I hurried on with irregular steps, not daring to look about me: Like one who, on a lonely road Doth walk in fear and dread, And, having once turned round, walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread." pg 58 Shelley shakes things up a bit by inserting a poem into Frankenstein's fear, dread, and exhaustion from his creation. We get a glimpse of Shelley's life surrounded by poetry from her childhood to adulthood with her husband. Frankenstein quotes a stanza from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere, in Seven Parts" linking Shelley's knowledge of poetry to the romantic writing still prevalent in the time period in which the story takes place. This romantic writing style calls for dramatic poems, eloquent language, and respectable nature between women and men. The poem surely captures the necessary tone of dread which Frankenstein feels as he attempts to flee from the so-called monster he has created. I enjoy reading the language and how proper people addressed their writing and each other as well as the poetry of Shelley's day and age. For me, reading stories written so long ago adds to the beauty of literature: It's a chance for me to explore the lifestyles of previous generations and decades which is fascinating to me. It's thrilling to explore a story where the characters are making discoveries and the author introduces us to other literature of the time.

Yes, I'm talking to you

"I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted... I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery." pgs 51-52

One clear benefit of writing a frame story becomes the ability of conveying messages to the audience through the narrator. For instance, since Victor Frankenstein, as the novel's second narrator, relays his story to Walton, he indirectly speaks directly to the audience. As he warns Walton of the indefinite tragedy that will arise if he continues down the same path, Frankenstein also foreshadows much misery to come. This interaction sets both a tone of suspense for the evident unknown and sheer wonder as to how Frankenstein created his "monster."

The frame story set up gives Shelley leeway and the flexibility to utilize different characters as different narrators, offering glimpses from opposing viewpoints. Walton, Frankenstein, and Creature thus far have exposed the readers to the continuous eloquent language but drastically different personalities and objectives.

A Whole New World

"Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose- a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye." pg 16

At the beginning of the novel, we are given a focus on which to concentrate. Walton tells his sister that he has a steady purpose (to find the passage to the North Pole), and with this purpose his life is calm. Reading over this quote, I discovered some major irony going on! Here, Walton expresses that by following his dream and pursuing to fulfill his hard earned education he may help mankind. It just so happens that on his voyage north-bound, the crew stumbles upon Frankenstein. IRONY! Frankenstein began his life and creation of the creature with the same aspirations Walton lived by: to put his studies to work in a discovery which might better mankind. Another ironic point surfaces as Frankenstein loses his mind to the obsession of his scientific discovery; whereas, Walton describes his goal of discovery as "tranquil."

The image below describes the passage Walton and his crew were searching for.

Some Parallels

pg. 191 "One seemed totally indifferent to the people around him- simply eating and then smoking and staring off into the distance." To connect the theme of universal human behavior, Nettie describes a white man who sits indifferent to the Olinka people. In a way, Alice Walker links this white man to Mr. ____ who sat for so long on his porch while Harpo and Celie tended to the fields. He was indifferent to his family and home life as he starred off into the distance. I feel like there is a distinct parallelism between Mr.____ and the white man to show that their indifference, which is worse than hate because indifference is defined by a lack of care, shapes the way they are viewed and the way they view others. pg. 247 "But all things look brighter because I have a loving soul to share them with." Nettie describes her marriage with Samuel in such a way that invokes pure happiness. Likewise, Celie finds this same sort of happiness in her early relationship with Shug Avery. One major theme is the strong relationship between couples, especially between women. Nettie and Celie keep a sisterhood alive through years of mail; Shug and Celie keep a friendlier than friends type of relationship both of which epitomize love. Either way, both sisters realize the beauty of relationships.

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

pg. 184 "The birds sing just as sweet when us leave as when us come. Then, look like as soon as us turn back on the main road, they stop. By the time us got to the cemetery, the sky gray." Here, imagery depicts the tone of the scene. I found this chapter completely ironic because these beautiful flowers and trees line the drive up to the house, a place of gloomy memories from Celie's past. Yet when she drives up with Shug, knowing she will see Pa, the beauty consumes her. For such an ugly cruel man, Pa knew how to keep a pretty, lively looking house. We don't see anything else about birds singing (giving a positive connotation), so automatically there seems to be some tension as she arrives at and leaves the house. As soon as she enters the real world past the house of her childhood, the world turns gray and gloomy again. Celie so yearns for color in her gray world! Luckily, she finds that inevitably in the pants she makes and connection upheld with Nettie.

Pivotal Moment

pg. 178 "Dear God, That's it, say Shug. Pack your stuff. You coming back to Tennessee with me. But I feels daze. My daddy lynch. My mama crazy... You must be sleep."

My initial reaction to the letter Celie read from Nettie indicating that "Pa is not our pa!" startled me so much that my mind starting racing backwards remembering all that had previously happened. And then I turned the page to one of the most significant chapters- short and sweet. Celie writes her shortest letter to God yet. Her short, choppy syntax depict perfectly the chaos and daze she finds herself in. Again, Walker throws a curve ball! Shug's demand that she pack her stuff offers a subtle foreshadow to an event that might alter the course of the story...

pg. 202 "You a lowdown dog is what's wrong, I say. It's time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need."

As Shug announces Celie's departure, I imagine the shock that hovered in Odessa's dining room. This scene is the climax of the story for several reasons. First, Shug gets her way. A woman whose determination and strong will often gets the best of her, she helps liberate Celie from her devastating life with Mr. ____. Second, this is the first time Celie stands up for herself to any man. Through this declaration, theme also comes forth. It is in leaving her current life that she can truly enter into creation. Creation doesn't necessarily mean God's world but all the beauty there is to behold which she's missed over the years due to being under a man's thumb.

Our Happiness is HIS Happiness (:

pg. 194 "But if God love me, Celie, I don't have to do all that. Unless I want to. There's a lot of other things I can do that I speck God likes... I can lay back and just admire stuff. Be happy. Have a good time."

Favorite line of the book (well one of many- I'm not the best at choosing!). I relate so well to Shug on some levels. For instance, her need for adventure and travel and not wanting to be tied to one place, her passion for people and standing up for what she believes, her admirable sense of pride in herself. I view God in this way too. I don't always have to be looking for Him but can make him happy by appreciating all around me. I think God fins happiness in our own enjoyment of everything He has given us. Walker intended for us to reflect on our own views of God in light of Celie and Shug.

Techniques such as these unexpected surprises allowed me to realize and concoct a more direct theme. I believe Alice Walker found life and people to be unexpectedly marvelous. She adds personal scenes all throughout the novel to inspire thought of how little we know about the people who surround us.

Come On Girls!

pg. 156 "The Olinka do not believe girls should be educated. When I asked a mother why she thought this, she said: A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she become something. What can she become? I asked. Why, she said, the mother of his children." Walker uses this motif of the unfair treatment of women to drill into the reader the universality of inequality among sexes. This exchange of words between Nettie and the Olinka mother shows the old fashioned mindset of women only serving the purpose of "mother." Nettie, in her years of coming to age, knows the extent at which women can learn, grow, and express themselves. This quote also shows the theme of male domination versus women's subservient nature. A woman is defined by her man and the children she bares for him. Through Nettie's letters, it becomes clear that she not only tries to preach the mindset of women standing up for themselves and breaking through the social barrier to the Olinka people and also subconsciously to Celie. Although worlds apart, Nettie successfully breaks through to Celie through her stories... Maybe Celie begins to listen because she sees the Olinka women as weak in some way and with Shug's help Celie decides she doesn't want to be like them. Just a theory... I'm not Celie (:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

"Somethin purple, maybe a little red in it too... no purple. Plenty red but she say, Naw he won't pay for red. Too happy lookin. We go choice of brown, maroon, or navy blue." pgs 21-22
Colors serve as a motif in The Color Purple, a fitting reocurrence for a novel with a title named for a color! At the store with Kate, Celie declares what color dress she would like; however, the colors of purple and red signify too much happiness. At this point in the book, the dull colors of navy and brown symbolize the despair and gloom constantly enveloping Celie.

"I walk around the whole day with the annoucement burning a hole in my pocket. It pink." Pg. 25, last paragraph
Something of such simplicity etches excitement into Celie's distressed life. It is liberating for her to bear Shug Avery's flyer on her person, and she makes a point to declare its color!

"Shug Avery donate her old yellow dress for scrap, and I work in a piece every chance I get... I want it for myself, just for the little yellow pieces, look like stars, but not." pg. 59 para. 1
A little bit of brightness is sewn into Celie's life as her relationship with Shug Avery blossoms slowly. Shug gives an old yellow dress for Sofia and Celie to incorporate into the quilt. Here, Shug unknowingly brightens Celie's world, shown in the stitching of the quilt.

As the story progresses and Celie meets people who brighten her life, the colors discussed and noticed also grow brighter. I wonder if the next half brings brighter or darker colors to Celie's life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdHCYgO9zh8

Dear G-o-d

"But I just say, Never mine, never mine, long as I can spell G-o-d I got somebody along." pg 18

"Dear God,"

The novel is structured as a constant letter. When Celie tells the story, each new "chapter" begins with "Dear God." I speculated that she started each entry like this because she wanted to feel some connection with God, someone who would feel so distant from her life based on all that had happened to her. Though she doesn't believe it, Celie has immense strength to pray to a God, or at least address God, who seemingly tossed her aside to be spoiled by greedy men. Later, on page 130, Nettie's fourth letter says, "I remember one time you said your life made you feel so ashamed you couln't even talk about it to God, you had to write it...." Still structured in a letter-type fomat Nettie writes to Celie and indicates that Celie writes to God because her past is too much to face. Who could blame her!? The "Dear God" comes across as more of a habit or calling than a prayer.

They're All the Same

"Mr.____ don't say nothing. I drop little spit in Old Mr.____ water." pg 54, bottom of pg.
"Crossed out The Lucky Star of Colman Road, put in Harpo's of _____ plantation." pg. 73 para 2

In the time of The Color Purple, society based itself around the names, status, and reputation of men. They were without a doubt the superior sex. More often then not, men ran the show- of the family, of towns, of cities, of the country. Alice Walker chooses to minimize not only the role of men, but also the respect associated with them. Celie's character addresses few male figures by their name; these few names (Harpo, Buster, Swain, Grady) are those which do not threaten Celie. Lacking the respect of a last name, all men are called "Mr.____" linking them all together. In Celie's case, all grown men are or have the tendency to act and perform alike. Since she gets no respect from men, as she is raped and abused on countless occasions, she seemingly sees no point in tacking on the respect of a last name. While confusing at times as to which Mr.____ is being referred to, Celie's private stubbornness in erasing last names amidst her prayers to God serves as some sort of relief to the constant abuse she takes on.

Excuse me! You forgot your quotes!

"I say it cause you do what I can't. What that? she say. Fight. I saw. She stand there a long time, like what I said took the wind out her jaws. She mad before, sad now." pg. 40, para. 3



I noticed off the bat that Walker strays away from quotation marks. I figured she did this for many reasons:

1. This book is set in simpler time, so without the quotation marks distinguishing speech from action a simplistic tone is added to the otherwise graphic novel.


2. Without quotes, the reader focuses on the action and words spoken together, not separately. For instance, in the above stated quote, the thought is continuous because quotes do not separate what Celie and Sofia discuss and the feelings surrounding the text.

A bit of theme also emerges from this quote. Celie brings to Sofia's attention that the fact that she can't fight back against the beatings. Confused, I wondered how Celie could possibly prompt Harpo to beat Sofia into submission after being beaten so long herself. However, like Sofia, I was disturbed to find out that Celie envies Sofia for her ability and will to fight back. Beatings were not an anomaly for Celie, so I believe the theme of male superiority over women is especially prevalent in this scene.

Innocence Gone So Young

"And now I feels sick every time I be the one to cook." pg. 1, para. 4

Throughout the first half of The Color Purple, Alice Walker utilizes euphemism in a subtle way. She downplays different scenarios which Celie describes to emphasize Celie's young innocent nature wrapped up in the violence that surrounds her. By using euphemisms such as the one quoted, Celie hints at her pregnancy but does not come straight out and admit she is pregnant by her father until later. The euphemisms wear off I noticed as she became older and saw realism through her relationship with Shug Avery. After Celie sees Olivia in town one day, she says smiling felt like it split her face, meaning she hasn't smiled in so long that the very act of it hurt and was foreign. However, Celie does not dwell on or draw attention to WHY she has been so unhappy. She instead makes matters seem better by covering up her lack of smiling.

"Finish saying I do with a big ole nursing boy in her arms." pg. 34 para. 1
Another technique Walker instills in the novel is humor. Celie adds humor in her descriptions of mostly everything, even the most serious of topics. Here, Harpo ran away to get married to strong-willed Sofia because her Pa said he wasn't fitting for Sofia. After their child had already been born, they eloped; Sofia carried out hr motherly duties on the alter with a nursing baby. What a sight to see!!