Frankenstein: Finito

"He sprung from the cabin window, as he said this, upon the ice-raft which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance." (page 166)

Frankenstein did not end how I expected it to. I did expect the death of Elizabeth for sure; I thought she would be killed as soon as Victor made a comment in the beginning of his story explaining her presence. As the story continued to progress, I also figured Victor would die at the end of the novel. The internal conflict eventually caused his health to completely give up. It was foreshadowed by the affect stress had on him at the beginning of his story. In saying all of that, I did not expect the monster to ever be witnessed by anyone other than Victor. When he all of the sudden pops up in Walton's story, it took me a second to recognize what was happening and the gravity of the monster appearing. It weirded me out that the stories were intertwining; I thought the monster would just remain in Victor's story. I also felt as if the ending contained the most action which seemed pretty weird because the rest of the novel was so detailed; I think Shelley could have spent less time working up to the ending and a little more time on the conclusion since it did seem a little rushed. Although, that could be because I was definitely not expecting a few scenes as I said. But, I digress. The ending was the best part of the book, and not because it was the literal ending, but rather because of how it ended.

Frankenstein: Opinion Three

"Why did I not die? More miserable then I ever was before, why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest?" (page 130)

Alright, heads up, this is pretty much going to be a rant about our dear friend Victor. So. Victor has definitely been the most annoying character of this entire book. Quite honestly, all he does is whine and complain about the fact that he created this monster. I understand that he is trying to warn Walton and whatnot, as well as explain his reasons for being in the middle of nowhere, but really, he doesn't need to gripe about all that has gone wrong. It's his fault, and I don't think he really, truly understands that. His characterization also shows me that he's one of those people who says he knows it's his fault but doesn't really believe it. For instance, in the scene where he claims Justine's innocence, he doesn't honestly stand up or defend her in any way; he is such a coward. He won't face things in the manner that he should which really bothers me too. Overall, I find Victor to be a man of very little honor and courage (which ironically, are virtues Walton attributes to him at the beginning of the book).

Frankenstein: Foil Characters

"But in Clerval I saw the image of my former self; he was inquisitive, and anxious to gain experience and instruction." (pg 115)

In this novel, there are instances of characters that can be considered parallel and those that can be considered foils. At the beginning of Victor's narrative, it seems that he and Henry were parallel characters. Both were young, happy and carefree; however, as the story continues, we see a shift in this because of the changing personality of Victor. Victor becomes sad, depressed, withdrawn, lonely, and cares little about his work, family, or friends. Henry, on the other hand, stays much like he was in his younger years. He is caring, intrigued by the world, and loves life. The reason for this difference is the creation. Since Victor became consumed by all things about the monster (creating it, its creation, and consequences of creation), he greatly altered his own self, as well as his relationship with Henry. In the quote above, we see that Victor recognizes this shift and it saddens him as he reflects upon it. This loss of his previous is yet another thing he blames on the monster.

Frankenstein: Conflict

"Can you wonder that such thoughts transported me with rage? I only wonder at that moment instead of venting my sensations in exclamations and agony, I did not rush among mankind, and perish in an attempt to destroy them." (page 103)

In this novel, there is a lot, a lot of conflict going on. Frankenstein contains both internal and external conflict in the multiple stories unraveling in the work. The monster has an external conflict with civilization because he does not appear the same as other living beings; this external conflict leads to his internal conflict of being depressed because he is not accepted by society. Many of Victor's internal and external conflicts arise from the creation of his monster as well. For instance, William's death occurs because of the monster (who kills William to get revenge against Victor so it's a pretty circular conflict). William's death causes Victor to become severely depressed and blame himself. This pity party leads to a conflict with his family, and the love of his life. There is so much conflict in this novel that it becomes difficult to keep it all straight; however, the myriad of conflicts create an intricate story and helps to keep the audience's attention.

Frankenstein: Allusions

"The book from which Felix instructed Safie was Volney's Ruins of Empires." (page 84)

In Frankenstein, the literary device of an allusion is often used by the creation when he is explaining his story to Victor. The allusions allow Victor (& the reader) the opportunity to understand why the creation has turned out the way he has. Additionally, it allows the monster's audience to learn a little bit about the way his mind works and the reasons to his actions. For instance, when the creation compares himself to Adam and the Fallen Angel earlier in the novel, we see that the monster is torn between two identities and ways of describing himself. The references to well-known books on page 91 also allows us to see why the creation becomes a monster; "they produced in [him] an infinity of new images and feelings, that sometimes raised me to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection" (p 91). The books caused the creation to gain knowledge; however, with this knowledge came pain and the realization that he was lonely and terrifying. The knowledge he gained from these novels caused the chain of events leading to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding William and Justine's deaths. The creation's explanation by allusions are the causes to many of the effects in the novel.

Frankenstein: Opinion Two

"'I expected this reception,' said the daemon. 'All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us." (page 68)

When the creature started talking, I was super shocked. The typical image of Frankenstein-the-monster (depicted below) is this huge, green monster who grunts. He doesn't speak words at all. Furthermore, he doesn't speak with eloquence and diction such as the creature in the novel does. It was really interesting to me that the image of this creature has been altered so much over time. When the creature begins to enlighten Victor of his life (page 70), I was really intrigued. His first person narrative is yet another voice to be added to the many differing voices in the story. It was neat to witness the two opposing views Shelley writes regarding the creature:  Victor and the creature himself. The creature's side caused me to feel pathos for him; Shelley achieved applies this technique easily with the sad story of how the creature came to be. Reading this part of the novel regarding the monster was definitely a curveball for me because of the modern definition that I had always heard about the Frankenstein-creature.

Frankenstein: Opinion One

"Clerval then put the following letter into my hands. It was from my own Elizabeth:- My dearest cousin..." (page 40)

Alright, so far, I am not a fan of Frankenstein. There was way too much exposition for what the story needed (in my personal opinion). The sheer amount of unnecessary information is really bothering me too; I'm sorry, but I don't need to hear Walton discuss the same exact thing in fifteen different ways for three paragraphs. With that being said, I am a fan of the way this frame story it set up. I think it's really cool that we're hearing different first person accounts through letters. Walton is writing to his sister and telling her the story of Victor, who is telling Walton part of his story through letters Elizabeth wrote him. It allows for a distinct voice in each character in the story; it tends to pull the reader deeper into the story I think. I was a big fan of this style of writing when Hosseini applied it in The Kite Runner. This technique makes me focus on the story more because it felt as if the different views of multiple characters are all being expressed to me directly.

Frankenstein: Motivation

"...until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me-a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which it had illustrated, I was surprised, that among so many men of genius who has directed their enquiries to the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret." (page 31)

In the beginning of telling his story, Victor's motivation to creating the creature becomes very clear. The first thing that lead to the creature was his intense desire to learn. When Victor went away to college, he left his family and old life behind him in order to become a great scholar with vast mounts of knowledge. This incredible knowledge lead to his discovery of "the secret" (which makes me think of the book The Secret but I digress). Upon discovering this hush-hush factoid, he realizes he can create life. The passion to create a new life takes over his life and changes him. The motivation for his actions are lies within this crazy desire to be able to create a life and be the first individual to do so. The motivation behind the character's actions in this novel are blatantly stated and explained.

Frankenstein: Direct Characterization

"How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery, without feeling the most poignant grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated, and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence." (page 11)

In his letters, Walton tends to directly describe the other characters in the novel to his sister. For instance on page 5, he directly tells Margaret what kind of person the master on the ship is and provides an example in the story he writes about him as well. The individual he most directly describes in great detail at this point in the story is Victor. In the letter from August 13th, he writes and writes about Victor to Margaret, which freaked me out a little at first. However, it simply shows the parallels between the two men. It almost seemed as if he were writing out all of the qualities about Victor that he admired and saw as positives for him to be a potential friend. Directly characterizing Victor leaves the audience with little guesswork and space to draw their own conclusions about a character or the reasons for his actions. It instead lets us know exactly the kind of individual Victor is.

Frankenstein: Point of View

"I arrived here yesterday; and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare, and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking." (page 1)

On the first page of Frankenstein, we learn that this novel will be told in first person. Shelley chooses to write the first person point of view in an unique way. Her main character, Robert Walton, is the storyteller. He narrates the story by using letters to explain his trip to his sister. The letters allow him to write down all of his thoughts and experiences and pass them on to his sister; this is turn allows the reader to get inside Walton's head and understand the story from his viewpoint. Even more interesting is the fact that Margaret & us (the readers) read an additional first person point of view from Victor within Walton's letter. The first person point of view allows the reader to see the action from how the speaker is experiencing it too. The letters and Victor's story within the letters are one of the most original ways to tell a story in first person. It makes me feel as if Walton is writing to me, or I am Margaret.

The Kite Runner: Opinion Four

"I ran." (page 371)

So, to be perfectly truthful, endings such as this really bother me. I like stories to end in a way that they are wrapped up neatly and tied off with a perfect bow. When I read the last sentence, I was pretty mad at Hosseini because in my mind, ending a novel where everything isn't settled is what the author does when they're tired of writing. However, I've had some time to mull over this ending, and I have come to the conclusion that this is the best way to end The Kite Runner. The ending would be completely unfitting to the rest of the story if Hosseini would have concluded it happily; instead he ends it with a message of hope. Just as he has done a myriad of times in the book, he leaves the reader with a feeling of suspense, yet this time, it is one of positivity. It finally seems as if these characters will find some happiness in their lives. In applying this type of ending, Hosseini stays true to his writing style and the unfolding of the novel as well.

The Kite Runner: Opinion Three

"And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor." (page 225)

When Rahim Kahn reveals to Amir that Hassan is actually Baba's illegitimate son from an affair, I was shocked. Throughout the entire novel, Hosseini kept writing in curveballs, but this one was huge. I definitely did not see it coming. However, once the secret was revealed, everything made sense: the actions of Baba, the secrecy surrounding Hassan, Ali's quiet manner, etc. I thought that Amir's reaction to the secret was written extremely well. As I read his outburst, it seemed to be incredibly realistic; the yelling and cursing on page 223 could not have been written much better. As Amir continued to digest the information in the next chapter, the rhetorical questions (pages 224-226) he asked were natural too. The revelation of Hassan as Amir's brother causes the book to progress because it gives Amir motivation and reason for finding Sohrab. It is with this revelation that the plot advances to the actual point of The Kite Runner.

The Kite Runner: Simile

"'I can wait. It's like the sour apples....One time when I was really little, I climbed a tree and ate those sour, green apples. My stomach swelled and became hard as a drum, it hurt a lot. Mother said that if I'd just waited for the apples to ripen, I wouldn't have become sick. So now, whenever I really want something, I try to remember what she said about the apples.'"

(p 340)

When Sohrab explains why he can wait to be adopted into Amir's family and taken to America, he is employing the use of a simile. The simile allows him to make both Amir and the reader understand why he can wait because of his anecdote. The comparison he makes is explicitly stated when he uses the word like. In comparing the two things (sour apples and why he can wait), we learn a little more about the characterization of Sohrab as well. It explains his personality and lets the reader know that he is intelligent for his age. This scene is important to the rest of the novel because it is one of the last moments where Sohrab is truly hopeful and happy. The simile allows him to recall a moment from his childhood and open himself up to Amir just a little bit more. In general, similes allow for the reader to have a greater understanding of a concept.

The Kite Runner: Point of View

"So eventually, I stopped going out into the city. I would spend my days in your father's house, up in the study, reading your mother's old books, listening to the news, watching communist propaganda on television" (page 203).

The Kite Runner is unique in the fact that it allows an outside opinion for a single chapter. The entire book is told as a flashback from Amir's perspective. However, chapter sixteen is told from the vantage point an elderly Rahim Kahn's. This is done because Rahim Kahn can explain what has happened in Afghanistan since Amir left, as well as what has happened to Hassan. To me, this chapter seemed to be the turning point of the story. It was in this chapter that Amir truly began down his path to redemption. Without this chapter, much of the details from the story regarding Hassan could not be shared. It was also pretty neat to see how Hosseini changed his writing style to echo the voice of Rahim Kahn, instead of continuing to write in a voice like Amir's. The chapter explained away many of the unknowns and created the opportunity for the reader to truly learn of Amir's purpose in retelling his story.

The Kite Runner: Onomatopoeia

"He killed the engine and we sat for a minute, listening to the tink-tink of the engine cooling off, neither of us saying anything" (page 273).

In The Kite Runner, the writing style is very much focused on making the reader feel as if he or she is experiencing the story just as Amir is. It is told from Amir's point of view in memory form, and the reader feels as if he/she is traveling back in time with him. The use of the literary device onomatopoeia is vital to the reader's understanding of the story because it allows the reader to hear the sounds from Amir's story. It causes the descriptions to become sharper and the story to be more interesting. The device is applied many times throughout the novel using a variety of sounds, but it is used a great deal in chapter 22. Amir describes the plink of dropping pebbles in the water well of his childhood (p 274), the riiiip of the his false beard(p 276), and the ding-ding-ding of the car waiting for him (p 292). Each time onomatopoeia is employed, there is a greater connection to the situation Amir is describing. This device caused me to pay greater attention to the story and imagine the setting Amir was in; I find it to be an important part to the style of writing Hosseini uses.