Protagonist

"My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot imagine." page 208

I believe that this is one of the most important passages in the book. I've been trying to decide if the protagonist is the monster or Victor. This passage finally made me decide the monster. I believe that deep down he is good. However, his hubris is susceptibility to the poison of the violent world into which he was created. He is a gentle and kind creature until humanity exposes him to hate and rejection. He moves the action forward by his demand of a mate and his numerous murders. This makes him sound bad, but this is the influence that the outside world had on him. It was a constant battle between the good and evil inside of him. He mourned every time he murdered and he even mourned his hated creator. That is true humanity.

Well, That's Depressing

"He could not live under the horrors that were accumulated around him; the springs of existence suddenly gave way; he was unable to rise from his bed, and in a few days he died in my arms." Pg. 188

I am really depressed right now. I keep going back and forth between feeling bad for the monster and feeling bad for Victor. Right now it's Victor. He has lost everything. I think it is interesting that the monster has been the one to take it all. After all, Victor is the creator. I would think that he would be the one who would have power over his creation. However, his ambition was so great, that he created something that was stronger and greater than he himself was. I would think that with this knowledge he would have been more prepared and seen Elizabeth's death coming. After all, the monster has never sought to take his life, simply those around him. He doesn't want his creator dead, he wants him to suffer as he himself has had to suffer.

Connections!

"But he found that a traveller's life is one that includes much pain amidst its enjoyments." pg 154

This line really caught my attention. Victor is speaking about Henry but my thoughts quickly jumped to Walton. It seems like this phrase seems to define him. He, a traveller, felt completely along and friendless. The reader can assume by the mood of his letters to Margaret that he is homesick. Yes, he was enthusiastic about the expedition and the hopeful end result. However, it was the journey to this end result that he has a great deal of difficulty with. I just found this passage interesting because it connects two people in Victor's life who are very different from one another in most ways.

Motivation

"Suddenly, as I gazed on him, an idea seized me that this little creature was unprejudiced and had lived too short a time to have imbibed a horror of deformity. If, therefore, I could seize him and educate him as my companion and friend, I should not be so desolate in this people earth." page 136

When I started reading this book, I had no idea that I would like the monster. I assumed that I would react in a similar way as the other characters do, in disgust. The whole idea of this type of creature is weird to me. But it is interesting how much this book teaches the reader about humanity. The monster is simply trying to be human. He wants companionship and love. However, he has also been poisoned by the evil of humanity. His knowledge of violence changes his perception of the world as does the rejection that he constantly faces. He never wanted to become a monster, but that is what the world made him.

Foil Characters

"My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken." Page 113

This passage is one of many that illustrate how Safie is a foil to the monster. The monster learns much faster than she does. However, she also foils him in look and demeanor. The family loves Safie and describes the beauty of both her outward appearance and her voice. The monster himself sees her beauty. To summarize, her grace charms them. The monster does the opposite. When seen by humans, they run and hide in fear. Early on when he tries to speak, he is surprised by the horrid sounds he makes. And lastly when he sees his reflection, he is appalled. Safie is a gentle and graceful creature and brings joy into people's lives while the monster feels, and is, unwanted.

Eloquence

"I found that these people possessed a method of communicating their experience and feelings to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that the words they spoke sometimes produced pleasure or pain, smiles or sadness, in the minds and countenances of the hearers." Pg 106 Since the creature came back into the story, he has surprised me with his eloquence. I have always imagined Frankenstein's monster as dumb and inarticulate. However, Shelley's eloquent and flowing style is not interrupted by his speech. This specific passage really surprised me. The fact that he could teach himself to speak simply by observing is neighbors is amazing to me. And he not only speaks, he speaks very well. His grammar is flawless and his vocabulary is vast. Frankenstein had no idea what he had created. Earlier on in the chapter, the creature describes when he discovered that he was ugly. This really surprised me. It makes the creature almost seem human.

Consolation?

"...solitude was my only consolation-deep, dark, deathlike solitude." pg 86 I found this statement very intriguing. Victor is a truly strange man. I don't understand why darkness and despair would help his situation. Things are already bad enough. Why does he get comfort from more depression. It seems like an odd emotional state that I can't even begin to imagine or comprehend. He is truly desperate and depressed if deeper darkness is his only comfort. It's not like it is his only option. He has a great family who is there for him and going through the same thing. I would think that he would turn to them.

Allusion

"I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joins were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." pg 57 This allusion to the writer Dante interested me greatly. It was an intriguing way to portray the immense severity of what he had done. It didn't really even belong in hell according to him. This whole scene interested me. It totally caught me off guard when he rejected the creature. It was his whole life. But then he saw what is life had turned into. By using the Dante allusion, he shows clearly how disgusted he is with his actions. I think his disgust should be placed more on his own life and obsessive nature than on the creature that was simply a result.

Point of View

"I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic." pg. 31 I thought this change in point of view was a very strategic choice. The letters at the beginning of the novel did not draw the audience in very much in my opinion. The reader does not feel as though they are the audience. The audience is obviously Margaret and the reader does not always fully comprehend what Walton is talking about. However, when Victor begins, the first person point of view treats the reader as the intended audience even though this is not really so. Regardless, it effectively draws the audience in and makes them feel as though they are part of the story. The insight into his thoughts and feelings makes the reader feel connected to him more fully. It makes the story much more dramatic.

Foreshadowing

"We perceived a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on towards the north, at the distance of half a mile; a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature, sat in the sledge and guided the dogs." pg.23 This short glimpse of a creature sets up two different events. It sets up the arrival of Victor onto the boat and a connection is drawn between the two figures. It also foreshadows the creation story that Victor recounts to Walton. A reader is able to make a connection between his appearance during the beginning to the point in which he is created. The knowledge that Victor ends up chasing him in the North Pole leaves the reader in suspense. The want to continue to read on to find out how this strange circumstance occurs. It gives the reader just enough information to be gripped with curiosity. It is a great way to dramatize the story and draw the reader into the story.

Finally Matured

"'For you, a thousand times over,' I heard myself say." -Page 371 I felt as though by at the end of the book Amir had finally matured. To be honest, I didn't really like him through most of the book. He seemed cowardly and self centered. He only returned some loyalty to Hassan when his friend was dead. I feel as though he finally forgave himself at the end. He became dedicated to giving Sohrab the best life he could possibly offer. It really got to me when he repeated the line that Hassan had once said to him and Farid had repeated causing Amir to break down. He was finally getting over what had happened in the past and he was on the way to giving himself, as well as Sohrab, a better life and future.

Painful Memories

"'For you a thousand times over,' Farid said." -Pg 305 This passage really stuck with me. However, it confused me too. I really felt bad for Amir during this scene. He had been through an emotional roller coaster in the past few weeks. He had learned that his childhood friend, who was really his brother, was dead and he was now responsible for his son. He was physically exhausted from his confrontation with Assef. This scene was when he finally lost it and broke down. It surprised me that Farid said this however. It doesn't seem like a common phrase, but maybe it is in Afghanistan.

Anecdote

"'Good, I'll tell you,' he said... I knew that had been a message from God: He was on my side. He wanted me to live for a reason." -Pg 284 Assef gives a brief anecdote to explain his conversion and his new belief in God. He was a cruel boy who found no purpose for God but he finds in his darkest hour the confidence that God had a purpose for him. I personally think this story shows his arrogance. First off, he tells this long winded story even though Amir didn't really want to hear it. I think he just wanted to hear himself talk. Also, I think it's conceited to think that God chose him to kill others simply because they were different.

Changed Point of View

"There were a lot of reasons why I went to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986."-Pg 201 The point of view is changed, but only in chapter sixteen. I was really confused when I first started reading it. I had to reread the first page numerous times before I understood that Rahim Khan was now narrating instead of Amir. I didn't understand the purpose at first. Once I finished the dramatic chapter I realized that the reason was to emphasize this drama. It put the audience in the position of Amir as he sat and listened to Rahim's story. It made the reality of Hassan's life and death more vivid. It helped the audience understand the change in Afghanistan which had occurred since Amir left.

Direct Characterization of the General

"The general's frailty-and time-had softened things between him and Soraya...He'd sit in the back of the room, dressed in his shiny old gray suit, wooden cane across his lap, smiling. Sometimes he even took notes."-Page 193 I found it interesting that Hosseini used direct characterization to show the change in the general's personality. He states as a fact that Soraya's relationship with her father has gotten better. I feel as though usually author's show change in a dynamic character gradually. However, Hosseini comes right out and says that the general has changed dramatically. He has done a complete 180 by supporting Soraya's career. Illness has obviously made him more sensitive. He now shows his love for his family and is living his life to the fullest.