The Great Gatsby - Battle of the Eggs

"I lived in the West Egg, the - well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them." p. 9

First of all, I was a little confused as to why they refer to the sections of lands or islands as "eggs". It just seems a bit odd. That aside, I think the difference between the East and West Eggs are hard to miss. The most obvious difference is the contrast between wealth. Those on West Egg are described as "new money"; that is, they just came into money and have not yet made it into the close-knit society of the aristocrats. Those on East Egg have a lot of money and belong to the social group that share that commonality. In short, the East Egg-ers are seen as more sophisticated. However, I believe that that is merely on the surface. They are, as far as I can tell, people who like to lie, party, and get drunk. That does not seem very sophisticated to me. Nick, who lives on West Egg, appears more sophisticated because he does not lie, attends a few parties, and has only been drunk twice, thus making him more sophisticated.

The Great Gatsby - point of view

"I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." p. 40

I think the point of view of this novel is essential in decoding some of the scenes that unfold. This is because the narrator is an outsider. Because of this, he is able to take a step back and not get tangled up in the crazy scandals of those around him. Nick Carraway being the narrator serves the purpose of having an unbiased character tell the story. He is involved with the other characters, but he is rarely the center of the stories that he tells. They always involve the lives of those around him while he more observes. If any of the other characters told the story, I believe that there would be a strong bias and the reader could be swayed to perceive the events in a different light. At the very beginning, Nick says that he is not judgmental; which helps a great deal in understanding the events rather than one character's one-sided view.

The Great Gatsby - characterization

"'Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,' he told me, 'just remember that all of the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'" p. 6

Nick Carraway initially characterizes himself as someone who does not judge others. However, he also mentions that he has a bit of a higher morale than those around him. I thought that this was just him being boastful, but as I continued to read the story, I realized that this is true. This was first demonstrated when Tom was accused, then later found guilty, of having a lover other than his wife. Another example is Jordan, who admitted to cheating in her first golf match. Nick believes that he is the most honest person she knows. Finally, there is skepticism of just how honest Gatsby is when he is telling Nick of his past, displaying that his history does not really make logical sense. All of this put together gives Nick plenty of reason to be judgmental towards the other characters in the novel. However, the narrator goes with the flow and does not condemn or confront any of the other characters, really, further showing his nonjudgmental behavior that he first characterized himself as being associated with.

Frankenstein - That's It?

"I shall collect my funeral pile, and consume to ashes this miserable frame, that its remains may afford no light to any curious and unhallowed wretch, who would create such another as I have been. I shall die. I shall no longer feel the agonies which now consume me, or be the prey of feelings unsatisfied yet unquenched." p. 166

I was very surprised by the abruptness to which this novel ended. There was this whole build up in the entire novel of exactly why Victor was chasing the creature when Walton found him. I was a bit disappointed in how it turned out. I thought there would be some giant fight or, at the very least, a conflict resolution. No. The creature did not even have a chance to give his apologies to his creator. Victor just died. But before that could happen, he gave instructions to Walton to "thrust your sword into his heart" (p. 155). So, once again, I was expecting a battle between the two, and I was let down. I enjoyed this novel and I was really hoping that there would be some big ending that would either make me say, "Awwwwwwwwww" or drop my jaw to the floor.

Frankenstein - Climax

"And then I thought again of his words - 'I will be with you on your wedding-night.'" p. 123

There were lots of turning points throughout the novel for me as a reader, but I feel like this is the true climax that Shelley was intending. Up until this point, Victor is really in no danger. Yes, he lost a loved one, but basically everyone he loves is still alive and well. However, this all about to change. The creature had finally found what he had been yearning for for all of his existence: love and acceptance. He truly believed that he was going to receive that gift from the second creature that Victor was creating. But when he did indeed not get that present, he was determined to make Victor pay. So now, the creature is hopeless and set on revenge and Victor believes that he is the one that the creature is coming after. After his best friend's death, he decides that he will just have to defend himself and fight the creature. However, he was not the one that needed saving, as Elizabeth was murdered by the creature on his wedding night.

I realize that I just summarized a ton, but the main point of this was that the creature saying that he was going to see Victor once again on his wedding night was the climax of the story.

Frankenstein - motivation

"I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence f the whole human race." p. 121

There are many instances that motivation comes up in this story. The motivation behind Victor destroying the female creature was that he came to terms with how selfish he was being. He did not know that was in store for him or the creature. If he were to create another, he believed that, possibly, all hell would break loose. Deciding not to take his chances, he destroyed the second creature.

Because of this act, the first creature is overcome with rage, and most likely extreme disappointment and hurt that he will no longer have a partner, that he vows to kill everyone that Victor loves by saying that he will see him on his wedding night. That was the motivation behind the creature killing Henry as well as Elizabeth.

This was not the first time that the creature had given into his anger and frustration. After he found the journal in his lab coat pocket and after he had been rejected by his "protectors", the creature decides that he is going to hurt the man that put this horrible life into his hands. That is what motivates him to kill William. He believes that William is Victor's son when he hears the boy say "Frankenstein", and ends up strangling the boy to death. All in all, motivation plays a big role in the novel and understanding why characters did the things that they did.

Frankenstein - Didactic

"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine have been." p. 13

I believe that Frankenstein could be considered a didactic piece of literature for multiple reasons. First, it shows you the dangers of judging a book by its cover. Everyone who encountered the creature looked upon him with horror and disgust. However, he was really like an infant, trying to figure out the world for himself. Because of this, he was left to find things out on his own and was led down a dark path. If Victor had stepped forward and nurtured him like a creator should, then maybe the creature would not have killed everyone that Victor loved and put him through complete misery.

The next lesson that makes this didactic is the importance of not only having knowledge, but wisdom as well. Victor learned this the hard way. Instead of thinking about the implications and consequences of creating a new form of life, he just went right ahead and did it. Of course, he was smart and knowledgeable enough to perform this task, but he truly did not have the wisdom to see what this would really mean. In hindsight, Victor realizes that he should not have done what he did and wants to warn Walton about the dangers as well. He seems the same sort of fire in Walton and knows that he will go down a dark path if he doesn't stop himself soon. So he takes it upon himself to show Walton the wisdom he has acquired in hopes that Walton does not make the same mistakes.