He got them to tell each other their sins and secrets. All little things they did that didn't matter added up to one young girls suicide and the death of her unborn child. "It's the way I like to... don't you, Mr Birling"" The inspector knew just how to talk to people, he had a way of manipulating them. Arthur Birling was a business man, he was also a father and a husband. When problems began to arise at work he did what he thought was best for his company, his family and himself of course.
In the novel Frankenstein, author Marry Shelley depicts character Victor Frankenstein as a scientist with a strong passion for forbidden knowledge and finding the answers to life through science. Though his intentions are good this leads him to the creation of a monster. Throughout the novel Frankenstein is constantly encountered by obstacles that test his passions for science and responsibility for his creation. For Victor it seems that the choice to abandon the monster is the easier path, rather than taking care of his creation. In the beginning of the book, right after the creation of the monster, Victor fled his home to get away from the creature, only to return and find that it had escaped.
Shelley portrays the desire of knowledge as lust which, if left unhindered, can drive a man to peril. Although Frankenstein's initial intentions were to exceed the boundaries of science the over ambitious nature led him to be 'hidden in darkness' and 'locked up from nature' leading the monster to Frankenstein's peril. A feature of the gothic genre is Victor's psychotic nature which emphasizes the dark side of the human psyche in emotional and physical form. Some critics such as Rebecca Wallis have argued that the 'dark Sid elf the human psyche' can be found within victor's sexuality. The point in the novel which this critic focuses on is the moment before intercourse between Victor and Elizabeth when Victor states ' this night is dreadful, very dreadful'.
Satire in Dracula and Children of Men Both Dracula and Children of Men are narratives which contain some surface-level meaning in addition to a deeper satirical criticism of the social status quo in Britain in their respective timeframes. Dracula criticises Britain by juxtaposing the fantastical elements of pre-enlightenment era superstition with the modern, conservative values of the Victorian era. The result is a social commentary that uses horror to satirize superstitious beliefs and prudish, proper social standards. Children of Men, on the other hand, criticises the current bureaucratic government and conservative social situation in Britain by illustrating an absurd apocalyptic world in which said values of government and society still prevail. Children of Men also uses symbolism to satirize the conservative nature of British society, making reference to the Holocaust as well as Pink Floyd’s Animals.
The Monster in the Lab Coat Many literary critics have long argued a question regarding Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Who is the real monster? One can argue that, throughout the novel, it is Victor Frankenstein, the overly ambitious scientist, who is the true monster. Victor Frankenstein is depicted as a callous creator who shows no empathy to his own innocent creature. Frankenstein fails his responsibility as a creator and abandons his creation to a life full of abhorrence. The creature has infinite potential, but it is Frankenstein’s prideful nature and negligence that makes the creature become “monstrous”.
What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred but I was unable to solve them.” Readers may also find it easy to sympathise with The Monster as Shelley is very critical of Frankenstein. For example, in Chapter 15 when the Monster is talking about Frankenstein’s journal that documented his creation, the Monster says ““Everything is related in them which bares reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible.
“Gothic and Romanticism” – David Punter Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus and a Monster’s inevitable doom In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, it appears that Shelley attempts to draw an important analogy between the lone genius Prometheus, the archetypal seeker after forbidden wisdom, and her own protagonist Victor Frankenstein, who also dares to transgress boundaries in order to create life. Thus the subtitle The Modern Prometheus. However, it is crucial to note the invariable difference between both old and modern Prometheus. Whereas old Prometheus suffers alone for his sin, in the case of Shelley’s Prometheus, Frankenstein, the monster involuntarily partakes in the sin, by being its final product, and therefore has to suffer too. To the reader, it seems that Shelly consistently reminds us of the lack of responsibility on the part of Frankenstein, and the monster’s inherent innocence, who is only made evil by his circumstances.
In The Book Thief, Liesel and Rudy both face death; Liesel more so than Rudy as she has to deal with the loss of not only her entire family but also the loss of her best friend. In The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel encounters death in a horrifying way as they both are killed, Shmuel on purpose and Bruno by accident. The theme of friendship within these texts is one of the most important. The friendship between Liesel and Rudy in The Book Thief is presented in a more simple way compared to the friendship that was formed between Bruno and Shmuel. In The Book Thief the innocence of Liesel and Rudy was lost because of the events in the book that they lived through.
Through the minds of Palahniuk and Stevenson a common ground is reached in the two books Fight Club and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; both the narrator and Dr. Jekyll create their own misfortune in trying to fix the problems of the world, or better yet what they perceive the problems to be. In a sense the doppelganger of Dr. Jekyll and The Narrator create a misery that is eerie. These characters could be considered Byronic heroes; they start off admirable individuals but by the end of their journey we pity them. Another observation than can be made is through the birth of their alter egos Dr. Jekyll is in essence attempting to play God, and Tyler Durden (The Narrator’s doppelganger) believes he is God. The consequences of their decisions lead them to, ceaseless misery,
By accepting the obligation to bury Polyneices, Antigone acts as if she has no choice. “It is a law carried out by a sister for a brother.” (Jacobs 893)" " " " Devotion to family is also shown through Eurydice’s love for her sons and Haimon’s love for her fiance. Eurydice puts a knife through her chest after her second son is killed, “And a great cry burst from her lips for Megareus dead, and for Haimon dead, her sons; and her last breath was a curse for their father, the murderer of her sons.” (SCENE V 114-116). It clearly shows her love and devotion to her family because she does not want to be alive without them. Eurydice values (blood) family over strict society laws.