Monday, November 23, 2009

The Modern Prometheus

I must say that Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a very good novel that not only kept my interest from chapter 1-10, a period in which I did not put the book down, but also gave me much food for thought and exceeded any prior expectations for the novel. Then I again I wasn't expecting much mostly because of the debauchery made of the novel in the form of a terrible movie that was nothing like the actual book. I still remember watching the movie years ago when a disgusting looking creature was brought to life by some lighting and the doctor who made the actual living thing said "Its alive!!!" The monster was of course called Frankenstein and frankly this is the sort of thing I expected from the novel being the inexperience reader I am. I figured I knew the story before even picking up the book, as the monster kills somebody but feels remorse and then runs up into a tower and is burned to death. This, fortunately, is nothing like the book which is much deeper and more philosophical than the terrible movie. The monster can actually talk in such a way that we can understand, again unlike the movie. I guess it goes to show that reading the book is always better than watching the movie.
Another thing worth mentioning about the novel is the actual title of the novel, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. The first part of the title is self-explanatory as the main character of the novel is Victor Frankenstein, a scientist that discovers the cause of life and uses it to create a horrific monster. The second part of the title is the one that actually interests me. For the seminar we had in class regarding the novel and the many themes it presents, I researched the Greek titan Prometheus who is famous for bringing fire to mankind. He is also the titan who was tied to a rock where an eagle came to eat his liver everyday and due to his immortality, he would grow a new liver and never die. One major thing that he is also said to have done is that he created man in a god-like image from clay. This can be connected to Victor Frankenstein as he created life through the monster he birthed, the only difference being that the monster is horrific in appearance when the image that Prometheus created was beautiful and godlike. Although this is a connection between the title and Victor, there is the glaring difference of appearance of the two and this led me to believe that there must have been another reason for the title. During the discussion in class today, the answer dawned on me after listening to the statements made by one of my classmates. Fire has long been held synonymous to life as the heat inside of us is what keeps us alive. This fire that Prometheus brought to man gave us life and a way to survive in the cold world. Victor essentially does the same thing when bringing life to the inanimate, thus discovering the secret of life, a secret that was previously the fire the Prometheus gave to man.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Hrothulf the Evil

In reading the most recent chapters in Grendel by John Gardner, especially chapters 8 and 9, I couldn’t help but to feel that Hrothulf is a very bad, almost evil, character. He just gives off a bad vibe that may not have been noticed by others, but struck me very strongly. From the moment he is introduced as a character that had come out of “orphan’s woe” to Heorot. I don’t know about you, but coming to something out of woe is never a good thing. Grievous distress, which is a fancy term for woe, can cause a person to great things, in a good and bad way, and Hrothulf seems destined to do terrible things, great but terrible. Every time he is brought up in chapter 5, he is associated with blood, flesh, or weapons. In his first conversation with Wealtheow, he is described as “Hrothgar’s flesh and blood.” Not really a bad thing, but the images of blood keep popping up leading me to believe that it is not just a coincidence, but it could just mean that I am seeing things that don’t exist, which is a real possibility. Then at the end of the scene when he is introduced, he is described as a “sweet scorpion” who sits and “cleans his knife.” This is freaky and clearly seems to foreshadow some type of disaster that will occur with Hrothulf being in the center of it all. Chapter eight continues with Hrothulf being described as very quiet and he has the Danes fooled that he is merely a quiet fellow who has been hurt by his father, Halga the Good, which is an ironic name considering how evil I think Hrothulf is, dying because of some type of attack. Although he is quiet, he is really scheming and not grieving or thinking as the people of Heorot believe. He has accomplished the most complete deception as everybody thinks he is nothing, but he is really a sneaky force to be reckoned with, sneaky being the key word. Every time I think about Hrothulf, images of Smeagol/Gollum from J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings keep popping up. Smeagol wasn’t really evil, but was definitely a schemer as he tried to kill Frodo by leading him to the giant spider always trying to get his own hands on the ring. Now that I think about, a lot of parallels can be drawn between Hrothulf and Smeagol especially because of what they are willing to do to get what they want. Hrothulf secretly schemes to get the throne, after having the trust of Hrothgar’s men, and Smeagol schemes to get the ring, after having the trust of Frodo. Going back to the way Hrothulf is regarded in the novel, even his mentor is called Red Horse. Blood is Red, an observation that I wanted to point out that I fell augments Hrothulf’s bad image. This may not have been what Gardner was trying to get across but it is what I noticed. Hrothulf may not be evil in many people’s eyes, but the way I see it, he is more evil than Grendel himself.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Grendel- Philosophy

When we first started reading Grendel by John Gardner, I was frankly intimidated as I am in reading any novel that may be even remotely difficult to read. Even in class, we had discussed how complex the ideas were and how philosophical the book would be, and because of this philosophical nature, close attention would have to be paid to the fine details. Usually, when I am intimidated by something, I really do not enjoy whatever it is I am intimidated by, so I was understandably surprised when I found myself liking the novel Grendel. Not only did I understand almost everything in the novel, but I was also comprehending the philosophy employed by Gardner especially after the scene when Grendel has his leg stuck between the tree trunks. Grendel’s solipsistic philosophy stating that “the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears” (Gardner 22) and that only he exists in the world is actually exactly what I was able to study this summer at GHP in a class called Perception vs. Reality. In the class we studied Plato's Republic as well as Descartes "I think therefore I am" philosophy. The belief that the only definite truth in the world is that we ourselves exist and that everything else may just be pigments of our imagination was also looked at. This same philosophy is also employed by Grendel when he states that the universe is unfolding blink by blink. Grendel seems to basically state that he is the only one in the universe and because of this, is able to create based on his visions. When I actually took the class, the discussions we had were extremely intellectually stimulating and many times I was completely lost because of the confusing topic matter. I mean, the concept that anything and everything we perceive is reality is really mind-blowing especially when considering the only certain truth is that we ourselves exist and that no one else around us does. But, my prior experiences with the philosophy have helped me better understand not only the perspective that John Gardner is coming from, but also something about what Grendel is feeling, as a being all alone in the world with no one to associate with. His story is quite sad as he is too much like a man to be able to fit in with the beasts as even Grendel himself feels that he is too intellectually gifted. He is also too much like a beast to be able to fit in with man, as men do not understand his speech and always try to kill him when he approaches. The irony in this is that men are portrayed more as beasts than anything else in the novel so far, but that is straying off the topic of Grendel being a surprisingly good book with a lot of fuel for thought. It is difficult to read with all of the philosophical ideas presented, but is also very enjoyable.

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Sun Also Rises

I must say that I was rather disappointed with the ending of the story, especially considering what I expected from a novel by the great Ernest Hemingway. I have previously stated that the humor and the Anti-Semitism he uses in the novel are extremely surprising mainly because I was intimidated to read one of his novels; the same can be said about the ending. I expected some grand extravagant plot twist that held some deep meaning like in Star Wars when we discover that Darth Vader is really Luke Skywalker's father. Unfortunately that did not occur, as the novel ends with Brett Ashley leaving Pedro Romero and meeting Jacob Barnes in an anticlimactic bar scene, one of the many in the novel. In fact, the entire Book III was pretty bland, as it merely depicted all of the characters, Mike, Bill, and previously Robert Cohn, leaving and the main character Jacob Barnes being left alone and reflecting upon himself. There is one interesting point in th final section of the novel and that is in the last dialogue between Jake and Brett. Brett states that "Oh, Jake, we could have had such a damned good time together" (Hemingway 251). Jake replies "Yes, isn't it pretty to think so" Hemingway (251). Research I have done indicates that the lines are some of the more famous lines ever written by Hemingway and it is easy to see why. It is almost as if all of the events of the novel have been leading up to the scene where the two character, Brett and Jake, have gone through a series of experiences only to end up back to where they were in the beginning with only each other. In the opening scenes of the novel, Jake and Brett proclaim that they are in love with each other, yet can not be together for reasons I still do not completely understand. This relationship between the two is the only constant thing that remains throughout the novel as Robert Cohn, Count Mippipopolous, and Pedro Romero each take turns trying to get Brett but each fails, a failure indicative of how only Jake has a position of love with Brett. Not only is the last line famous because of its deep quality, but is also very sad and you can practically feel the futility that Jake feels. I am guessing that the reason Brett doesn't want to be with Jake is that he can not have sex due to injuries from the war. This is something that Jake can not help as he received the wound while serving for his country. Because Jake can not control his injury, sadness is given off by the last scene.
Another thing that is interesting is how Hemingway attempts to use Pedro Romero as a perfect foil to Robert Cohn. Robert is a weak individual and is most importantly a "Jew" so is looked down upon. Romero is a beautiful and handsome man with the courage to actually fight and kill a bull in a fight. This is not their only difference as Brett's reactions toward the gentlemen can also be seen as a major difference. Brett constantly rejects Cohn, but readily accepts Pedro Romero. There are also underlying themes of individuality such as how Brett loses her individuality when going with Pedro and regains it when she leaves Romero.