The Monster is a short story that was written by Toby Litt in 1968. From beginning to end, from a third person point of view, we learn bits and pieces of information about a ‘monster’ of sorts, living in a world full of questions. This monster does not know, or understand what, or who, he is, and neither does the reader. The audience is often left wondering just as much as the main character is, resulting in a story that keeps readers hooked. The monster is simply called a monster, and never told if it is, or is not so. The Monster is a short story in which Toby Litt uses experimental story structure, a unique voice, and an unusual theme to challenge conventional story telling. Litt, throughout this entire passage, uses his words to wrap around the point that he is trying put across, as well as the absence of a familiar plot structure, in which there is a rising action, climax, and resolution. The final line of the story, “The monster had no story, unless being a monster is story enough.” (Mays 243), sells what the author is trying to say. After reading through, and learning only tidbits of important information needed to answer any questions asked, the audience is given this simple, incomplete ending. The reader is told that not only do the answers of these questions not matter, but that there really was no point in the first place, unless that point was that we didn’t need one. Readers are left wondering what will become of the monster, and maybe feeling as if important time was just wasted. There is no profound climax or moral impact, for the reader or the monster to experience. The monster learns nothing new of itself, and seems content with that fact. The contentment of the reader depends on the success of their understand... ... middle of paper ... ... apart without prior knowledge. The Monster by Toby Litt, is an experimental piece lacking many conventional and typical parts that include an easily followed plotline, an honest and open narrator, and a clear theme or point. It is a short passage created to prove that a point is not needed within a story in order for it to be seen as such. It is the idea that a point is not needed for something to exist. A being can exist without knowing who or what they are, or what they are there for. Purpose is an unnecessary driving force. Lack of purpose, or knowing of it, may lead to resignation towards one’s situation. The monster does not move forward with his existence to try to find his answers. He is perfectly content with where he is, even if is unsure. The narrator holds back on detail purposely to focus on the bigger idea of the story, which is that there isn’t one.
In one example, when the monster was good he recanted a story about his life after he was created, he left his place of home and went on a journey. He was scared and lost until he met people along the way. They were nice to the monster and made him
...res”. He explains that he is “wasting in impotent passions”, which is he is “wasting” away “imagining” and hoping for things that with not come true. His “imagination” led him astray and destroyed any sense of truth that he possibly could learn from. The monster continues on to explain, “I think on the heart in which the imagination of it was conceived, and long for the moment when these hands will meet my eyes, when that imagination will haunt my thoughts no more” (165). The monster’s “imagination” is becoming so much to handle that, he wishes to end his life so that his “thoughts” will not “haunt” him anymore. His overactive imagination is destroying reality of truth for him, and it is only with this “imagination” that is controlling him that he wishes to end it.
If someone were to ask people who Frankenstein is they would probably describe a tall, hideous monster with bolts sticking out of its neck. But long before movies reinvented their version of the monster, there was a novel by Mary Shelley entitled Frankenstein. In her novel, the monster is shown as child-like and uneducated. But what really makes someone a monster? Who is the true monster of Mary Shelley’s novel? Victor and the Creature present similarities and differences in their action and character throughout the novel.
The novel narrates the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist, who obsessed with ‘unfolding to the world the deepest mysteries of creation’, achieves to animate a creature made of dead bodies (p. 38). Nevertheless, terrified by his own work, Frankenstein abandons the monster to his fate. Consequently, the being embarks on a journey in search of human acceptance and affection. Unable to satisfy his yearning, the creature seeks for revenge and turns Frankenstein’s life into one marked by destruction and death.
... the first monster. Yet, when he had lost those who were dear to him, he had nothing to motivate him further than to destroy the monster. What had begun as a scientific discovery soon became a dangerous force that the creator could no longer control. Now the consequences of his failure would surpass trial and error, and end in an irreversible struggle between himself, guilt, fate, and death.
From the beginning, the monster was abandoned by his creator Victor, the only man he's ever had a relationship with. He was made eight feet tall and very grotesque. At first sight, his creator rejects him. The monster tries to integrate himself into society, only to be shunned universally. When the creature goes to the village, he is attacked because of his horrifying appearance. He assists a group of poor peasants and saves a girl from drowning, but because of his outward looks, he is rewarded only with beatings and disgust.
For my book talk assignment I read a realistic fiction novel named “Monster” by Walter Dean Myers.
In most novel and movies monsters are known to be evil, committing numerous crimes against humanity and are normally the ones that we don’t sympathize with. However, this novel carefully shows the reader that monsters can be good creatures, with a decent heart and act based on the actions of others. The novel shows how the monster should be pitied, rather than criticised. Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein” manages to create sympathy for the creature through speech, actions and mistreatment the creature suffers.
The monster portrays more humanistic qualities than his creator as he portrays his compassion, intelligence and feelings throughout the novel. Instead of wreaking havoc on his neighbors, ambushing them for food and shelter, the monster decides to live in secrecy in the De Laceys’ shadow to observe their ways. The monster demonstrates compassion as he refrains from stealing the De Lacey’s food when he realizes that the family suffers from poverty. In this sense, he sacrifices an easy dinner to scavenge for himself. He also expresses intellectual thought in his strategy to advance his knowledge of the English language by observing Felix’s lessons to his Arabian lover, Safie. The monster recalls to Dr. Frankenstein that, “… I found, by the frequent recurrence of some sound which the stranger repeated after them, th...
The Monster, created by Victor Frankenstein out of carefully selected corpses, is a round, dynamic character. Born as a tabula rasa, the creature is accosted by all the natural elements of our ordinary physical world as an adult with no guidance. He experiences light and sight, cold and hunger and immediate rejection by his creator. His mind is intellectually capable of this awareness very quickly. In the beginning of Chapter 11, the Monster recounts the ‘oppressive light’, insatiable thirst and extreme tiredness which he experienced shortly after becoming alive. “I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; ...
The greater detail about the monster’s experiences provided by the book is the first thing that allows a reader to sympathize with the monster better than an audience member. When the Frankenstein monster is retelling the story of the hardships he has endured, he mentions events that were overlooked in the play. One example of this is when the monster saved a young girl’s life. An act such as this would be praised with the greatest heroism if it was done by a human, but as a reward he is shot, receiving only “the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone.” (Shelley 135) The book also examines the months of hard work the creature put into learning about human nature and language in order to be fully accepted when he chose to reveal himself. The monster hid by the cottage for around a year, never leaving during the day and working to help the cottager’s at night in order to learn from them. The monster went ...
Ishrael stood before the fifty foot behemoth, glancing up into the infinite space of its eyes. Intimidating or not, this beast was a fearful creature who brandished hairy arms as if they were trees in the darkest of forests. And the beast stared back at him, as if it were challenging him, telling Ishrael to make a move, taunting him.
The Monster’s confusion about the world and his inability to understand why he cannot simply be accepted in society drives his actions. Dutoit elaborates on the not so apparent truth that The Monster goes to great lengths to assimilate by acquiring language, understanding mannerisms and participating in customs. The Monster grows fond of a family, at first he watches them carefully, paying close attention to the details of their life and even steals food, unaware of their poverty. Supporting evidence which allows for the conclusion that he is innately good and simply longing for domesticity is shown by The Monsters willingness to help the family with chores, in secret of course. Nevertheless, he is universally shunned by everyone he encounters, except for the old blind man who was willing to have a social connection with him, until his family returned home and in fear rebelled against The Monster. This constant exile only leads to a greater alienation from the social world he deeply longs to be a part of. Unfortunately, due to his outward appearance, his good intentions are ill received by the people he
We live in a world where creatures have abilities that can blow our minds, however we are ignorant of this. We live in a world where a constant power struggle is occurring between these secret species, a struggle that most human beings have no inclination of. We live in a world where people who know the truth are sworn to secrecy, and those proclaim this truth are considered crazy and locked away; to be sane is to be ignorant. Well, that is what I would love to be true. In actuality, I am fascinated with the topic of monsters; I love them all: lycanthropes, Frankenstein’s monster, witches, fae, necromancers, zombies, demons, mummies, and my favorite: vampires. This fetish has been manifested in the movies I view, the televisions shows I watch, and the books I read. When my obsession with reading is crossed with my obsession with monsters the result is a bookshelf containing more vampire novels than most people would consider healthy. I have discovered that every vampire novel varies vastly; no two books are ever alike. For example, the Twilight Series, the Anita Blake Series and the Vampire Chronicles Series have different legends and lore, different relationships between vampires and society, and different genres, theme, and purpose; this array of novels display most clearly the range of audience for vampire genre can cater.
The story is about a young man called Victor Frankenstein, who has a passion for learning more and more information. However this passion leads to him to perform a terrible deed. He finds the key to life, and he creates a live person. Ashamed and scared of his creation he flees the country to escape the ‘monster’. After returning to the country many months later, Frankenstein soon finds out that his creation has feelings, is aware of him and has already committed murder. Shocked by it all, the monster requests that Frankenstein creates another creature of his type, however Frankenstein refuses to create the monster's companion. Soon after this, a battle begins between the two of them, a battle that will lead to the death of them both.