Dead, but Never Forgotten

             For this week, I read a selection of short tales in the book "Chinese Ghost Stories, Curious Tales of the Supernatural," by Lafcadio Hearn. This novel tells many different tales from a multitude of different perspectives, but all centralizing around themes of dedication, duty, honor, and family.

             For a majority of the book, the various tales throughout focus around men and women who must put aside personal goals or gain in order to help others, even if it risks their mortal frame. The idea of sacrifice for the sake of others is incredibly preeminent in Asian culture, kept in their traditions for hundreds of years and exemplified in these stories. These traditional values of honoring ones family, removing personal pride and others are often put into the spiritual realm of the meta-physical. Upholding promises and honoring family are represented physically by ghosts and beings beyond human understanding, helping and praising those who maintain the value(s) in the story; whilst punishing those who do not.

·                                   For these stories, there is often not huge focus on “good vs evil,” more so to pay homage to various aspects of a "morally just life," especially when the central theme includes keeping with traditional values. There is supposed to be a balance, the idea that upsetting tradition will have horrendous effects on the people around them, don’t overturn society, maintain order, keep humble, abandon pride but do your best for the masses, etc. For example, in the story of "The Should of the Great Bell," a young girl sacrifices her life so that her father can keep his promise to construct an incredibly beautiful bell to his master. Although this means her own life is ended, she is given the reward of everlasting honor as she not only saves her father from punishment, but also becomes a spirit of the bell, forever able to bring beauty to those that hear or see the bell. 

                     Self sacrifice without want of personal gain, while also paying respects to those who have done the same are two major themes that seem to conquer much of asian culture; highlighted even more so in this book. These moral standards have existed so long as to survive modern culture, because many asian families agree on these foundations of respect and duty to help people become greater as a mass of dedicated united beings, accomplishing more as a whole than any one individual could ever aspire towards.

Lestat's Lament

          Immortality is a treasure that so many in both fictionalized and actual history have sought after, and yet for one particular man, this gift is his greatest curse. Throughout the beginning of the novel "The Body Thief," Lestat is shown constantly reminiscing about the idea of being a mortal man being something that he would give anything to acquire once more. However once he receives it, he can't go a full day without hating his new mortal form. He makes several comments to his friend David as to how even toddlers, "fall down, and scream almost constantly, they hate being human! They know already that its some sort of dirty trick." Lestat admits to his own foolishness, telling as to how he had forgot how frail and vulnerable to the world mortal men were.

         The main conflict of "The Body Thief" appears almost entirely due to Lestat's own lack of hubris, not only does he refuse to listen to the arguments of his close friends, but constantly feels as though he deserves more than what he has. He looks upon whatever he doesn't have with "rose tinted glasses," reminiscing how great whatever he doesn't have is, whether it be the sensitivities of being human or the power of being a vampire. Lestat doesn't ever seem to be satisfied with any limitations while also never thinking of the consequences of his actions.

         There are multiple possible sources of Lestat's constant lust for greater states of being, one obvious source being his near immortal life combined with his fantastical powers and massive wealth taking out almost all conflict in his life. On top of all of these, Lestat has lost multiple companions throughout his long life, one of which being his adopted daughter Claudia, whose visage constantly visits him in nightmarish fashion to remind him of his failures. This torture of his past is even further escalated when one considers Lestat is without immortal companions, with friends like David not wanting immortality or possible love interests, (such as the nurse introduced later in the novel) being terrified of supernatural beings. Lestat is constantly alone, with no real driving motivation to continue forward in life and haunted by his own memories; such an unforgiving combination truly paints why Lestat would sacrifice whatever he has for the prospect of an improved life; however slim the actual possibility of such might be.

Frankenstein: The Tale of Two Monsters

                                          The Monster and His Creation

       Dr. Frankenstein creates, hides, and hates the monster that he creates, in turn treating the creature like the evil beast he associates with his appearance. Dr. Frankenstein's monster however is by all other lights, human, becoming impressively intelligent and even kind hearted through his journeys, but the the monster is repeatedly spurned by all who see him, despite being able to communicate and reason the same if not better than those that call him a monster. Because of this, the once possible Saint is reduced to a monster swearing revenge on humanity; in particular Frankenstein himself. The monster doing all of this, while also struggling to understand themes of humanity, companionship, and the pursuit of knowledge. All themes Frankenstein himself also pursued.

      Dr. Frankenstein himself ends up becoming more and more a monster as he hunts down his creation; chasing his creation for years until finally his journey ends up killing himself in the process. His obsession with keeping secrecy and unhealthy pursuit of the monster further damns him as he refuses help from his father, Elizabeth (his lover), and any friends that attempt and drag him back to any form of sane worldview. Dr. Frankenstein becomes so fixated on the idea of catching and killing the monster that HE created and spurned, he doesn't see how his anger lashes out onto those that he most cares about. 

       Due to most of the narrative being told from the view of Frankenstein during his last few days alive, his monster, or Walton, it becomes veritably difficult to interpret; bringing to question multiple accounts of hyperbole or possible lapse in memory or even all out lying on either of the three narrators' parts.

                                                   Frankensteins Fractured Psyche 

         Dr. Frankenstein seems rather flippant throughout the story, wanting the best of every situation, but doubting and calculating outcomes to the point where he ends up making horrid decisions one after another. He wants to create life, (specifically a "new perfect race") but rejects his creation and spurs it into loneliness and rage. He wants to help the monster find peace, but he convinces himself to break his pledge to the monster and destroys the female companion Dr. Frankenstein was in the process of creating, further angering the creature AND countering his original goal of creating a new race, being now horrified with the concept! He wants to marry Elizabeth, but also ends up ignoring and all but avoiding her until it is too late and his own creation kills her.

Frankenstein's constant indecisiveness, (while very human in nature) coupled with his refusal to seek aid or confide in others results in a lifelong battle with himself and his creation. 

                                                        Who Is Really the Monster?

         Interpretation itself seems a big point of intrigue for a good part of this story; Dr. Frankenstein' interpretation of the monster, the monster' interpretation of himself, the world's interpretation of the monster and his actions, and the family's interpretation of Dr. Frankenstein  fanatical secrecy and deception; all play different roles in the story and really set up this constant theme of longing knowledge and clarity throughout the story for numerous characters; Even if the acquisition of clarity dooms those who receives it. 

         While the monster's actions are undeniably evil, ranging from theft to murder, he constantly makes it known that he is acting out of aggression or ignorance as a result of starting life hated by all who see him. He is assumed and treated as evil and thus, he becomes it. Dr. Frankenstein on the other hand starts out life privileged and is able to make the best out of most situations, having a great family to back him up along with numerous friends and associates of well repute; AND YET, it is Frankenstein who not only creates the monster, but chases it for the extent of its life simply for being ugly in appearance. 

         We may never know whether Frankenstein and his monster are the results of their environment or other unforeseen circumstances we can only guess at, all we can know for certain is the tragedy of one man's pursuit of knowledge, and how the misuse of such can have truly terrible consequences...