Beloved, By Toni Morrison, And Frankenstein - 1177 Words

Beloved, by Toni Morrison, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, are masterpieces of literature that use different components to criticize society and explore the nature of humankind. Some of the main characters in the novels – Sethe and Beloved, and Victor Frankenstein and the Monster – have intricate relationships based on love, hatred, remorse, and mainly vengeance. The gothic thematic of each novel is demonstrated through elements that explore the setting of most scenes, as well as the nature of human behavior. The characters who were unnaturally brought to life, Beloved and the Monster, serve as catalysts for the development of the narrative, and have profound effects in all remaining characters. In Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved is a character whose identity is primarily unknown. She retains some of her memories, although they are mostly obscure and symbolic. Even though she become increasingly obsessed with Sethe, her true objectives are only later revealed, when Sethe realizes that she is most likely the reincarnation of the daughter she killed to protect from slavery. Beloved uses Sethe’s guilt to subjugate her, she forces her mother to give, and then forfeit, everything she has to her, including her own sanity. â€Å"Beloved didn’t move; said, ‘Do it,’ and Sethe complied. She took the best of everything – first† (Morrison 277). Beloved starts wearing her mother’s clothes and mimicking her behaviors; Beloved becomes the mother, and Sethe the child. â€Å"The bigger Beloved got,Show MoreRelatedHow to Read Lit Like a Prof Notes3608 Words   |  15 Pagesdeath. d. Rain can by symbolic baptism as well—cleanses, washes e. Sometimes the water is symbolic too—the prairie has been compared to an ocean, walking in a blizzard across snow like walking on water, crossing a river from one existence to another (Beloved) f. There’s also rebirth/baptism implied when a character is renamed. 19. Geography Matters†¦ a. What represents home, family, love, security? b. What represents wilderness, danger, confusion? i.e. tunnels, labyrinths, jungles c. Geography can represent