A Major Minor Character: Justine Moritz

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Justine Moritz is a minor character that only appears briefly, but has significant importance to the development of the plot. The conditions surrounding her arrest, trial, and eventual death shape and reveal many traits about Victor and the creature.

In the novel, Justine is depicted as an honest and virtuous girl. Although she was a servant, the Frankenstein family thought highly of her and treated with respect. Justine, who was rejected by her mother, had been taken into the Frankenstein family from a young age and during this time Victor’s family had become especially fond of her. We can see parallels between Elizabeth and Justine. They both are described to as virtuous and kind-hearted.  Like Elizabeth, Justine was also taken in by the Frankenstein family. Her parallels with Elizabeth foreshadow that Elizabeth also will die because of Victor’s creature.

When they hear about the accusations brought against Justine, both Victor and Elizabeth believe she is innocent. Victor believes that his creature committed the crime; However Elizabeth is confident in the goodness of Justine. Elizabeth’s firm belief that Justine is not guilty emphasizes the virtue of Justine and underlines the immense injustice that Victor has subjected Justine to by not revealing the truth of the situation at her trial. At Justine’s trial, Elizabeth speaks out to defend Justine.  However Victor remains silent in fear of being judged and persecuted if he tells the world about the creature he has created. This scene reveals an important aspect of Victor’s character; Victor is shown to be self-fish and spineless. Even with the ability to possibly save Justine, Victor still does nothing. However Victor still feels remorseful about Justine’s death.  He describes himself as “the murderer of William and Justine” and continually despairs over her death. Victor feels that he suffers far more from Justine’s death than Justine herself because while Justine had a quick death and her innocence to give her strength, Victor is burdened by weight of having multiple deaths on his hands and having to live with the guilt and regret.

The framing of Justine for William’s murder is also a defining moment for the creature. Before, the creature showed no intention to harm or extend his own mistreatment to others. When the creature saw Justine, he imagined that she, like everyone else, would detest him and that she resembled another beautiful object that he couldn’t have.  By releasing his anger toward Victor and the rest of society by killing William, and framing Justine, the creature demonstrates that he is finished passively being abused.

Justine’s death represents the loss of innocence in both Victor and the creature.  While Victor had no idea that the creature would kill William and could do nothing to save him, Victor did have an opportunity to save Justine. By not trying to save her, Victor essentially allows her to die along with his innocence. By framing Justine for William’s murder, the creature shows that he has evolved from a peaceful, benevolent being to a volatile and revengeful individual. 

Picture Analysis! Yay!

The picture above, from the World Wildlife Fund, has an elephant whose body is crumbling into a pile of sand at the forefront of the picture. The elephant is surrounded by what appears to be inescapable darkness. The process of the elephant’s body becoming a pile of sand is likely a metaphor for desertification and its effects on wildlife. The picture illustrates that when nothing is done to stop desertification, it is able to reduce an ecosystem teeming with life into nothing but piles of sand. An elephant was specifically chosen for this picture because it is a powerful animal, showing that not even the large, majestic elephant is safe from desertification. Elephants are also well liked by the public and help evoke sympathy from the viewers. The elephant’s face is contorted as if it was screaming in pain to show that desertification is a painful process for the ecosystem and wildlife that it affects. The darkness surrounding the elephant emphasizes the animal’s dreadful circumstance and suggests that the elephant has no means of escaping its fate.  There is a small beam of light coming from the top right corner of the picture. As the viewer looks at the picture and feels sympathy toward the animals affected by desertification, he/she becomes that small beam of light, or the last hope that these animals have of ever surviving. 

In the bottom right hand corner, it says “Desertification destroys 6,000 species every year.” This was typed small and in the bottom corner so that it was read after the viewers saw the rest of the picture and was able to interpret it for themselves. This factual statement was used to drive home how impactful desertification is on wildlife. It is important to note that the one line statement does not explicitly call the viewers out to action. However the viewers still understand that there is something that they can do to help the situation. This leaves the viewers to decide for themselves whether they want to help or deny these organisms help from desertification.

 By using an image of a dying elephant, the picture attempts to appeal to the emotions of the viewer. It speaks to the generally caring nature of human beings to strike sympathy with the elephant and the animals affected by desertification. By doing so, World Wildlife Fund hopes to spur the viewer to action and do something to make a change. The picture uses a morose tone to emphasize the need to take action against desertification. By depicting desertification as an evil that needs to be ended, viewers who don’t take action are left feeling guilty.

 Though the picture is of an elephant whose body is crumbling into a pile of sand, it is actually about desertification. The subtle details in the picture really help reinforce the idea that desertification is a harrowing process for the animals involved. The contortion in the elephant's face, the lighting, and the color scheme all come together to give the image a resonating effect.  

My Analysis of "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost

"Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

                In only nine lines, Frost manages to eloquently provide a powerful statement about the dangers of humanity’s darkest emotions. His reoccurring use of the words fire and ice create a duality in the impending destruction that he describes. Symbolism is fundamental to the meaning of the poem. Ice symbolizes “cold” and sinister emotions such as hatred while fire symbolizes “warmer” emotions such as passion and desire. According to Frost, though these emotions are on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are both capable of causing our destruction. His statements are not only warnings to society as a whole, but also too individuals in their day to day lives. His choice of diction by using the words “I've” and “I” gives the poem a personal ring to it, suggesting that he has had his own experiences with hatred and desire. However, his use of the word “tasted” indicates that he has had limited interaction with fire and ice.

 The tone is also key to the meaning of the poem. Throughout the poem, Frost downplays the subject matter by maintaining a sardonic tone towards the method of our destruction. In the first two lines, Frost’s use of the words “some” suggests that only a portion of the population is involved in the debate between fire and ice and that these thoughts are not universal. Frost does this to decrease the scale and significance of the subject.  In the last line of the poem, Frost casually states that ice “would suffice”. His use of the word suffice completely downplays the situation by implying that we may not be destroyed by our most powerful emotion, but instead by whichever emotion is simply adequate enough. His use of understatement contrasts the amplitude and importance of the subject matter.  It is expected that the means of our destruction would be discussed with a more serious attitude which is why I believe Frost’s tone is so important. His tone possibly indicates that there is no hope for humanity; so rather than getting frenzied over the unstoppable destruction, Frost simply states the destruction in a matter a fact way.  

In the first two lines, Frost makes a clear distinction between fire and ice and outlines his claim that the world will end in one these elements.  I find it interesting that Frost offers no alternatives to fire or ice. I believe this is because fire, which symbolizes desire, and ice, which symbolizes hatred are the two emotion in which all human actions can be traced back too. So everything we do can be traced back to either fire or ice. So no alternatives are necessary.

I can’t help but relate this poem to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In the novel, Victor’s world was destroyed by fire. His desire to achieve what no one had achieved before him lead to his downfall. Though his passion and desires were fueled with good intentions, they still blinded him from the potential consequences of creating life. On the other hand, the creature’s world was destroyed by ice. His hatred of Victor made him hell-bent on getting revenge on Victor.  Every aspect of the creature’s life was driven by his hatred for Victor.