Frankenstein Essays (1353 words) - English-language Films

Frankenstein Alison L. Nero Gerald Peters Contemporary Theory: Lacan & Freud Final Paper December 21, 1999 A Freudian Interpretation -Victor Frankenstein - In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the main character, Victor, has a short, but important dream right after he brings his creature to life. I have chosen to interpret this dream for several reasons. Firstly, there is no need to doubt that Victor's retelling of the dream is anything but the truth. Also, there would be no reason for Victor to be compensating for lapses in the dream by creating falsities. In order for the novel to work, these assumptions must be made. Also with Victor's dream, there is no need to try to extract his past from the dream because in the four chapters before the dream we get that information. Victors retelling of his dream is this: I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the fist kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change and I thought that I held the dead corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw the graveworms crawling in the folds of the flannel. The first thing I identified in the dream was the symbolism. In his works on dreams, Freud often stresses the existence of sexual motivation in dreams. He identifies many symbols of genitals and sexual intercourse. One of the symbols for the phallis is a snake. I extended that symbol to include the graveworms that are mentioned in Victor's dream. The existence of this symbol led me to examine the possibility that sexual feelings may have caused this dream. The two characters that are mentioned in the dream are Elizabeth, his intended wife, and Caroline, who is his now deceased mother. The presence of Victor's love object and his mother ensure the existence of sexual feelings in the dream. The way in which Victor describes embracing and kissing Elizabeth implies that he has sexual desire for her. He may also have a genuine sense of love for her, but this aspect is not as clear. Victor's feelings for Elizabeth could be expected by examining his childhood. As he was growing up, Victor was quite sheltered. His only contact with women being his mother and Elizabeth. When Elizabeth was brought into Victors house his mother presented her as ? . . . a pretty present for my Victor.? Victor at one point also states that Elizabeth was ?the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures.? The fact that Elizabeth was termed a present by Caroline, and Victor uses the word ?pleasures? seem to suggest that she was intended to be not only Victors playmate as a child, but also his ?plaything? as an adult. The fact that she was ?given to him? can be related to the euphemism of ?giving one's self? which is to engage in sexual acts with a person. I venture to say that the dream reveals that Victor's lust was not confined to Elizabeth. I find evidence for this in the transformation of Elizabeth into Victor's mother. Elizabeth's image may have only been a way to mask his mother in a socially acceptable manner. In Victor's mind it may have been his mother that he was embracing. He masks his mother with Elizabeth so that he does not have to consciously admit his desire for his mother. This theory comes from Freud's Oedipal Complex. Following Freud's theory, you could also say that the reason why Victor had an unstable relationship with his father is because he never resolved the feelings of rivalry that come from the complex. The rivalry may have continued because of the way in which Victor viewed the connection between Elizabeth and his mother. The metamorphosis of Elizabeth in Caroline also suggests that Victor may see the women as one in the same. Elizabeth had assumed the role of woman of the house after Caroline died. She took on the many of the motherly duties Caroline had preformed. Victor may have continued to hold onto his desire for his mother through Elizabeth. When Elizabeth took over

Definition and Examples of Conjunctive Adverbs

Definition and Examples of Conjunctive Adverbs In English grammar, a conjunctive adverb is an adverb  or adverbial phrase that indicates a relation in meaning between two sequential  independent clauses  (or main clauses). It is also called a conjunct, a transitional conjunction, or a cohesive conjunction. A conjunctive adverb is commonly placed at the beginning of the main clause (where its usually followed by a comma); accordingly, it may follow a semicolon, but only when both clauses (the one before and the one after the conjunctive adverb) are independent and can stand alone. A conjunctive adverb  may appear, on the other hand, almost anywhere in the clause. When used as an interrupting word or phrase, the conjunctive adverb is usually set off by commas on either side. If you are uncertain whether a connecting word is a  conjunctive adverb, test by moving the connecting word to another place in the clause, author  Stephen Reid writes in  The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, Conjunctive adverbs can be moved;  subordinating conjunctions  (such as  if  and  because) and  coordinating conjunctions  (but, or, yet, for, and, nor, so) cannot. (2003) Contrast With RegularAdverbs Unlike a conventional adverb, which typically affects the meaning of only a single word or phrase, the meaning of a conjunctive adverb affects the entire clause of which it is a part.   For example, a conventional adverb modifies a verb or adjective, such as in The child just couldnt bear to walk slowly, where  slowly gives more information about the verb  walk. Or, in The Halloween costume looked absolutely ridiculous, the adverb absolutely emphasizes the adjective ridiculous. In contrast, a conjunctive adverb pertains to the entire sentence and connects two parts. Or, if it starts a sentence, it can serve as a transition from one statement to another, as in when you want to make a point of contrasting two things in consecutive sentences: The Halloween costume looked absolutely ridiculous. However, Sam thought it provided the perfect effect. In another distinction between the two types of adverbs, as shown in the list below, a conjunctive adverb may also consist of more than one word, such as in the meantime or at last. Common Conjunctive Adverbs in English Here is a list of examples of conjunctive adverbs. Please note that some words in this list can be other word forms as well; usage will determine which it is.   For example, if a sentence reads, She really should act accordingly, that is a regular adverbial usage. A conjunctive adverbial usage of the word could be something like, The law changed in the state to allow liquor sales on Sundays; accordingly, retailers had to decide if they would be open that day or remain closed by choice. accordingly afterward again also anyhow anyway as a result at last at the same time before besides certainly consequently conversely earlier eventually finally for example for instance further furthermore granted hence however in addition in any case incidentally in conclusion indeed in fact in short in spite of instead in the meantime later lately likewise meanwhile moreover namely nevertheless next nonetheless now on the contrary on the other hand otherwise perhaps rather similarly so still subsequently that is then thereafter, therefore thus undoubtedly