Loss of Innocence

Article 7:  Love sucks... or does it?  (Number Six)

Did you miss me?  No?  Well the correct answer is yes because I’m back with another article, and this time it’s about the lovely short story “Araby” by James Joyce which involves the realistic loss of innocence of a young boy.  

Love takes a key role in terms of loss of innocence, and can be interpreted in many ways.  For example, love for family members or friends can drive a loss of innocence if they were to betray you while romantic love can bring your whole world crashing down if you give it the slightest chance.  I have faith in the idea that deep down, we all know that love can hurt us, and in most cases, it changes people forever, but that’s why it’s so intriguing.  It has an inescapable attractiveness which brings people to it like bugs to a lamp and eventually leaves them with two routes:  to successfully live out love and embrace it, or to be unbearably hurt.  Either way, it leaves each person altered.  Though we often see the first choice popularized in our current media in those sappy movies like The Notebook that we all love, the second route is what most oftenly occurs.  Ironically, this is the realer side of love, and the short story “Araby” is a perfect depiction of it.  

Enough about me and my personal analysis about love for a second though.  In order to gain some insight on how others perceive love, I asked a few family members to answer the question “how does love change you:?”.  The responses were:

“Love makes you do things you never thought you would.”

“Love made me crazy.”

“Love can hurt you.”

“Love makes you a better person, but it also stresses you out.”

“Love shapes you into someone who’s not only more kind, but more daring as well.”

Huh, looks like they all hint at a change in personality to me.  The responses I received to my question addressed both of the “routes” that I mentioned earlier that love leaves you with (the successful and the not so successful side).  However, these responses also implied the deeper significance of love which is its tendency to lead to some sort of a loss of innocence.  Every change a person goes through can be a loss of innocence, depending on how much it affects you.  Love is a strong force, and according to my family members, has a very large impact on who you are as a person.  Whether it leads to the shedding of old information or the addition of new knowledge, both of these outcomes challenge identity and innocence.  

Now, back to “Araby”.  In this story, we have a young boy who falls in love with his friend’s sister, and most likely doesn’t even realize what’s happening to him.  All he knows is that he would be willing to do anything to impress her or gain her affection, hence his extreme desire to go to the bazaar to buy her something.  A young boy experiencing love for the first time with a girl who barely notices him?  This is bound to go well, just like those sappy movies, right?  Wrong.  In this case, love is the sole cause to how the young boy loses his innocence.  After finally arriving at the bazaar, the boy discovers that it isn’t at all what he had expected.  Yes, it’s beautiful on the outside, but it really does not live up to expectations.  The fascination that he had with the bazaar, which can be interpreted as a symbol of love, loses its light and goes dark, showing how accurately love can leave you.  Love tends to make expectations skyrocket, which attributes to the reason of why it leads to a loss of innocence when those expectations are not met.  Sadly, the boy in this story doesn’t get a “happily ever after”  that we would find in a fairy tale.  Love, the thief, is back at it again snatching up hearts and innocence.  

Article 5: Words (Harry F'n Potter)

Hey guys it's me, Harry, again back for another "exciting" discussion. So, on with the show! The main character in Araby is a young boy still smiling, innocent, and pure from the ills of the world. Joyce poignantly depicts guileless, youthful exuberance, “The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses, where we ran the gauntlet of the rough tribes from the cottages, to the back doors of the dark dripping gardens where odours arose from the ashpits, to the dark odorous stables where a coachman smoothed and combed the horse or shook music from the buckled harness.” Purposefully neglecting the squalid conditions that the children play in serve to highlight their innocence. Their effortless disregard for their, decidedly, less than stellar environment makes apparent the children’s cleanliness, untouched by human suffering and sin.

However, this soon changes after he meets Mangan’s sister; he develops an unhealthy obsession, “...her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood. Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance.” His existence no longer revolves around child-like joy but is now anchored to this girl’s every whim, “But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.” His is the beginning of his loss of innocence but this is truly ended in the last scene of the story, “I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” Blinded and exploited by the girl he goes on a disappointingly mundane adventure and realizes the futility of it all. In contrast to the delight he held in even the depths of penury and squalor, he has discovered the stains and concealed secrets of the world.

I felt that this notion was especially prevalent in a recent event that has been inspiring controversy in the news, Robert Dear’s shooting of a Planned Parenthood clinic. Similar to the boy in Araby, Dear found awe in the world that, he believes, God made and the wonder that life is. And, so, continuing with the analogy the boy’s realization in the last line would be comparable to Robert’s vehement opposition to abortion. He believes, to the point of fanaticism, in the immorality of abortions and its widespread acceptance by the law and society is, to him, intrinsically wrong. This is his loss of innocence, sheltered by his beliefs and confidence in his religion this blatant disregard for his ideals is the ultimate corruption and, in this sense, exemplifies the loss of innocence. Obviously, being so violated he would turn to drastic measures and in this instance, it ended tragically for three caught in the ravings of a madman.

Although Robert Dear’s case was more...violent than most is bears more than some resemblance to the situation from Araby. Both are exposed to the truths of the world in a jarring manner and in this way lose their innocence. The boy lost the purity inherent of childhood and Dear, Dear lost the security he had in his religion and in himself.

I actually really enjoyed this although, at first, i had no bloody clue what the story was about. But give it a try y'all it's worth the trouble, trust me, and then leave a comment. Please, leave a comment, I'll beg if you want.

Links:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/04/12/the-twisted-remorselessness-of-accused-planned-parenthood-killer-robert-dear-jr/

Article 3: Under Pressure (Special K)

"I've been feeling under pressure... I've been feeling under pressure..." - Logic

What's the difference between our struggles and those of our parents? We often hear stories about how our ancestors fled great wars, apartheids, and unfavorable conditions to come to the United States, where we now reside. The generic, "Do you know why we came to this country? To give you a better future." In the bay area, a place filled with heavy diversity and international acquaintance, we are always pressured by those around us, especially our parents, to drive to succeed in life. We've all had those awkward moments when we don't quite get along with our parents, but we find ways to deal with them peacefully.

See not all that parents are that understanding, and I'm sure many of you readers out there can relate. The subjectivity of our feelings towards certain issues depends upon what we are influenced by while growing up. Unlike how the monster is pressured in a very negative environment right from creation, we are often loved and nurtured by our guardians in any ways they can afford. We are brought up in a great society full of innovation and creativity, but do our conclusions come out the same? Victor's hatred towards his being, his evident "son," eventually pressured the monster into rebelling, hating Victor, and eventually blackmailing him through the death of his loved ones. Now while that idea may be a bit extreme, it may apply to us in certain ways.

While the monster had an accelerated life, we grew up nurtured by our environment in Evergreen. We eventually learned more about the world and ourselves, and then had times of disagreements with our parents, often regarded by medical experts as a time of "puberty." The monster's puberty can be seen as his time of revolt and understanding. He finally accepts what others think about him, but seeks for love and compassion for others to accept him for who he is. This dilemma is seen variously throughout the book when the monster searches for his purpose in life, but is bricked by the limitations given to him by society and his creator.

Now we may not always get along with our parents, and often times we fundamentally disagree upon ideals in the roles of education. Our parents often times value our education as a meter for our future success, which can be a valid stance in some cases, but equally unfair and burdensome upon ourselves. In a world where grades mean life or death and the difference between an "A" and a "B" can determine our grounding for the day, we as students at EV are held to a very high standard of expectations by our parents. I even surveyed 10 households in my neighborhood near evergreen elementary, and of the 20 parents i asked, 18 of them said that they would be extremely dissapointed if their child came home with an "F" on a big test or assignment. And that conclusion is perfectly reasonable, but then again we have to dig deeper into the circumstances of the grades themselves.

We are discouraged by society to be happy when we get a "D" on a calculus test, when we are not even given the necessary time or teaching to succeed in that concept.

We are discouraged by society to be happy when we get second place in a dance competition because we didn't get first.

We are discouraged by society to continue at the first glimpse of failure because we do not think we are capable of doing or succeeding at something.

Whoever helped set this notion into our society was really trying to mess us up. If we believe in ourselves like this, then how are we any better than the monster? The monster's internal conflict to find it's identity and capabilities/desires and its external conflict against the opinions of the world set him up to do amoral things. He took the lives of people and blackmailed his creator, all because he wasn't given the opportunity to find his true self. While Victor is on his tour he often contemplates the ideas of failure, stress, and death, which attribute a very negative tone to the tone of the book. The mood makes us question our own actions and whether or not they may impact others in the depth of Victor's problems. We are sucked into this problem, again this catch 22 of: What can we do to succeed?

I am a firm believer in the idea that we create our own paths. I know you may think it's hopeless. I know you may think it's the end of the world right now. I know you may think that a "C" or "D" in a class can't be improved or that you have no path to travel down without failure.

Just know that in the end you will find a way. Through all the darkness, all the sadness, and all the pain in your life right now, we will always be by your side the next day. We will always support you no matter the backlash. We will always help you find a way, and you will.

We have yet to see how Victor find's his way, but we're sure as hell not going to put the novel down now. We're just a little under pressure.

Article 2: How to Train Your Monster (Harry F'n Potter)

Hey y’all it’s a me Mario(no, not really it’s Harry F’n Potter actually)I’m back and taking a closer look at my roots. Uh huh, you heard right, straight back to magic, mythical beasts, and terrifying enemies for us. To be completely honest I only chose this because I really, really like How To Train Your Dragon and what better way to show that than by connecting it to loss of innocence in Frankenstein. And lo and behold there’s a surprising amount of connections between the two, despite some major differences.

So, to draw a couple parallels between the two, both the monster and Hiccup are very much isolated and shunned/ridiculed by society. Although reasons for doing so are different it results in the same thing, an ardent yearning for companionship and acceptance. Both are driven to extremes to fulfill this need and are, for the most part, rebuked by their peers for their actions, beliefs, physical appearance. They two turn to socially questionable activities or thoughts to alleviate this pain they go through. I perceive this as loss of innocence in that they both are in situations that should be inducing wonder and awe in their natural world; not jaded cynicism or befriending huge firebreathing reptiles. Due to their situations they’re forced to stop deluding themselves and are given a harsh dose of reality effectively strippiing them of their “innocence.”

In Frankenstein this is seen through the monster’s insistence on having an equal to talk with without fear of rejection and even, possibly, to love. This intense need, along with extenuating circumstances, pushes the monster to abandon any morals he previously had and threaten to kill not only Victor but his family. Chapter fifteen is one such occurrence, The monster finally plucks up the courage to attempt to make contact with the french family he has been stalking. However, his hopes are dashed when almost immediately after he is spotted the family members that can actually see react exactly like all the other humans he has encountered. An all encompassing hate is festering in the monster quickly replacing the previous notion that humans are a superior race to be admired; and the only cure to this ailment is, in his mind, an equal that only Victor can provide.

In How To Train Your Dragon Hiccup is, to put it simply, the village idiot, always getting into trouble with his ridiculous schemes(e.g. In the beginning of the movie when he ends up letting a whole ton of dragons get away with the livestock) He is constantly bullied by his peers, even his cousin Snotlout; and not even his father accepts him, as seen by Stoick’s refusal to listen to Hiccup’s protests to dragon slaying training. He faces rejection from almost all avenues, his sole friend being a middle age cripple with a propensity for the disgusting(Gobber). So, desperate and lonely, Hiccup eventually befriends a dragon, sworn enemy of the vikings. But not just any dragon he finds a night fury, the most feared and dangerous variant of dragon. When found out he is viciously disowned by his father and is emotionally devastated. AN event not dissimilar to when the monster discovers Victor’s intense disdain for it, despite him being a father figure of sorts. This type of loss of innocence, that which is seen when a child is denied the unconditional love of their parent(s), is a pivotal scene in both Frankenstein and How To Train Your Dragon.

Despite having dramatically different endings(I think) I feel we’ve benefitted from this comparison just in the sense that we better understand the circumstances and feelings behind events in Frankenstein. The similarities between the two let us compare different situations that deal with much of the same elements and thus make it easier to spot important parts in the story.

Article 1: Beast and the Beast (Number Six)

At times, it is quite difficult to feel connected to the monster in Frankenstein, especially since the majority of the story is told through Victor’s point of view. It’s nearly impossible to truly understand how he feels until later in the novel where he is able to relate his story. However, even then, it is a struggle to connect with him since he had previously been designated as evil by Victor’s perception of him. I believe that this is the biggest obstacle we encounter in attempting to recognize his innocence, as many argue that he has undoubtedly lost it with his newfound hatred of mankind, himself, and his creator. It is extremely hard to change the perception of a character who has been marked as evil and murderous, and is especially difficult to convince people that despite his seemingly malicious behavior, he has kept his innocence. In my earlier blog post (To Lose One’s Innocence or Not to Lose It-That is the Question), I briefly explained the idea that the monster still clings to his mangled innocence with the need for acceptance. The monster’s situation is extremely comparable to that of the beast in the movie Beauty and the Beast. Both figures are depicted as a form of nonhuman abnormality ostracized by society and forced into seclusion while battling their desire for companionship and acceptance.

The beast in the movie offers a more approachable and likable method to depict the struggle and retention of innocence that Victor Frankenstein’s monster is enduring. Many in the movie view the beast as a horrid and destructive monster, hence the name “Beast”. This hatred toward him seems to be the only thing that defines him, and in a sense, this is what caused him to somewhat morph into the “beast” that they have named him. One scene/song in the poem, “Kill the Beast”(video linked below), accurately portrays the extent to how much hatred society felt toward “abominations” like Beast and Victor’s monster. However, despite Beast’s anger and hatred to society which has most definitely rejected him (much like Victor and society rejected the monster), he retains his desire for love. This is depicted with the introduction of Belle, where Beast makes significant efforts to win her companionship and acceptance of him. It is a very innocent and child-like idea to want to be loved. Despite the unbearable amount of rejection that Beast has endured, he still seeks acceptance and therefore keeps his innocence. Although this innocence is as deformed as some may consider him to be from self-hatred and violence, it is still a huge part of who he is.

Victor’s monster never embraces his innocence like Beast (at least not yet) which is best shown in the classical scene “A Tale as Old as TIme” (video below). Even though this scene would be an exaggeration of the monster’s innocence in Frankenstein, it still serves a purpose. Within it, Beast becomes noticeably more innocent than he appeared to be at the start of the film. His desire for acceptance from Belle is what draws this innocence out and exposes it for all to see. Although it is much more difficult to see this innocence in Victor’s monster, the concept is the same. Under all of his hatred and malicious demeanor, there really is at least to say a shred of innocence remaining. This light of innocence can never be extinguished by the darkness of hatred as long as he continues to search for acceptance whether it be from Victor himself, or the companion he hopes that Victor will create for him. Many are willing to overlook this innocence and to conform to society’s opinion of these “monsters”, yet it only takes someone like Belle to change their life for the better. Unfortunately for the monster in Frankenstein, he has yet to experience a Belle figure considering that everyone has abandoned him, but perhaps his relentless search will soon come to an end, especially since he has requested that Victor create one “...as deformed and horrible as [himself]....” (p. 133)

If you think about it, the main thing we desire from society, like the monster and Beast, is acceptance. Every day we succumb to peer pressure or social norms. No one wants to be considered the outsider, or “a freak”. We buy clothes that are considered to be in fashion and we behave properly in public. Like innocent children, we all want to fit in and to have the sense that we are loved. The monster and Beast however, don’t have the slightest chance to fit in because of their looks. They are instantly marked as different and abnormal the first second someone lays an eye on them. In the novel, the monster is able to have a conversation with a blind man with no trouble at all, but when the rest of the family see the creature, they instantly react negatively. This inevitable rejection is what intensifies the monster’s and Beast’s innocent need for acceptance and a sense of normality which in turn, maintains their innocence in general.

This connection between Beast and the monster makes them so closely knit together that at times, it is hard to tell them apart at all. The only difference is the way that they are portrayed, and how they are either made to appeal or to not appear to the audience. Despite this difference, both figures possess a mangled innocence that is purely fueled by their desire to fit in. I truly hope that this article has helped open your eyes and show the true nature of Frankenstein’s monster. Yes, his innocence has taken several beatings, and yes, it is shadowed by his seemingly despicable actions/feelings, but it is still there. You just have to look close enough to see it.

-Number Six