Frankenstein: The Game of Feels

Today, I speak you about Frankenstein and one the most polarizing characters of the series Game of Thrones, Theon Greyjoy. For those who are not familiar with the novels or TV series, the plot centers around Westeros which is divided between seven kingdoms along with two other regions (I believe it's because "The Nine Kingdoms" doesn't have as much of a ring as "The Seven Kingdoms" but there's probably a different and more logical reason) which were once ruled by Robert Baratheon (spoiler alert: he dies). They include: the North, the Rock, Dorne, Isles and Rivers, the Stormlands, the Vale, and the Reach. The Iron Islands, part of one of the regions of the Seven Kingdoms, chose to rebel against the iron throne in order to achieve their independence. This rebellion, however, failed and Theon Greyjoy, the last remaining son and future heir of the Iron Islands was entrusted to Eddard (Ned) Stark, Lord of Winterfell/Warden of the North, who was hand of the king, to ensure the Iron Islands' good behavior. At the time, he happened to be nine years old. The Starks have arguably raised him like their own, but Theon sought the approval of his own father and so he aided the invasion of the North, thus betraying House Stark despite his pledge. He soon takes over the North and kills two miller's sons to pass them as two of the Stark children. This is only one of the multiple terrible decisions that he makes that lead him to his demise; he was captured by the Boltons and stripped of every human right.

Despite Theon's assimilation to the Stark family, (befriending Robb Stark, the eldest of the children, and mentoring the other children of the family) he still knew that if his true father rebelled against the Throne again, Ned Stark would not refuse to kill him. In knowing this fact, Theon felt out of place and romanticized his arrival to his true home but was instead greeted by a barren homeland and a bitter old man that was his father; he then realized who his true family was. With this imagination, Theon's desire for love (in this case, his father's), is evident which correlates to Frankenstein's Creature's desire for the same aspect; both of these characters reflect the human condition of loneliness.

 "Another circumstance strengthened and confirmed these feelings. Soon after my arrival in the hovel I discovered some papers in the pocket of the dress which I had taken from your laboratory. At first I had neglected them, but now that I was able to decipher the characters in which they were written, I began to study them with diligence. It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. You minutely described in these papers every step you took in the progress of your work; this history was mingled with accounts of domestic occurrences. You doubtless recollect these papers. Here they are. Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read. `Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. `Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred" (Shelley 131).

In the Creature's case, his own creator despised him. Subsequently, he sought love from anyone he encountered by partaking in benevolent acts that consisted of favors and received nothing but horror from the people and mistreatment which was solely due to his appearance. Naturally, this inspired hate within him and fueled his rage against humankind; he vowed to kill and inspire fear. Theon, on the otherhand, attempted to emulate the culture of the Iron Islands because he knew he could never be a true Stark. Later on, when he comes home to propose a battle strategy alliance between the Starks and Greyjoys, he proudly wears his house sigil and his best clothing to present himself to his father. He, however, receives rejection and humiliation. In order to prove himself to his father, he chooses to betray his best friend and take the North from the Starks to showcase his capabilities and loyalty to his family.

(video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOj42JinWc)

Despite his plethora of flaws as a character, the underlying secret he has that many fans of Game of Thrones fail to see because of his betrayal is his quest for love. He has what some people may call, "daddy issues" which is often seen in a negative light presently. In my opinion, I believe it is natural to seek the approval of parents. In my life, it has been a big aspect that I once struggled with. Not that I believe his actions were completely justifiable, but I do see his reasons behind his actions. Another underlying secret is the reason behind his love for whores. It is often seen as part of the "Ironborn way", zeitgeist of the time period, and male sexuality but I believe that it his way of feeling dominant; In the act, he can assert his strength. He also tends to forget his insecurities with women and his arrogance. His castration may also act as a symbolic act and defense to my previous assertion because after the event, he lost himself as a man, and as himself. He lost his prized possession and was left with nothing. Without this security and false sense of confidence he established with it, he was forced to rebuild himself as an individual and sought to do so by assisting the Starks who happened to be in turmoil. All in all, it as indisputable that he inflicted pain because of his flaws as a character, but the loneliness he faced has arguably caused these conflicts to occur as well as it did with the Creature; both of these men reflect the flaws of human nature.

So my question to you after reading this regards to your present feelings of Theon Greyjoy. Are his actions justifiable or should he still be despised as a character? In the beginning I was despised both Theon and the Creature because of their actions, but after learning their stories I soon became internally divided on how to feel about them. OHHHH THE FEELS. Dill with it.

Knowledge is a Big Dill

Throughout time, knowledge has been thought to be a form of power that is actually attainable; as a society we seek this to aid in our progression, whether it be through new technology, or medical science. It is also typically held in a positive light and has definitely proved to be so, but literary pieces of the past warn us about the danger of knowledge. As Victor said, he hoped that "the gratifications of your wishes may be be a serpent to sting you" (Shelley 16) as it did to him when his passion and curiosity of science lead him to create a creature that wreaked havoc upon his life. This quote struck me because it reminded me of reading part of the Genesis way back in 11 AP Language around this time. Even though I was raised as a Catholic, I particularly despised learning about anything regarding religion. For those who do not know this story, a serpent basically enticed Adam and Eve to  eat from the tree of good and evil despite God's will.  I also thought about when I read Never Let Me Go, written by Kazuo Ishiguro,which featured a society that created clones to act as organ donors for those in need. In my opinion, the idea of creating the clones exemplified an extreme dehumanization of mankind in their desire to "play God" and prolong the lives of loved ones. Though it may seem benevolent, the actuality of this is the act of selfishness; there must be an equilibrium between science and humanity. Because of this, I fear that our thirst for knowledge may dissipate the empathy we have as humans and drive our society with cold and scientific reasoning. In a way, it seems as if knowledge is a much larger responsibility that most recognize. It can reconstruct and destroy which is heavily reflected upon the protagonist of Frankenstein. Upon this reflection, Pickles (it is a nickname I was bestowed upon at work, if you are curious of its story ask me digitally or personally. Whatever tickles your peach.) vows to be dill-igent in avoiding being over obsessed over the pursuit of knowledge and not end up in the state of Mr. Frankenstein who secluded himself from society. People make knowledge too big of a dill.

Dills Like White Elephants

The trees visible through the limited windows of Athens High School in the student parking lot expressed the hues of autumn. The boy and the girl sat at the lunch table. With the seasonal change, the weather slowly began to cool. "What homework should we start on?" the girl asked. She then lifted her backpack and placed it on the table.
"I've got a lot of homework too," the boy said.
"Let's do the worksheet on Postmodernism for Beginnners"
"The big packet?" the girl asked.
"Yes. The big packet."
They both began to pull out their homework and the girl began looking at the trees across the student parking lot. The warm tones contrasted from the white clouds above them.
"The clouds look like white elephants," she said.
"They look like regular cloud to me," the boy continued with the packet.
"The introductions (pages 1-6) paints a picture of the cultural zeitgeist that fostered postmodernism..."
"What does that even mean?"
The girl looked across the student parking lot.
"They're lovely clouds," she said. "They don't really look like white elephants. I just thought their shape resembled them a little."
"Should we try to decipher another question?"
"All right."
The cool wind chilled the girl's naked hands.
"It really just any ordinary aliment. It's really not anything. It's just a crunch."
The girl did not say anything.
"I'll get some with you and I'll eat it with you at the same time."
"We'll be fine afterward. Just like before."
"What makes you think so?"
"That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy."
"And you think then we'll be all right and happy."
"I know we will. You don't have to be afraid. I've known lots of people who eat it."
"So have I," said the girl. "And they said it was life changing."
"Well," the boy said, "if you don't want to you don't have to. I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But it's not a big dill
."
"Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about my taste buds."
"Well I care about your taste buds."
"Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?"
He continued to look at the daunting packet.
"But I don't want you to," he said, "I don't care anything about it."
"I'll puke," the girl said.
They looked at the clock and lunch time was almost over. He picked up his backpack and she did the same. She stood and was smiling at him.
"Do you feel better he asked?" he asked.

"I feel fine," she said.