Victor Frankenstein vs. Jim Hawkins

Ok we read Frankenstein, then Treasure Island. This will be a short post, just some of the observations kids had about Frankenstein, and then the contrast between the two books.

One observation, by someone who had only got so far as the letters in the beginning of Frankenstein, is that Watson never asks his sister how she’s doing: he’s kind of self centered. So typical Romantic hero, isn’t it.

Another observation was that Victor Frankenstein blames the world for his problem – it’s Fate.

“One more step, Mr. Hands” by N.C. Wyeth

Which leads to the question of how well Victor Frankenstein would have done if he had been in Jim Hawkin’s circumstances. He probably would have been broody. Which led to the observation that while Victor Frankenstein is a Romantic hero, Jim Hawkins is a – hero. Another element is luck, which is where poor old Victor never had any.

Treasure Island is fun – it has all the elements of an adventure novel for young people, which were probably pretty established by the time this was written (1881): what do you think Tom Sawyer was reading, way back before the Civil War?

One of the elements is getting the parents out of the way, early on.

Here is the article I mentioned, which is way long and also has a lot of vocabulary and references a seventh-grader would not know. Well it’s probably inappropriate. Not only about the absent mother in animated films, but – fun dads. “Why Are All the Cartoon Mothers Dead?” by Sarah Boxer. Maybe read it when you are in college.

I’m hoping to post the adventure novel chapters kids wrote, they are pretty good – well really good. Not only getting those required elements of needing something that’s unattainable, the enemy that’s a formidable match, and – the hero’s advantage of superior intelligence and skill (and, luck)  – and danger – but making me interested in the character, and how on earth that cow ended up on the ice floe.