Fitting In
...f each of these characters’ journeys, I hope to see where they went wrong, so that I can avoid the same mistakes. The character that I have selected whose situation is most severe is the creature in Frankenstein. He is an absolute stranger in a world that simply refuses to accept him because of his monstrous appearance, leading him to behave in a manner befitting his looks. He struggles to fit in, and nearly gains the acceptance of the blind old man, De Lacey. This, however, is ruined by the simple-minded actions of another ignorant individual in De Lacey’s son Felix (129-131). Clearly the creature was doomed to wander the earth in search of a companion who would accept him for who he was. Not even his own creator will accept him. This is echoed in the words of the daemon to Frankenstein: “You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? they spurn and hate me” (97). The painful reality of his situation leads him one step further¾it leads him to develop hatred and wrath. In the same paragraph he continues, “Shall I not hate them who abhor me? I am miserable, and they shall share my wretchedness” (97). Certainly the creature’s frustration at his condition is justifiable, but he takes it to the level of malice, leading him to commit numerous heinous acts. He starts on a downward spiral of despair, culminating in the last pages of the text where he announces to Walton his suicidal intentions (214-215). I would be lying if I claimed that I have never felt like Frankenstein’s creature. Perhaps I have never truly been alone against the world, but I have often felt that way. At times I have felt my situation was hopeless. The object of ridicule because of my studious manner and quiet tendencies, I have felt friendless. It is not a good feeling, and, I admit, it does plant the seeds of hatred and suicide in one’s heart. I do not feel that I would ever take the life of another person or myself like the creature did, but there have been dark times in my social life that such thoughts may have crossed my mind. Although I have at times felt the daemon’s pain, I have managed to rise above my feelings of self-pity to make a couple of close friends that stand by me in times of difficulty. I still do not feel that I have found the acceptance of the community as a whole, and this leads me to wonder, “If some people will accept me the way I am, is there really something wrong with me, or is it everyone else’s perception that is wrong?” This leads naturally into the next subject of my scrutiny, the innocent girl fighting against fate, Tess. Unlike Frankenstein’s creature, Tess does not behave in a manner contrary to the rules of organized society. She is a part of it, and, though she is beautiful, she is general not worthy of consideration for any special treatment in the initial setting of her village. Like me, she is accepted by a few, but the vast majority thinks little about her. She is taken advantage of by Alec and suffers every conceivable misfortune along the way. As she herself states on page 130 when reflecting upon her existence, “My life looks as if it has been wasted for want of chances!” I look at life the same way sometimes, as I am sure the creature did in Frankenstein. All three of us share the feeling that we have not been given a fair chance by people in our surrounding culture. Unlike the creature, but like myself, Tess would find one person, Angel, who truly accepted her and connected with her on an intimate level. Unfortunately for her, his own weakness as a person led him to commit the ultimate sin against her in abandoning her. She was once again alone. Like the monster, she would start on a downward spiral of misery. Her life “torn to pieces” she would eventually make her biggest mistake in taking Alec’s life (368-369). Though she found a brief reprieve with Angel, she was doomed to die for her crime, putting an end to her miserable existence. At this point, my search is looking bleak. Neither Tess nor the daemon truly found the acceptance they desired in any lasting fashion outside of death’s cold embrace. I refuse to believe that fate is working against me in such a way. Somehow, though I sometimes feel victimized by society like these characters were, I do not feel that this is the truth. These characters were doomed not to find that place that they belonged, but I have found a few people willing to accept me. These people got to know me on a personal level. That is why they accepted me, not because of how they perceived me at first. Perhaps there is something inside me that stands between me and my objective of fitting into my culture. This is the perfect place to introduce Holden Caulfield, a teenager with the attitudes of a young child who is probably best described by the phrase “he is his own worst enemy.” The entirety of The Catcher in the Rye can be summed up as Holden’s personal journey to find out where he fits into his culture. Unlike Tess and Frankenstein’s creature, he does not resort to acts of murder and he does not die at the end of the story. This would fare well for me except for the...