Similarities between "Frankenstein" and "In Cold Blood"

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Compare the physical alienation of Dick, Perry and the Monster in the following passages.

The novels Frankenstein and In Cold Blood, whilst both very different tales, share several fundamental similarities. One of these similarities is the isolation of the main characters, names Dick and Perry from In Cold Blood, and the Monster from Frankenstein. The selected extracts show evidence of their alienation in particular detail, highlighting the significant contrasts between the texts.

The narrative styles of these two books differ completely, with Frankenstein being written in the first person point of view and In Cold Blood in the third. However in both instances a clear understanding is given of the characters thoughts and emotions, be it by the use of flash-back quotations and an omniscient narrator or the character in question narrating the story himself. The constant presence of personal pronouns used throughout the story of Frankenstein link the reader to the character, allowing them to see the happenings of the story through their eyes only which gives a more intimate sense of the creatures loneliness and isolation as he watches the interaction of the people her cares for. In Cold Blood, being written in the third person, is less direct and more impersonal and yet it manages to retain the sense of alienation the men feel due to their deformities. The use of brackets and quotations bring evidence from the past to support and strengthen the impact of Dick and Perry’s exile from society. Incidentally the styles of writing also play a part in lessening the impact of their isolation. The monster, from Frankenstein, is clearly speaking with someone in order to relay his account of events which causes him to appear less alienated from humans as he is essentially speaking with them through the book. In the case of In Cold Blood, the omniscient narrator suggests a third party looking in on their lives which, alongside the fact that they were indeed interviewed in order for the true account of this story to be published, suggests that they were not alone and thus not truly isolated.

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The extract chosen from Frankenstein details the Monster’s time observing the DeLaceys as they teach Safie how to speak their language, which subsequently leads to the education of the Monster. The extract opens as “Felix instructed Safie” by a book. The monster mentions that this is how he himself learned much of what he knows despite the fact that he never came into direct contact with either party rather listening in from his adjacent barn. Such circumstances demonstrate the monster’s psychological isolation from the cottagers since he never actually interacts with them. Despite this he still sees himself as being ...

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