So maybe I'll let it die after tonight. xD
(Note: The following is Christian-y. But I encourage you to read it anyway. If nothing else, you can come to understand what the 'crazy' Christians really believe.)
So we're reading Frankenstein in class right now...and gosh.
I've liked school books before, I guess. But this...this book actually gets me
thinking. It might actually be one of my favorite books by the time I'm done
with it; definitely for a school book, anyway.
There are
so many deep themes in the book: the pursuit of knowledge, and how it can come
back to bite us, true humanity versus monstrosity, and my favorite...the
relationship between a creature and his creator. The author has many biblical
analogies in her book, I think to indicate where the creator (Victor
Frankenstein) of the creature (oddly enough, nameless) went wrong. Victor,
being human, shunned his creature after making him, feeling repulsed and
wanting nothing to do with him. Even when the creature would come to him and
say stuff like, "I should be your Adam, but instead you treat me like a
fallen angel!" Victor still refuses him. He didn't think through his
actions upon making his creature.
And then
this always gets me thinking to the Christian's Creator. Before reading this
book, I knew God loved and accepted me, and all of that. I'm a born again
Christian, after all. But when I read about what it's like to go to your
creator, to plead with him and ask that he - of everyone - accept you, but he
doesn't...I was struck with just how opposite the real Creator treats His
so-called "creatures". He doesn't call us a 'wretch', He doesn't
despise us, He doesn't turn His face away from us in disgust and say,
"Man, I wish I hadn't have made them!" (Well, except for Noah's Ark...but in that case,
man wasn't asking for forgiveness. They didn't want anything to do with their
Creator. Noah and his family, however, did, and so God spared them.). In fact,
God wanted us around enough that He sent his Son - a part of Himself - to die
for us so that we could have a relationship with Him again. If we come to Him
and ask to be forgiven, ask to be accepted into His loving arms, HE WILL ACCEPT
US! I mean, how crazy is that!?
In the book,
there's a couple of scenes where the monster walks into a town and the people,
frightened of his large form and ugly stature, throw things at him and are
scared to death of him. The creature later looks into a pool of water, and when
he sees his face, understands that he is ugly. It kills him, to be ugly, to not
belong or fit in. On a related topic, Victor has high intentions for knowledge
- he wants to create life - but in the end he's just being proud, and he
doesn't help his creature but is instead disgusted. Another theme of the book,
then, is that we are all monsters. Each and everyone of us. We can all find
something within - for me I struggle the most with pride and judging others.
The creature in the book I think is imagery for what man would look like if we
looked inward, if we truly saw what we are.
Monsters.
It breaks
my heart when the creature goes to his creator, asking for acceptance and love,
and Victor coldly refuses, instead wanting to tear his creature apart. But at
the same time as I read the book, I feel this overwhelmingly love for God. I
feel like I've seen a part of Him I've never seen before. I feel like I
actually understand His love for us a bit more now. We come before Him as ugly,
brutal beasts. Yet all we have to do is ask for forgiveness, admit that we are
indeed monsters, and believe in Jesus, and BOOM!
"Welcome
to the Kingdom of
God! You're still ashamed
of your sins? Son/Daughter, I've taken care of that - I sent my Son to die for
you to take that load off of your back, so that we can be together again.
You're forgiven, loved, and accepted! Can I offer you any other gifts at this
time? The Holy Spirit for guidance, wisdom and counsel? Here ya go! Would you like
anything else? Oh, I know! How about a way to communicate with me, especially
when I feel far away from you? Take this Book. You'll call it the Bible. It's
basically a way to see how much I love you; love letters, if you will. Oh, and
it teaches you the best way to live your life. You're gonna hate some of the
rules in there, but believe me, if you abide by them life will be SO much
easier for you. Trust Me (P.S. It also makes Me happy, when you obey them). Oh,
and one more major gift (but there will always be more to come!): You can also
communicate with me via prayer. You might not always hear my reply, especially
directly, but I will always hear you.
I will never turn you away, because I love you and created you with a purpose.
I didn't just dig up random parts of your body out of a graveyard; I personally
stitched you together in the womb. I knew exactly
what I was doing."
And no, none of that up above was a direct quote, but some of it came from a specific passage in mind. :)
Thank you, God. I don't know how or why you put up with me, a judger, a
prideful peacock, a mocker, a monster. But you do.
~Kathy
