Anthony DeCaprio
Living
Beyond the Times
In
the works by Shelly, Dunbar, and Cullen, a common theme occurs in which the
authors all reference the point that the characters are trying live beyond
their times; they are trying to think about the future of society and
themselves. In Shelly’s Frankenstein, the
Victor Frankenstein attempts to create life, an act that is far beyond
scientific advancements of the time. In Dunbar’s “Theology,” Dunbar, is
thinking about the afterlife and which people are going where in the future. In
Cullen’s, “Tableau,” Cullen talks about two kids who are defying their times
and breaking the barriers of race. All of these works also have the same point
as a lecture I attended about the afterlife, looking at what it looks like and
how the gospels looks to those times.
Mary
Shelly creates Victor Frankenstein, a man who becomes obsessed with the idea of
trying to create life out of nothing. This feat was way beyond any scientific
advancements of that time; it is thought of as impossible still to create life
out of nothing. In the first half of the novel, Frankenstein is constantly
trying to push the limits of science to create his own living creature. He
says, “when I considered the improvement which everyday takes place in science
and mechanics, I was encouraged to hope my present attempts would at least lay
the foundations of future success,” (Shelly 56). Victor wants to even be
greater than the improvements already taking place in science at his time, and
in creating life, and thinking about creating life, Victor is putting himself
in a time that is beyond the achievements of his present day.
This
same theme occurs in Dunbar’s “Theology.” In this short but witty poem, Dunbar
talks about the afterlife, a place that is obviously after this life. Dunbar
says, “There is a heaven, for ever, day by day…there is a hell, I’m quite as
sure, for pray,” (Dunbar 252). In talking about this subject and thinking about
it, Dunbar is, like Victor, paving a way for the future in thought. This is
shown in the title, “Theology.” Theology looks at religions, and one major part
of theology is the afterlife. Time and time again, theologians have written
about the life after we die. In doing this, they, like Dunbar, are attempting
to live beyond their times and try to explain to present day people what will
be going on many years from now.
In
Cullen’s, “Tableau,” Cullen talks about a topic that was an issue during the
early half of the 20th century. At the time of the poem, race was an
issue that often ended in violence and gruesome acts committed. This poem talks
about two kids who are doing something that during that period of time was
thought to be unheard of. Cullen says, “Indignant that these two should dare In
unison to walk,” (Cullen 489). What is being said is that people are mad that
these two are walking together because of the hatred that the two races had for
each other. However, these two kids are living beyond the times of hatred and
oppression, they are living, at the moment of walking together, in a time of
acceptance and friendship, a time only perceived to be in the future.
Each
of Shelly, Dunbar, and Cullen’s works portray a character that is attempting to
go beyond his times and live or think in the future. This relates to a lecture
I went to this week, which was on the concept of hell. The lecturer went
through the Gospel of Matthew and talked about how hell would be perceived, and
how it would look when it came. Matthew, or the author of the book in his name,
was trying to go beyond where they were on Earth to a place in a time farther
away from the present. All of these works, and the lecture, show the same
similarity in that each are looking to break the boundaries of where they are
to think or act in a time more advanced than theirs.
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