Blog 4

Internal Fight

Caroline Dennin 

At a very appropriate time in the semester, so close to Halloween, we began our reading Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Although this is a novel that has been around and talked about for a very long time, this was my first encounter with it; Truthfully, I have not even seen the movie! Surprisingly, I found that the novel connected to many things we have discussed in class thus far. In particular, I noticed a strong parallel to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” seeing as how there are characters that try to control and possess power over the natural world. Not only did “Frankenstein” embody our conversations for the past, but also it had strong connections to the story told by the Sister Cleophas Costello lecture speaker, Elizabeth Smart. Our readings by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Countee Cullen, and Mary Shelley triggered conversation about how the power of our mind relates to our daily actions.

The Loyola community as well as people from neighboring communities gathered in large to attend the talk given by Elizabeth Smart. Her story could not be compared to anything I had heard before.  As a fourteen-year-old girl, Elizabeth was taken from the comfort of her own bed at knife point and abducted by a couple whom she would remain with for a time period unbeknownst to her yet somehow she found the strength to survive day by day. Elizabeth was raped every single day, at least once a day, over the next nine months. Elizabeth talked about the transition she felt at a single point during her captivity- the point when she transitioned from wanting to die to wanting to fight for her life. Elizabeth spoke about how she owes her survival primarily to her mindset and how each day she mentally convinced herself to keep fighting. The power of her mind gave her the strength she needed to make it to the next day.

In Shelley’s novel, I feel as if we see the mind doing just the opposite to Victor Frankenstein as he recites his life’s tragedies to Robert Walton. As I mentioned, Frankenstein in this novel tries to control nature and this leads to his downward spiral. The stress and anxiety in his mind not only haunts him mentally but begins to inflict physical pain on him as well. He goes mad to the point where the mention of chemistry or the sight of a lab instrument causes him to shudder. His desire to “become greater than his nature will allow” (page 51) leads to his ultimate downfall. The power of the mind here is not used to surviving and living but instead to overcoming. Frankenstein is paranoid and distant from his friends and family because of his mindset, as where Elizabeth uses her mind solely to reunite with hers. 

The two poems we read this week, Countee Cullen’s “Tableau” and Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s “Theology” relate more to Elizabeth Smart as who she is today. Elizabeth now dedicates herself to helping the system for finding kids that are being held captive, and for raising awareness for the issue. In Cullen’s poem he is trying to break through boundaries and work for solidarity, she does this by portraying the interlocking hands of a white boy and black boy walking in unison.  The boys are prideful and hopeful in their actions that they can change the wrong in their society. Elizabeth works in unison with Ambler Alert and created her own foundation to work for her own cause and protect herself and others. In Dunbar’s poem, he talks about his “upward longing” to portray his mission to go to heaven. He lightly talks about the concept of heaven and hell. While, Elizabeth Smart’s message was not conveyed in a jovial manner, she brings to light a topic that many people do not take a stance on and overlook in order to bring it to the attention to many.

Elizabeth’s smarts story was truly inspiring and had an amazing impact on the Loyola community which I could tell as I looked around. She showed that we are able to overcome anything if we set our mind to it, as well as raising awareness for anyone like her. Elizabeth is not a victim; she is a survivor. Her message is one that should be shared with everyone and we should advocate for this cause on her behalf and on behalf of those who suffered as she has. With the power of her mind and her dedication, she overcame adversity.