In some ways,describes
his childhood as idyllic. In chapter one, he says, "My parents were indulgent, and my
companions amiable." There really was no disciplinary figure in the home, but neither did
such a figure seem necessary at the time. Victor continues,
My father directed our studies, and my mother partook of our enjoyments [...]; the
voice of command was never heard amongst us; but mutual affection engaged us all to comply with
and obey the slightest desire of each other.
There seems
to have such a general sense of accord and love that no one fought, everyone read what they
loved, and all got along without incident.
On the other hand, it seems that
Victor's imagination really did require more direction than he received. Although he was
"calm and philosophical [...,] [his] temper was not so yielding" and he felt keenly a
desire to "discover" the world's secrets. He began to study the work of writers like
Cornelius Agrippa (writers whose work focused on the fantastic, not the realistic at all). When
he told his father what he'd been reading, rather than instructing him further, his father
simply told him, "do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash." Now, as an
adult, Victor says,
I cannot help remarking here the many
opportunities instructors possess of directing the attention of their pupils to useful
knowledge, which they utterly neglect [....]. If, instead of this remark, my father had taken
the pains to explain to me, that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded [....,] It
is even possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led
to my ruin.
Victor censures his father for his lack of
education, and he actually blames his father for not curbing the impulses that eventually lead
to his own catastrophic mistakes, ruin, and death. Thus, even though his childhood appeared
ideal in many ways, it becomes obvious that adult Victor sees it as a liability rather than a
blessing.
No comments:
Post a Comment