First off, Frankenstein brings in the aspect of education leading to a purposeful life, specifically when Victor focuses on the natural world. During his teenage years, Victor explains that he has a “longing to penetrate the secrets of nature” (Shelley 21). Victor shows in one of the first moments he wants his life to be centered around nature. Furthermore, this severity of learning about the natural world becomes evident when Victor’s “cheek had grown pale with study” while spending hours on bringing a dead person back to life (Shelley 32). Victor thrives by studying nature while nature thrives by evolving into Victor. Victor accomplishes his goal when he saw the creature’s “eye . . . open” and “agitate its limbs” in his apartment (Shelley 35). This scene persuades the audience that once someone finds their goal in life, then nothing will stop them even if the object is impossible like bringing the dead back to life. Victor bringing the dead back to life represents how high education can lead someone to live to their full potential.
Additionally, the aspect of growing the relationship with God takes place through the monster’s journey. The monster makes horrible decisions when it kills Victor’s brother and burns the cottagers home, which may persuade the reader that the monster has no purpose in life. Specifically, after describing to Victor what happened in all the deaths that took place, the monster orders Victor to “create” another “companion” to cure the loneliness, which symbolizes Victor is a god-like figure to the monster (Shelley 104). Shortly after, the monster makes another mistake and kills Victor’s wife. The monster’s desire in life becomes evident at the end of the book when Walton finds it over Victor’s dead body and says “[the monster] should have wept to die” and addresses the death as a “burning misery” (Shelley 166). The monster’s sentimental love represents how it wanted to get closer and build a relationship to Victor. The journey persuades the audience that even though one’s purpose may not be evident at certain moments, specifically when the monster kills others, the purpose can still be found later in life.
In Hamlet, the rollercoaster that Hamlet rides throughout the story depicts the theme of how growing a relationship to a spiritual symbol connects to his own purpose. In the garden after the ghost commands Hamlet to take revenge on the murderous uncle, Hamlets responds by stating, “May [I] sweep to my revenge” (Shakespeare 24). This encounter represents how Hamlet idolizes his father as a god-like figure by agreeing to the request. This idealization and request becomes an obsession, an obsession that Hamlet can’t let go of, an obsession that drives the rest of the story, an obsession that Hamlet must finish. This promise shows the accountability that Hamlet possesses and the gratitude that Hamlet presents to this symbol. However, Hamlet isn’t totally convinced the ghost is truthful until the actors act out The Mousetrap in front of King Claudius, which may prompt the reader to question whether Hamlet truly idolizes the god-like figure. The King reacting in such a horrible manner during the scene of the play when Claudius pours the poison in the sleeper’s ear, Hamlet becomes convinced that the King is the killer: “Give me some light. Away!” (Shakespeare 65). This confirmation prompts Hamlet to keep and finish the promise he made. Lastly, during the dual with Polonius, Hamlet finishes the quest he so yearned for by stabbing and killing the King after stating “The point envenomed too? Then, venom, to thy work” when referencing the poison-covered sword (Shakespeare 119). Hamlet listened to his father, sought revenge, stabbed the King to fulfill his goal in life. Hamlet's life represents how meaningful building a relationship with God seems. The drive that Hamlet possesses exemplifies that if one builds a great relationship with God, then nothing will ever alter that unconditional love like the admirable love Hamlet showed to his father.
Another literary work that connects to the overall topic is Popular Mechanics because it presents a great message when someone lives out a goal in life. The father can’t live with the fact that he will never keep the baby and keeps arguing over it by saying “I want the baby” three different instances (Carver 124). The father keeps on fighting, keeps on arguing, keeps on disagreeing to show that his goal won’t be fulfilled until the baby is in his hands. The dad found his goal in life and it’s to keep the baby, but the mother won’t ever allow the dad’s hands to touch it, so she moves to the corner of the room and the dad closes in on her and makes a shameful mistake. When the mother had the baby in the corner, the father reached for the little soul, grabbed it, “would not let go”, and caused the baby to die (Carver 125). On a complex level, the unconditional love babies give off represents the unconditional love of God. The baby’s relation to God connects to the father’s purpose because the father wants to receive that love and always live with God. However, a horrible mistake was a product of that aspiration. This presents the grand lesson of how someone must be extremely careful with such ambitions when that person is as dedicated as the father.
The purpose of life theme transcends through the short story of Miss Brill. Throughout the story, Miss Brill displays what she observes while sitting on the park bench with the band performing in the background. The reactions of the individuals that Miss Brill observes sends an overall message that connects to overlying theme. Specifically, Miss Brill observes two kids playing in the park and when the kids notice, they react in a way that presents the fact that Miss Brill has no goal or purpose of life because of her old age. Furthermore, the girls states that her and the boy should “not [play]” there and then the boy responds by referring to Miss Brill as “[that] stupid thing over there” and then asks the question, “who wants her” (Mansfield 3). However, this scene proposes the idea goals may differ from person to person. Specifically, Miss Brill asserts the children’s goal is to enjoy their age by playing, but Miss Brill also asserts that she is fulfilling her purpose by interpreting the people at the park. The last scene presents the possible product of someone living out their determination in life. Miss Brill ultimately rids herself from any other additional job or purpose in life due to her maturity. Specifically, she always buys a dessert at the bakery, but for some reason on that Sunday, she “passed the baker’s . . . , climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room”, and “sat there” (Mansfield 3). The fact that a visit to the baker’s is a common occurance, Miss Brill reacts to what the kids stated at the park by ridding herself from outside society to live in isolation. The dark room emphasizes Miss Brill’s morale, which connects to what may happen when someone is as old as Miss Brill. When someone is as old as Miss Brill, other observers may think that specific person possesses no determination in life. However, this point further emphasizes the aspect that a goal in life may differ from person to person.