Journal Entry for A Miracle? (Revisionary)

Although De Lacey and Agatha are greatly affected by the events that resulted in their exile, Felix is obviously the character who has been changed most dramatically. Frankenstein’s creation observes that Felix “was always the saddest of the groupe; and, even to [the creature’s] unpractised senses, he appeared to have suffered more deeply than his friends” (84). However, Felix does make a noticeable effort to hide his negativity, as shown by the creation’s continued observation, “But if his countenance was more sorrowful, his voice was more cheerful than that of his sister, especially when he addressed the old man” (84).

It makes sense that Felix would not accept the appearance of the pile of wood as easily as Agatha does, especially since his ability to trust has doubtlessly been reduced by the betrayal of Safie’s father. It is also logical to conclude that Felix’s desire to protect his family has increased by this experience, which is illustrated by the following: “The plot of Felix was quickly discovered, and De Lacey and Agatha were thrown into prison. The news reached Felix, and roused him from his dream of pleasure. His blind and aged father, and his gentle sister, lay in a noisome dungeon, while he enjoyed the free air, and the society of her whom he loved. This idea was torture to him” (94).

While reading the original text of my revised passage, I found myself wondering what Felix was thinking, since the only description given is that he “expressed surprise” (83). I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea that Felix has been broken by his experiences even more than he reveals, possibly to the point of an extreme distrust of strangers. The sentence that shows him being “roused…from his dream of pleasure” (94) in particular struck me as having the potential to correspond to the scene where he discovers the pile of wood, since I thought it likely that Felix would now take a more pessimistic approach to life and dismiss an occurrence like this not only as “too good to be true,” but something to worry about. Since he is aware of how his mood affects his family, he chooses not to express his suspicions to Agatha.

I decided not to make too dramatic a change to this passage, choosing rather to fill in the “gap” where Felix’s thoughts are not revealed to the reader. His lack of an outward reaction indicated the possibility of inner turmoil, which I wanted to expand in order to add depth to his character. In this specific case, I tried to emphasize three qualities: Felix’s desire to protect his family, his effort to conceal his negative emotions, and his possible distrust of others. For example, I have Felix’s reasoning for staying at the cottage not primarily due to the wood being cut for him, but because of a need to remain close to his family. By exaggerating Felix’s feelings to explain his reactions, I can begin to create a structure that will support his more significant actions later in the story.