Introduction
In the short story “The Mortal Immortal” Mary Shelley talks about the burden of immortality on the example of a young man Winzy, who accidentally drank the elixir that gives eternal life. The protagonist, driven by the desire to marry his beloved, works for the scientist Cornelius Agrippa, who devoted his life to making the elixir of immortality. Winzy drinks the elixir and lives an endless life, watching his beloved aging and dying. The story raises important themes of human relationships, the paradox of scientific utility, obsession, and the limits of knowledge. Shelley concludes that immortality is a curse that radically changes human life. The main human features, according to the author, are mortality, the ability to love and vanity.
Mortality
A human remains human because of the finiteness of existence, life loses its sense without death. “Death! mysterious, ill-visaged friend of weak humanity!” – says Winzy (Shelly 129). Rhetorical exclamation and amplifying descriptive adjectives are emphasizing the death blessed power. Without awareness of the finiteness of being, a person gradually loses the moral character. “Such an enigma is man, when he wars, as I do, against the established laws of his nature” – reflects the protagonist (Shelly 130). This comparison underlines the unreasonableness of human’s struggle with the inevitable. The main character is dual: he is not absolutely immortal, at the same time, he is not mortal either. “The inextinguishable power of life in my frame, and the ephemeral existence…” – sadly notes Winzy at the end of the narrative (Shelly 130). The reception of the opposition emphasizes the duality: the strength of life and ephemeral existence, Winzy does not live, he is waiting for death that will not come. Mortality makes human beings human, since life can be appreciated only after realizing its finiteness.
Love
Love is the driving force behind the actions of the character; while he loves, he does not lose touch with his earthly body. Guided by naive love, he falls into the trap of his immortality: “with quick steps and a light heart” (Shelly 120). Shelley uses parallelism to underline the self-irony of Winzy, who looks at himself 300 years ago. Love for Winzy at the beginning of the story is a destructive force: “The power of exciting my hate -my utter scorn – my – oh, all but indifference!” (Shelly 122) The author emphasizes the strength of the memory, using a rhetorical exclamation. Winzy bitterly sneers at his desire to be cured of love: “sad cure! solitary and joyless remedy for evils which seem blessings to the memory” (Shelly 124). A strong metaphor highlights the change in the perception: the remedy for evil becomes the blessing of memory. After Bertha’s death, there is less human in Winzy, he reflects on high matters, remembers his youth with a bitter smile. Love is what makes people human, because having lost the ability to love, a person becomes a soulless shell.
Vanity
People are naturally vain, caring about the outside and looking for third-party approval. The immortal has more reasons to consider himself better than others, which is manifested in his personality: “a miserable vanity has caused me to pen these pages” (Shelly 130). The author’s irony reveals the true thoughts of Winzy: he understands his vices and does not hide them. Vanity pushes Winzy to drink the unknown alchemist’s elixir: “A bright flash darted before my eyes” (Shelly 122). This technique of shifting perception point emphasizes the impulsiveness of an act, dictated by a vain desire to get rid of human affection. Throughout the story, it becomes obvious that Winzy enjoys his youth. He is rather embarrassed by Bertha’s aging: “dark-haired girl” and “jealous old woman” are expressions, describing her (Shelly 129). The author’s technique of contrast emphasizes the internal changes of the main character and his wife. Over the years, Bertha becomes an earthly woman, desiring a normal life. Winzy, on the contrary, renounces the earthly living and refuse conceited thoughts. With age Winzy moves away from vanity, gradually ceasing to be a human.
Conclusion
Mortality, the ability to love and vanity are integral parts of human nature. Mortality allows a person to realize the value of life. Having lost the ability to love, a person ceases to be a human. Vanity manifests itself in every person, ceasing the narcissistic part of personality and concern for external, a person loses touch with earthly life. Using the themes of mortality, love, and vanity, Mary Shelley in “The Mortal Immortal” states that immortality is a curse that goes against human nature and violates the value of life.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary. “The Mortal Immortal”. Mary Shelley Horror Stories, edited by Fiona Sampson, United Kingdom, Flame Tree Publishing, 2018.