How does the episode with Victor's father and the episode with the lightning strike as described in this excerpt function similarly?
They both involve the reading of books about science.
They both involve interactions with parents or guardians.
They both suggest a certain powerlessness in the narrator.
They both suggest people who directly influenced the narrator.
It sound like the third option is the only way to go on this.
(lighting episode)
And thus for a time I was occupied by exploded systems, mingling, like an unadept, a thousand contradictory theories and floundering desperately in a very slough of multifarious knowledge, guided by an ardent imagination and childish reasoning, till an accident again changed the current of my ideas. When I was about fifteen years old we had retired to our house near Belrive, when we witnessed a most violent and terrible thunderstorm. It advanced from behind the mountains of Jura, and the thunder burst at once with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens. I remained, while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight. As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump. When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed.
(father episode)
I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood, before misfortune had tainted my mind and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self. Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science. When I was thirteen years of age we all went on a party of pleasure to the baths near Thonon; the inclemency of the weather obliged us to remain a day confined to the inn. In this house I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. I opened it with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate and the wonderful facts which he relates soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm. A new light seemed to dawn upon my mind, and bounding with joy, I communicated my discovery to my father. My father looked carelessly at the title page of my book and said, "Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash."
I agree with you.
I disagree. The lightning strike does not involve other people at all. I'd opt for the second statement. The narrator is powerless before nature, and the father implies, or directly states, a denial of the power of the narrator to choose his reading material.
In both the episode with Victor's father and the episode with the lightning strike, there are similarities in terms of their themes, characters, and influences on the narrator.
Firstly, both episodes involve the reading of books about science. In the lightning episode, the narrator mentions being occupied with reading "exploded systems" and "contradictory theories" about science. In the father episode, the narrator discovers a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa, a famous occultist and writer on science, which sparks his enthusiasm for natural philosophy. Both instances of reading about science play a role in shaping the narrator's interests and thoughts.
Secondly, both episodes involve interactions with parents or guardians. In the lightning episode, the narrator recounts witnessing the lightning strike with their family, and the event impacts their curiosity and outlook. In the father episode, the narrator shares their excitement about Cornelius Agrippa's work with their father, only to be met with dismissiveness. Both interactions reveal the influence that parents or guardians have on the narrator's development and perspective.
Thirdly, both episodes suggest a certain powerlessness in the narrator. In the lightning episode, the narrator describes being fascinated by the storm and watching it with curiosity and delight. However, the lightning strike highlights the destructive power of nature, leaving the narrator in awe of its force. In the father episode, the narrator's father dismisses their interest in Cornelius Agrippa's work, implying a lack of control or agency over their own intellectual pursuits. Both episodes imply a sense of being overpowered or influenced by external forces.
Lastly, both episodes suggest people who directly influenced the narrator. In the lightning episode, the viewer observes the destructive power of nature, which impacts the narrator's understanding of the world and their place within it. In the father episode, the narrator's encounter with Cornelius Agrippa's work ignites their passion for natural philosophy, and even though their father dismisses it, the influence of Agrippa's writings remains.
In conclusion, the episode with Victor's father and the episode with the lightning strike in the given excerpt function similarly by involving the reading of books about science, interactions with parents or guardians, suggesting a certain powerlessness in the narrator, and implying people who directly influenced the narrator.