Explain what this means?

Question

'Wandering spririts, if indeed ye wander, and do not rest in your narrow beds, allow me this faint happiness, or take me, as your companion, away from the joys of life.'

is he kind of saying; if you're going to make something bad happen, do it now?

Answer 1

From my interpretation: "Wandering spirits...allow me this faint happiness or take me....away from the joys of life."

He's like calling out to a heavenly body or "spirits" to grant him something that causes "faint happiness". If the "spirits" can't do that, he wants to be taken away or probably, he wants to die.

Answer 2

I think he wants to stay in the bed (allow me this faint happiness) or kill me!

Kinda 'let me sleep!'

Steve

Answer 3

In simple English, it's like : ''You can do it or don't. But if you choose to do it, do it now."

Answer 4

Interesting.  Um...well, rhetorically, it's the same in structure as "Give me liberty or give me death."  The spirits thing is just a Romantic invocation, so we can ignore that as far as meaning goes.

I reread the passage, cause I love Frankenstein... this is right after this girl he likes is executed for a murder the monster committed, and Victor is trying to ease his despair by gazing into a limitless, frozen sea.  So basically, he's saying 'allow me the solace of this moment or kill me.'  Mary Shelley's writing can be melodramatic like that.  In particular, Victor's moods swing pretty drastically with the cycle of nature, almost like he has seasonal affective disorder.  Just one of the small, delightful aspects of the novel, I guess.

Answer 5

Yes ma'am. Do it or don't, but if you're going to do it, do it now.

Answer 6

Paraphrase:  spirits, if you really can affect the things that happen in this world, and not just have to stay in your coffins/graves, let me have this small joy.  If not, then let me die and join you.  

Answer 7

'Wandering spririts (ghosts), if indeed ye wander (if you really are ghosts), and do not rest in your narrow beds (in your graves), allow me this faint happiness (let me enjoy my life), or take me (kill me), as your companion (to become a ghost too), away from the joys of life.

I think you've got the idea already, he's saying either kill me now or let me be.