When comparing Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it is clear to see how prominent the themes of life and death are in both novels. Dealing with monsters and vampires also brings up a lot of discussion since each of these creatures, in these specific stories, are in the gray area of being alive and dead. Although these are both very different stories, they have a lot of similarities. Parallels between the main characters, Abraham Lincoln and Victor Frankenstein can be observed through their obsessions and losses of loved ones. In addition, both novels include the possibility of bringing people back from the dead. There are many comparisons that can be made, but these book can also be contrasted …show more content…
Each of these characters sees their mothers die at a young age, and receive advice from them right before they pass away. When Lincoln’s mother, Nancy, was ill, he describes “I felt her hand slip from my wrist, and I watched her eyes close. ‘Mama?’ Once more, this time barely about a whisper, she repeated, ‘Live.’ She never opened her eyes again” (Grahame-Smith 36). Right before Frankenstein’s mom dies she says, “My firmest hopes of future happiness were placed on the prospect of your union” (Shelley 72). Both characters were given a message to carry with them for the rest of their lives. Also, seeing their mothers die in person most likely sparked their fascination with life and death at an early age. Abraham Lincoln lived to see his aunt, uncle, mother, finance, two sons and many others pass away during his lifetime. Most of these are due to vampires. All of Frankenstein’s family members die by the end of the book, and unfortunately most of these deaths are due to the monster he created. He loses his mother, house keeper, brother, father, and wife. The difference between these two characters, however, is that how they react to their mother’s deaths later on in their lives. It sparks an obsession in both of them, but they stem off in different directions. Victor wants to fill the emptiness of his mother’s loss with another life, so he goes …show more content…
In Frankenstein, Victor has the power to bring people back from the dead. He does this by using parts from dead people he digs up in the cemetery. In Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Lincoln’s friend Henry offers to bring his loved ones back from the dead as vampires shortly after their death. He tells Lincoln, “She would live, Abraham…but I warn you—she would be cursed to live forever” (Grahame-Smith 159). A difference between these two books is that in Frankenstein someone actually is brought back from the dead, and in Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter no one actually is. Abraham considered bringing Ann ,, but he “pictured her pale skin, her black eyes and hallow fangs,” (Grahame-Smith 160) and decided against it. Going back to Abraham’s obsession with death, he does not want to create life since that goes against his main goal in vampire hunting. Since Victor’s mind is focused on creation, this was exactly what he had in mind. So although it is a possibly, the difference between the two books is that it only occurs in
When it comes to writing literature authors sometimes use the same information regarding the topic, however they use it in a completely different way. A great example for this situation would be Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln vs. Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Both of these great books discuss the topic on Abraham Lincoln, however the author’s demonstrate his role in two different genres. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter discuses Lincoln’s secret life as a vampire hunter, this is clearly a fiction genre and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln discuss the political life of Lincoln’s presidency, this is clearly non-fiction. Disregarding that both of these
Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, has captured people’s attention since it was first written. People often wonder how much of Mary Shelley’s life is documented in her novel. From the theme of parental abandonment, to the theme of life and death in the novel, literary scholars have been able to find similarities between Frankenstein and Shelley’s life. The Journal of Religion and Health, the Journal of Analytical Psychology, and the Modern Psychoanalysis discuss the different connections between Shelley’s life and Frankenstein. Badalamenti, the author of “ Why did Mary Shelley Write Frankenstein?” in the Journal of Religion and Health, primarily discusses the connection between Victor
Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is more than just a regular novel. It is a book that conveys a deep philosophical message. The novel moved me to my very soul. It turned out to be a book not about an encounter against a monster but a misfortune of a scientist, who reached the goal of his work and life and realized that breathless horror and disgust filled his heart but all of these is on the surface. The inmost philosophical thought is covered and hidden, but is very profound. The author tries to say that life is a gift. After this gift is given no one can take it away and it transforms the accountability of the creator. The novel makes the reader anxious with the question: “Is a human being able to take obligation to provide life?”
to Bram Stokers story as myself to a chimp. If it was named 'Parody Of
James Whale's Frankenstein is a VERY loose adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. The spirit of the film is preserved in its most basic sense, but the vast majority of the story has been entirely left out, which is unfortunate. The monster, for example, who possesses tremendous intellect in the novel and who goes on an epic quest seeking acceptance into the world in which he was created, has been reduced to little more than a lumbering klutz whose communication is limited to unearthly shrieks and grunts. Boris Karloff was understandably branded with the performance after the film was released, because it was undeniably a spectacular performance, but the monster's character was severely diminished from the novel.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor and the monster go through a journey filled with love, betrayal, and ambition. However, there are key differences between the two of them. Victor leads a good life, but has an inner spark within him that leads him to rebel against the normal world and seek glory. The monster starts off with derelict beginnings and simply wishes for the basic needs that every human gets to experience such as love, affection, and friendship. Eventually, they both face problems, and as a result, devise evil plans, and yet their motivations and rationale cause the reader to have more sympathy for the monster than Frankenstein.
Frankenstein is actually about the friendship of the soul. Without this basic need the body either withers away and dies or turns to another source, like murder or drink, to fill the hole. Both fatalities can be seen in the story, with Victor's friendship and the monster's anger. Neither one fills the gap in their soul, but eventually consumes them until they die.
From Transylvania to Hollywood, vampires have transformed from unfamiliar, mysterious personalities to one of the most dominant monsters in the horror genre today. Vampires are one of the oldest and most noted creatures in mythology, with many variations of them around the world. Although the most famous version is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, many variants have come before and after telling of the same legend with their own added ideas and modifications to relate to their cultures. Today, there is a multitude of literary and film works that convey and resurface peoples’ fear of vampires. As gothic works like Dracula, by Bram Stoker and Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire directed by Scott Jeralds share certain traits reflective of the genre;
The creature starts learning that many people in the town react when they see him and he is not like them but doesn’t fully understand why at this point in the novel. When other humans see the creature, they become scared, agitated, and violent towards him. People in the society and town helps educate him to understand that he is not a human being. Much as John in The Elephant Man, he learns and realizes that he is different from other people by society. John has a severely deformed appearance that contributes to his alienation by society. Similar to the creature in Frankenstein, John is referred to as a “creature” and a “freak” throughout the film. The police officer even says, “Freaks are one thing. There are no objections to freaks. But
Life and death had always been the only two stages of life, but Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter adds a third stage, vampire. Being a vampire meant that one was both dead and alive at the same time, thus, giving neither life nor death a particular purpose. Henry said it best when he asked, “But what of a life with no urgency?” (Grahame-Smith, pg. 90). The film and the novel attempted to fabricate a third stage of life in order to illustrate that some people, such as Abraham Lincoln, are timeless and, in a sense, never die from our history. The fine line or gray area between good and evil was also another theme stressed in both works. At first, it seemed clear cut that vampires were bad and everyone else in the movie and book were good, but as each work progressed, the fine line between good and evil had disappeared. In the novel Henry attempted to explain this gray area to Abe when Henry says to him, “Judge us not equally, Abraham” (Grahame-Smith, pg.
In Twilight, Edward Cullen presents the question; “ But what if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” The role of vampires is very controversial. Back in the day they were evil, soulless monsters and people genuinely feared them. However, in the present day it seems that we have grown to love them and even hope to one day be them. There are a plethora of vampire stories and many of them have become immense hits. With so many vampire stories, it is not uncommon that readers are able to identify a vast amount of similarities. Although similar in aspects, there are still many differences between the classic and modern day vampires. Two highly popular stories, in which we can easily identify similarities and differences, are Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
Both stories share a central theme, that the acquirement too much knowledge is dangerous. Throughout Frankenstein, the reader is left with the feeling that Victor's obsessive desire to defeat nature, through the creation of another life, directly led to the many tragedies that befell him, "Learn from me, if not by my precept, at least by my example, how dangerous is the ac...
After learning about the life of Mary Shelley, I have grown to appreciate the novel, Frankenstein, even more since the first time I read it. She led a life nearly, as tragic as the monster she created through her writing. Mary seems to pull some of her own life experiences in Victor’s background, as in both mothers died during or after childbirth. Learning about Mary’s personal losses, I have gained a better appreciation of her as an author and a woman of the 17th century. She had association with some the most influential minds of that
Although Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad are different on the surface, they are very comparable when looked at more closely. They are both observations of the complexity of the human darkness that resides in everyone. They touch on injustice, negligence, egocentricity, isolation and the blurry lines of morality. These stories share similar themes, characters, and points of view.