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In works of literature, authors use characters whose traits directly contrast those of the protagonists’ in order to emphasize an important part of the main character. In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the character Justine, who is faithful and responsible, is used to showcase Victor Frankenstein’s lapse in morality and his lack in concern to nurture and protect life even though he is able to create life. Through the scene of Justine’s sentencing to death, the thematic message of one needing to accept parental responsibility and fulfill the nurturing role in another’s life is revealed through this stark contrast in Victor’s thought processes and actions compared to Justine’s. In the novel, Justine is the Frankenstein family’s maid and is treated as an equal
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rather than a servant.
She is virtuous and loved by all, and she also has an unwavering faith in a higher power. Through her strong faith, Justine easily blames herself and takes responsibility for things that are not her fault, such as the death of William. Mary Shelley does not describe the physical aspects of Justine, which allows readers to focus on her personality and morals. By doing so, the differences between Victor and Justine become clear. Unlike Justine, Victor holds little faith in anything. His faith in science wavers once he steers off of the path of traditional, institutionalized methods, and he is left to discover his own path with nothing to put faith in other than in himself. Victor has chosen a more lonesome path, one that concerns only his affairs and no one else’s. By choosing this isolated path, Victor has also inflicted social isolation upon his creation which in turn causes the monster to harm others. The monster is, in fact, the true murderer of William. To cover up his tracks, the monster has chosen to frame Justine as the culprit by putting a photograph that William had been carrying into her pocket. Victor Frankenstein’s monster thinks that no woman
like her will ever show love to someone like him, so Justine becomes the victim and is wrongfully convicted. These feelings the monster has only develop due to his master Victor Frankenstein’s failure to nurture him. Victor’s first failure is neglecting his duties in raising his monster, and his second failure is ignoring the responsibility to free Justine of her persecution. He remains silent on the matters throughout the entirety of the scene even though he is aware Justine is innocent. Victor justifies his silence by relying on his intellect, thinking that no one would be able to comprehend the strange nature of the monster and believe his story, eventually leading to more complications. Meanwhile, Justine uses her belief in a higher power and in the consolation of others to justify falsely committing to the act. She has chosen to protect the lives, the feelings, of others by bringing peace to their minds through confessing even though she was innocent. In contrast, Victor has chosen to remain in secrecy about the life he has created and indirectly ending the life of Justine. It is clear that there are numerous occasions where Victor could have chosen a different path. A majority of these instances revolve around the support, or lack thereof, he gave his monster. Mary Shelley utilizes the foil character Justine and her actions in order to make the audience ask themselves how Victor could abandon others when he has the power to create life. This in turn conveys the theme of parental responsibility and nurture being vital components in one’s life. One should not forget to teach and nurture the life they have created, rather they should guide the naive and help them stabilize themselves in good morals.
Even though all humans run away from the monster, he wants to help Felix’s family as he believes “it might be in my power to restore happiness to these deserving people” despite their being strangers. This show of kindness despite no previous experience of human kindness is truly laudable and suggest that the monster is innately nice. However, in return for the Monster’s kindness, Felix attacks the monster, who now feels betrayed by his “friend”. But the monster is so resilient and kind, he takes control of his emotions and “rushes from his hiding-place and with extreme labour, from the force of the current, saved [a young girl] and dragged her to shore.” These acts of magnanimous rescue spring organically from a monster even though nobody ever teaches it the difference between right and wrong. However, Victor always considers himself before others. Even though Victor realizes that Justine is innocent, his first instinct is to protect himself as he declares, “ My tale is not one to announce publicly; its astounding horror would be looked upon with madness.”Besides his reputation, Victor had nothing to lose, but because of his selfishness and recklessness, Victor causes the death of Justine. In addition, Victor is so narcissistic that he does not notice that the monster has been attacking his family and friends, such as his “dearest Henry” and Clerval. When the Monster tells Victor, that he will be with him on his wedding night, Victor immediately exclaims, "Villain! Before you sign my death-warrant, be sure that you are yourself safe." To the reader, it is obvious that the monster will attack his fiance, Elizabeth, but believing that the monster will murder him, Victor thinks only of himself, and he does not even think about protecting the
The novel’s protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, emphasizes the importance of having an identity by exemplifying the dissatisfaction that accompanies contorted character-to-character relations. What makes his relationships particularly perverse however, is Victor himself as a person and family member. Often, male “participants in a moral conflict,” such as Victor, “may invoke ‘justice’ and insist on theoretical objectivity” to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, c...
In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor and his creature share many characteristics although they are opposing forces because of their differences. Even though our perception of Frankenstein is a creature created by a mad scientist during dark stormy day, waiting for a lightning bolt to strike the creature and yelling “It’s Alive!” the actual story in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, has more depth and meaning to what Frankenstein and his creature really is. The story takes place during the late 18th century during Robert Wilson voyage through the Arctic Ocean. After many weeks at sea his ship suddenly gets stuck in ice, and becomes stranded as they wait for the ice to thaw out Wilson and his crew see a man on the verge of death on
Justine Moritz, a servant of the Frankenstein family, is the first female character to be used as nothing more than a plot device. Overall, Justine’s character is calm and tranquil, yet passive to a fault. During Victor’s
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.
Justine was killed because Victor Frankenstein’s younger brother, William, was murdered. An item that William was wearing during the night of the murder was found on Justine, leading everyone to believe that Justine is the murderer. When Victor arrives back to Geneva and hears that Justine has been accused of the murder, his reaction was, “Justine Mortiz! Poor, poor girl, is she accused? But it is wrong; everyone knows that; no one believes it, surely.”.
...ctor Frankenstein, while Victor gains monster-like traits, Frankenstein gains human-like traits, this journey is particuallary evident in the early development of the two characters and their acquirement of knowledge. While the reader generally gravitates towards the monster, through empathy they experience disappointment in Victor Frankenstein, this leaves the reader is left in confliction. The reader is unsure whether in today’s appreance focused society it will be viewed as appropriate to feel empathy towards a ugly monster. This confliction ultimately results in the reader reflecting upon the extent of which they wish to conform to society.
In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein secretly creates a monster without considering the consequences. After the creation of the monster and throughout Victor’s life he and the monster suffer constantly. Because Victor keeps his monster a secret from his family, friends and society, he is alone and miserable. The monster is also alone and miserable because he is shunned by society due to his grotesque appearance.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley combines three separate stories involving three different characters--Walton, Victor, and Frankenstein's monster. Though the reader is hearing the stories through Walton's perspective, Walton strives for accuracy in relating the details, as he says, "I have resolved every night,...to record, as nearly as possible in his [Victor's] own words, what he has related during the day" (Shelley 37). Shelley's shift in point of view allows for direct comparison and contrast between the characters, as the reader hears their stories through the use of first person. As the reader compares the monster's circumstances to those of Victor and Walton, the reader's sympathy for the monster greatly increases.
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.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, many similarities can be seen between the creature and his creator, Victor Frankenstein. While Victor and the creature are similar, there are a few binary oppositions throughout the book that make them different. The binary oppositions in the novel serve as thematic contrast; and some of the most illustrative oppositions between the two characters are on the focus of family, parenthood, isolation and association with others.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is an old classic that has been enjoyed by many generations. Despite the fact that the novel was written over a hundred years ago, it is not only beautifully written but also enthralling and well composed. At the young age of eighteen, Mary Shelly raises questions about education and knowledge to which are answered through the well written characters in the novel. The Monster, who is a creation of another character, is highlighted as an individual who goes through an intellectual change.
Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein there are many female minor characters. Some view these minor characters as passive and subordinate, the epitome of a delicate woman, that reflect the gender roles during the author’s era. This simplifying view of the intricately complex female characters does not accurately represent the powerful and firm importance of their underlying, yet commanding, voice. One of these characters is Justine Moritz who, although charmingly modest and gentle, is a testament to the dignified power of women. During her short appearance in the novel, it is clear Victor Frankenstein fears her for the bravery and strength she exquisitely exhibits through her unjust trial. In addition, the contrast between the characters is distinct. Evidently Victor fails to posses such courage and admirable traits reflecting the insufficiency of supposed male dominance as compared to feminine vigor. Mary Shelley’s minor character Justine is a subtle yet potent force who depicts the perseverance and strength of women by illustrating the considerable lack of such traits Victor Frankenstein.
“I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation, but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 48) Sickened by the sight of his creation, Victor attempts to sever all ties to his monster and denies its very existence. He wishes to destroy it to maintain his secret. This obsessive desire to maintain secrecy takes over as Victor’s life starts to crumble around him. The murder of his brother William by the monster and the subsequent blaming of Justine are a direct result of his refusal to disclose his actions at Ingolstadt. During Justine’s trial Victor laments “It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow beings: one a smiling babe full of innocence and joy, the other far more dreadfully murdered, with every aggravation of infamy that could make the murder memorable in horror” (Shelley 75) Even when facing the death of an innocent such as Justine, Victor remains
Gothic novels often include highly emotional characters, tragic females and tyrannical males. Elizabeth, Frankenstein’s lifelong friend, is in distress; she is lonely and misses Victor. Elizabeth is the damsel in the story. She needs to be rescued from this unknown threat coming from monster. Victor is a cruel character who brings this creature to life only to turn away from him in disgust. Victor is unable to save Elizabeth, from his creation. He seeks revenge, and wants to destroy the monster. Victor is ultimately overcome with grief, as he blames himself for the death of his loved ones. Frankenstein’s monster has an intense passion of anger and anguish. He acts on impulse, and doesn’t think of the consequences of his actions. These characters are perfect models of characters illustrated in gothic novels.