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Social identity theory
Frankenstein literary analysis essay
Social identity theory
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Our society relies too much on the physical appearances, and many people are perceived wrongly by their outer image. After the creation of the creature by Victor Frankenstein, Victor fled, and abandoned the creature. Being the first of his kind then caused him to become an outsider and be alienated from the society. The main cause of the alienation of others was because of his appearance. The book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is an example of how society places a lot of value on appearance which motivates the society’s prejudice against the Creature because of his ugly features, horror, and expectation of him being a monster.
Society places a lot of value on appearance which motivates the society’s prejudice against the creature because of the Creature’s ugly features. What Victor created was un-human and had a very different appearance. “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscle and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips” (35). This text helps the reader get a visual appearance of the creature. The diction used in this quote also helps convey the tone of ugliness because the
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This was shown through Victor’s creation, the Creature in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Conclusions about a person should not be based on the physical appearance because they can turn out to be a totally different person then what their outer image shows. Society’s prejudice can be avoided if people stand out and get to know each other before creating an opinion about their character without
As human nature, we tend to judge too much. We judge others by the color of their skin, their weight, if they have acne or not, and how they dress The Creature, from Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, is judged throughout the entire novel. He looks different,
When the monster dwells on the fact that he has no friends, money, and property because of the way he looks he claims, “I was besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man”(Shelley 102). With the monster’s emotion toward his first encounters, he struggles with accepting who he is because he feels the hatred from others. The words “deformed and loathsome” express the disgusted and discomfort that clouds the thoughts of each human during their first encounter. He recognizes his differences in comparison to others and begins to become self-conscious when he attempts to come out into the community. In the same aspect, humans today feel the same way when they look different than the ones around them.
The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly brings the serious topic of social prejudice to the limelight. Frankenstein shows a great example of how continued rejection from ones family or peers can cause one to revert from a virtuous being into a murderer or cause one to become suicidal. People today, as in Frankenstein, are still first judged on their physical appearance and not on their benevolence. Babies have been abandoned because of physical defects; children and adults are teased, bullied, ridiculed, and ignored because of their clothes, hair, face, body, etc. This judgmental human behavior has serious consequences, not only for the person being judged, but many times for those that are doing the judging. Often, victims of continued ridicule will finally retaliate with violent behavior.
Victor is not able to see past the metaphorical clouds that seem to shroud his mind from seeing the truth. Furthermore, Victor is not able to let go of his hatred for the creature. In contrast, the creature admits, “But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and the helpless” (275). The creature is able to recognize that he has made mistakes and as a result, he loathes himself.
What society deems taboo can be a determining factor for compassion and humanity, this is evident in the world every day. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein uses the Creature to bring to light how society should reevaluate what it constitutes a monster and take responsibility for committing truly monstrous acts. While mankind's reaction has changed and has become more accepting of that which is seemingly different, there are still questions raised about the general public: What value do we put on vanity and how does this affect how we treat others? How does vanity affect our humanity and can it lead to real monsters? Vanity as a central theme in Frankenstein is a constant fuel for conflict; the society the Creature is exposed to deem him unworthy
Victor is so engulfed by his work that he is unaware of what is going on around him. He “bore onwards [with his work], like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success” and he wants to “pour a torrent of light into our dark world" (Shelley 55). Blinded by his yearning for making new discoveries, Victor thinks that his knowledge of the sciences will be enough for him to be successful. However, he does not understand that in order to create an auspicious relationship between him and his creation, he needs to have knowledge of society as well. Once his creation is animated, Victor is unable to see that all the creature wants is to be loved and accepted. The creature craves the maternal love that Victor denies him. From the beginning, Victor is unable to realize the significance of his creation. He describes how the creature’s “yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath... [and] his hair was of a lustrous black... [and] his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelley 58). He immediately focuses on the negative features of his creation, and does not even attempt to learn the positive qualities. If Victor uses more social skills, rather than his knowledge of the sciences to manage his creation, all of the destruction the creation causes could have been
A monster can be characterized by an extreme deviation from the normal standards of society including an internal or external wickedness. In the case of Mary Shelley’s Creature, his appearance overwhelms those who lay eyes upon him. A mere glance can send a villager running for the hills. It was not until the Creature caught a glance of his own reflection that he understood why villagers were so afraid of him. The realization of his ghastly appearance began the monster’s journey into hopelessness. In Peter Brooks’ article he writes, “Self recognition as the ‘filthy type’ completes the mirror stage of the Monsters development.” (Brooks 377). Seeing oneself as ugly and slovenly can cast shadows on even the most compassionate of hearts.
...uter appearance reflects one’s inner self, but only because society reacts accordingly, making beautiful people able to do good and ugly people able to do bad. Thus, in the debate over nature versus nurture, nurture clearly holds an emphasis. Frankenstein mindfully toys with the idea that men, women and monsters are all brought into this world as a blank-slate, slowly shaped according to experiences. Eerily enough, vengeance is what gives the monster a rather twisted purpose for existing. Victor is no Prometheus, and the unfortunate result of his ambition shows that people are rulers of our own destinies.
Three of the main characters in Mary Shelley 's 1818 novel Frankenstein have commonalities that may not be immediately recognized but are significant in terms of theme. Robert Walton, a man who sets out to seek new land, Victor Frankenstein, a man who sets out to create new life, and the Creature, who sets out to become accepted, are all different in their own ways but tragically the same. Though the first use of the word "isolation" did not occur until 1833 (Merriam-Webster), Frankenstein is replete with instances in which the three central characters must confront their alienation from others. Understanding a mariner, a mad man, and a monster may seem like a difficult task to accomplish, yet with Shelley’s use of isolation as a theme it
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is hailed as one of the greatest novels dealing with the human spirit ever to be written. Shelley wrote this nineteenth century sensation after her life experiences. It has been called the first science fiction novel. Shelley lived a sad, melodramatic, improbable, and tragically sentimental life. She was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, the brilliant pioneer feminist in the late eighteenth century. However due to complications in childbirth and inept medical care, Shelley's mother passed away soon after her birth. Later on, Shelley married the famous romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Frankenstein, was inspired partly by Milton's Paradise Lost:
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein expresses human nature specifically through the character of the “Creature” and his development. The Creature has an opportunity to explore his surroundings, and in doing so he learns that human nature is to run away from something so catastrophic in looks. The Creature discovers that he must limit himself in what he does due to the response of humans because of his deformities. I feel that Mary Shelley tries to depict human nature to running away from the abnormal, which results in alienation of the “abnormal.” Even today, people have a prejudice against someone or something that is abnormal, and these people will act differently towards this abnormality that is put in front of them. In the novel, Shelley seems to suggest a conception of humanity that is deeply influe...
Throughout every individuals life there are experiences of unfair judgments based on someone’s appearance. While this is never a good thing, it is an action that everyone takes part in, whether it is purposeful or not. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s message is very clear as she illustrates the cruel events that take place in a society focused only on outside beauty. The central message that Shelley communicates with Frankenstein, is that while appearance is just one of an individuals many characteristics; it is always a factor they are judged on regardless of all the other qualities they may possess.
Throughout the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the monster is rejected by society because of his looks and actions. Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster, forced the monster to be mean and lonely because of how he was treated. Frankenstein could have made the monster look and act more kindly if he would have taught him how to. One should have taught the monster how to act, how to survive and show him right from wrong.
Mary Shelley book Frankenstein, is a dark romantic novel that was published in the 19th century. Social prejudice based on physical appearance impacts a person's character negatively. Individuals make misjudgments based on physical aspects which affect how they treat the individual. Mary Shelly brings out the theme of appearance and prejudice in the novel Frankenstein. "The monster created by Victor Frankenstein highlights societal prejudice (Russell)."
In both the stories, and in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the main component to the story is the outsider. The outsider in all three of these works is usually seen as different from the rest of society. The way the outsider is perceived by the society is one of fascination. Society is hesitant of the outsider, and treats him as an outsider rather than part of their in-group. Another key aspect showcased in all three of the works is the theme of beauty or physical appearance. The villagers in all of the stories have placed great regard and value on the attractiveness of their own people. However when a new outsider person is presented to them they take into account the appearance before making any judgments of character.