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Frankenstein literary analysis
Literary analysis of the book Frankenstein
Analysis of the novel frankenstein
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In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Victor Frankenstein a student that attended the University of Ingolstadt has an obsession about creating life, after Victors mother died he was extremely upset, and he wanted to find a way to bring life back from the dead and ultimately plays god. Throughout the novel Victor was terrified of the creature physicals appearance and regrets that he ever created the creature. Throughout the book the creature has done some humane and some non-humane things, but at the end of the story the creature felt remorse for everything he has done when victor dies. The creature is considered a human being based of his intelligent and emotions. The monster is able to think and learn from others. He knows what he is …show more content…
doing but is just confused in a world unknown. He does not have a moral compass and doesn’t know what is wrong from right. Just like many serial killers they lacked the discipline and stability back at home that they needed. The monster is responsible for his actions though he knows what he is doing because he keeps on learning about the world through books of his father’s and also from many of the people he encounters. The monster is condemned for his actions, he is responsible for the things he does because he is still human he has a brain and continues to learn about what is wrong and right. Also when the monster goes through the killings of Justine, Elizabeth, and William he feels guilt he knows what he has done wrong but he still does it.
He feels humane feelings such as rage, hatred, and sorrow towards the situation and his father. Being in the monster’s shoes you soon become sorry for him but he still knows what he is doing his serial killings are because of his father but the monster used Victor Frankenstein as an excuse to kill his family. He wants to have a wife of his own from Victor and is going to go through any limits to get what he wants. Victor is the real monster in this game he created for him and the creation first he neglects the monster and makes him out to be something that cannot exist on earth. Also He forgets that everything happened forgetting he even mad the project possible for he was the reason everything happened to his family. It is his fault for the deaths of his family and he seizes to understand that it was really his …show more content…
fault. Once you are born you may not be alive with a moral compass but you do have a choice on what you are doing just like the monster he is alive he feels, he understands, he cares and still goes through such lengths to destroy his father’s life.
Victor’s curiosity led him to create something unnatural to the world his passion for the world unknown created something that would be uncertain. It was not the creatures fault about being made he does not know what is wrong. But his actions have been perceived as horrid and now learning from everything that he has done he is responsible for the actions that he done. In the article “Who is the real monster” it states that, in most people’s mind today, there seems to be no question who the monster is in Frankenstein. It is the creature that Frankenstein has created, that has already murdered an innocent kid. However, looking beyond the outer appearance of the monster, it seems evident that what he began as was not a monster. Instead it was the extreme misconceptions of humans, resulting in extreme isolation of the creature that caused him to become a monster. The
creature Had no “relation or friend upon earth,” hence he, in a way, is linked to humans (Shelley, 147). The health and survival of a human baby is dependent on social interactions. Likewise the creature that Frankenstein has created lives a torturous and depressing life without companionship. He strives for friends, yet his disturbing appearance causes him to fail and be shunned by humans. The monster longs for a companionship with someone he longs to be loved but his father shuns him also the whole world shuns him from all that he is turned into a monster himself he is able to learn and create his own ways in life knowing what he is doing wrong because of what he is learning from experience. But all of this could have been prevented if Frankenstein did not get ahead of himself and create something horrid to the world. In the book it states that the way Victor feels about his work is beyond measure. He is able to spend hours on end without getting a break to solve the world of unknown to know the secrets to redefine nature but in this case maybe the discovery he has built for himself is too much for him to bear. This quote is a great example of how Victor feels about his work, “In contrast, Victor Frankenstein seems to be quite content in isolation. His passion for his work causes him to revert to isolation. Frankenstein mentions that “no youth could have passed more happily than mine” (Shelley, 67). Victor is so tied down by his work he loses touch to the social world and cannot interact with humans the same way he once did. He becomes desensitized by the world unknown and cuts himself off from reality of the dimension. . In addition, Frankenstein even sees himself similar to a monster. He thinks to himself, “can you wonder, that sometimes a kind of insanity possessed me, or that I saw continually about me a multitude of filthy animals inflicting on me incessant torture, that often extorted screams and bitter groans” (Shelley, 160). It seems that in this instance, Frankenstein is seeing himself from the perspective of an isolated monster. For one, he refers to humans as a “multitude of filthy animals.” He also mentions “screams and bitter groans,” which could also relate to human’s perception of him as a monster. Frankenstein’s extreme ignorance towards fixing the problem he has created also contributes to his monster side. (Article of literature and technology). After all his hard work of going through many obstacles in his head he creates the creature. The creature was a horrid creation with terrible appearances no man would want to witness. Even though he put in so much work to create it he gives up on it and is disgusted by his results and runs away from his creation. His life work and all the time he spent trying to redefine the world order in creating the monster is now thrown away because of how cowardly he reacted to the monster’s appearance. The murders that took place are not for the creature to condemn it is the creators fault. The monster has no moral compass and is effected by the neglect of his father and people of society greatly. He could feel he could think he could learn but society is so 2 dimensional, they do not give the monster a chance to live in the world we know. Feeling neglected and shunned from society takes a tole on the creature because he does not feel wanted and is not appreciated by anyone not even his creator. The study of serial killing has been dominated by an individualized focus on the etiology and biography of particular offenders. As such, it has tended to downplay the broader social, historical and cultural context of such acts. This article addresses this lacuna by arguing that serial killers are distinctively modern. It highlights six modern phenomena related to serial killing: the mass media and the attendant rise of a celebrity culture; a society of strangers; a type of mean/ends rationality that is largely divorced from value considerations; cultural frameworks of denigration which tend to implicitly single out some groups for greater predation; particular opportunity structures for Victimization; and finally the notion that society can be engineered. Combined, these factors help to pattern serial killing in modernity’s own self-image, with modernity setting the parameters of what it means to be a serial killer, and establishing the preconditions for serial murder to emerge in its distinctive contemporary guise. (Modern serial killers). The reason why serial killers become the way they do is because of what goes on in their past or what has happened to them regarding hardships and obstacles they could not overpass. Comparison to Frankenstein and his monster the monster was not able to surpass the struggle of being neglected by his father and the world. Studies have shown that babies need to be taken care of by someone when they are young they need to feel love for another so they can grow and have a healthy mind when they get older. The studies have shown that when a bay is not taken care of and is being fed by a robot not a human being they feel neglected and tendency is they do not live a long if. The monster is in the same shoes as the study has shown making the monster being raised by no one but the silence of his own thoughts. He learns on his own and looks at the world in a different way because of how society treats him. This is why he later in the book he tries to catch Victor’s attention to make him create a women for the monster so he could feel the attention and the love that the world did not offer him not even his father offered him this love when he should have so that the monster could not become a serial killer. The monster is not responsible for his actions it is the creator that should be condemned for what he has done. Victor was devoted to his life of science but he soon crossed the line from being devoted to a life of science to becoming too crazy into his work making things harder for him in the future. Now he cannot live his life the way he was planning to because his wife is now dead his brother is now dead his best friend is dead and his father hates him. The reasons for all of this is because of his doings and now he will learn from his actions curiosity killed the cat. Letting people over think things that are not only there passion but their life carreer it makes them do things in that position not a lot of people will do making a lot of problems for that person. The person who was responsible for the killings of the Frankenstein family was the creation that Victor Frankenstein created himself out of the lies and mischievous acts that he was well aware of at the time of his experiment.
In Frankenstein, everyone treats Victor’s creation like a monster including Frankenstein himself. This leads to the creation accepting that title and going on a murder spree. His creation says “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation” (69). Victor’s creation shows that
As a tragic hero, Victor’s tragedies begin with his overly obsessive thirst for knowledge. Throughout his life, Victor has always been looking for new things to learn in the areas of science and philosophy. He goes so far with his knowledge that he ends up creating a living creature. Victor has extremely high expectations for his creation but is highly disappointed with the outcome. He says, “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 35). Frankenstein neglects the creature because of his horrifying looks, which spark the beginning of numerous conflicts and tragedies. At this point, the creature becomes a monster because of Victor’s neglect and irresponsibility. The monster is forced to learn to survive on his own, without anyone or anything to guide him along the way. Plus, the monster’s ugly looks cause society to turn against him, ad...
Although some critics say that the monster Victor has created is to blame for the destruction and violence that follow the experiment, it is Victor who is the responsible party. First, Victor, being the scientist, should have known how to do research on the subject a lot more than he had done. He obviously has not thought of the consequences that may result from it such as the monster going crazy, how the monster reacts to people and things, and especially the time it will take him to turn the monster into the perfect normal human being. This is obviously something that would take a really long time and a lot of patience which Victor lacks. All Victor really wants is to be the first to bring life to a dead person and therefore be famous. The greed got to his head and that is all he could think about, while isolating himself from his friends and family. In the play of Frankenstein, when Victor comes home and sets up his lab in the house, he is very paranoid about people coming in there and finding out what he is doing. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor says:
“I was benevolent and good; misery made me fiend” How far and in what ways is the creature a victim of Frankensteins thirst for knowledge?
Although the Creature later went on to commit crimes, he was not instinctively bad. Victor’s Creature was brought into this world with a child-like innocence. He was abandoned at birth and left to learn about life on his own. After first seeing his creation, Victor “escaped and rushed downstairs.” (Frankenstein, 59) A Creator has the duty to teach his Creature about life, as well as to love and nurture him. However, Victor did not do any of these; he did not take responsibility for his creature. One of the first things that the creature speaks of is that he was a “poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, (he) sat ...
In Frankenstein, Victor’s monster suffers much loneliness and pain at the hands of every human he meets, as he tries to be human like them. First, he is abandoned by his creator, the one person that should have accepted, helped, and guided him through the confusing world he found himself in. Next, he is shunned wherever he goes, often attacked and injured. Still, throughout these trials, the creature remains hopeful that he can eventually be accepted, and entertains virtuous and moral thoughts. However, when the creature takes another crushing blow, as a family he had thought to be very noble and honorable abandons him as well, his hopes are dashed. The monster then takes revenge on Victor, killing many of his loved ones, and on the humans who have hurt him. While exacting his revenge, the monster often feels guilty for his actions and tries to be better, but is then angered and provoked into committing more wrongdoings, feeling self-pity all the while. Finally, after Victor’s death, the monster returns to mourn the death of his creator, a death he directly caused, and speaks about his misery and shame. During his soliloquy, the monster shows that he has become a human being because he suffers from an inner conflict, in his case, between guilt and a need for sympathy and pity, as all humans do.
Victor Frankenstein is a complex character that we have come to learn more about while reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He is a man that seems to have this fervent desire to do what suits him best without regard to what others may think. Victor’s brother William has been murdered and a childhood friend is to pay the price of his death. After sighting what is assumed as the creature created by Victor, Victor is panged with guilt that these events are his fault. If he is correct, then he would be justified in feeling this way because Victor is selfish, stubborn, and lacks compassion for others around him. Victors actions all lead up to the demise of William and Justine.
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly explores the concept of the body, life, ‘the self’ and most of importantly humanity, which is repeatedly questioned throughout the novel. The definition of humanity is the quality of being humane or in other words someone that can feel or possess compassion. Despite all the facts against the “monster” in “Frankenstein” he is indeed what one would consider being human. Humanity isn’t just about ones physical appearance but also includes intellect and emotion. Some people argue that the “monster” is not a human for he was not a creature that was born from “God” or from a human body. That being said, the “monster” is not only able to speak different languages, he can also show empathy - one of many distinct traits that set humans apart from the animals. Both the “monster” and his creator, Victor, hold anger and feel a sense of suffering throughout the novel. Victor is a good person with good intentions just like most individuals, but makes the mistake of getting swept up into his passion of science and without thinking of the consequences he creates a “monster”. After completing his science project, he attempts to move forward with his life, however his past – i.e., the “monster” continues to follow and someone haunt him. While one shouldn’t fault or place blame on Frankenstein for his mistakes, you also can’t help but feel somewhat sympathetic for the creature. Frankenstein just wants to feel accepted and loved, he can’t help the way he treats people for he’s only mimicking how people have treated him, which in most cases solely based on his appearance. Unlike most of the monsters we are exposed to in films past and present, the character of the “monster” ...
In the 1818 text of Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, various forms of human exploitation and oppression lead to the dehumanization of two major characters in the novel: the creature which Victor Frankenstein brings to life, and Victor himself. The creature is deemed an outcast just by his very existence. Victor oppresses his creation solely based on the creature’s grotesque features. Although the creature shares qualities, feelings, and emotions that categorize him as a human, Victor’s oppressive behavior and rejection of the his creation immediately lead to the creature’s dehumanization. Victor is driven by human exploitation, and treads on the laws of nature as he successfully attempts to cheat death and create an artificial being.
Victor Frankenstein was the creator of the monster in the book. He was an ambitious man who had high hopes and dreams for himself, but this characteristic was the cause of his downfall. He had a ruthless desire to obtain forbidden knowledge- a knowledge that only God was worthy of having. This lead him to lock himself in his laboratory, disregarding his family, friends, and health. His one purpose was to create life. In his quest to create a human being and bestow the power of life, Victor eventually did create a creature, but this lead to a situation
In contrast from the creature, Victor utterly tries fixing their dispute with violence creating a great mismatch of qualities and behaviors between the idea of human and monster. Victor actively sharpens his tongue against the creature when degrading him as a “Devil” and “Vile Insect” he even goes to the extent of claiming he will “Extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed” (102). Since the creature fails in resembling a human form Frankenstein’s constantly degrades and explodes this monster. Victor’s actions are based off the creature’s appearance and not of actual threats. Furthermore, Victor’s language and actions of dehumanization towards his creation not only demonstrates narrow mindedness from Victor’s behalf, but illuminates a grand contradiction between both characters. Although Victor physically represents a human his lack of reason and empathy towards his own creation cast him as the real monster during this
A monster is usually viewed to be a supernatural creature that humans judge based on looks and not necessarily on personality. In the novel, Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, the monster is a creature Victor creates but abandons immediately because he is horrified by his own creation. Due to the monster’s appearance, society does not give the creature a chance to show his true self. Therefore, the monster faces an external conflict because of Frankenstein’s and society's rejection, making it difficult for him to blend into his new life. Victor creates the monster because of his unusual compulsion of aspiring to be like God. However, Victor does not know how to treat or be responsible for his creature. Victor Frankenstein is the true monster
As a romantic novel Victor is responsible, because he abandoned his creation. As an archetype novel, Victor is the villain, because he was trying to play god. Finally, Victor as a Gothic novel, Victor is at fault, because, he and the creature are two different parts of the same person. If Frankenstein is looked at as a romantic novel, Victor, not the creature, is truly the villain. When Victor created the creature, he didn't take responsibility for it. He abandoned it, and left it to fend for itself. It is unfair to bring something into the world, and then not teach it how to survive. The creature was miserable, and just wanted a friend or someone to talk to. On page 115, the creature said, "Hateful day when I received life! Accursed the creator. Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust." This line shows the agony the monster was in, because of how he looked when he was created which led to even Victor running away from him. If Victor didn't run, he could have taught the monster and made his life happy. After the creature scared the cottagers away he said, "I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter ...
Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist and the narrator of the main story in Frankenstein. Raised by doting parents, Victor confesses: “I was their plaything and their idol, and something better-their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by Heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me.” (35) This statement condemns his later reckless and arrogant behavior. Victor was obsessed from an early age with natural philosophy and the ultimate knowledge of life. He sought answers to the many questions that puzzled great minds before him. Motivated by ambition and an insatiable quest to be God like and create life, Victor dedicated himself to this one pursuit for nearly two years. The creature, which was made out of old body parts stolen from the cemetery, strange chemicals, and a mysterious spark, convulsed to life. In this moment, Victor becomes a creator of a human life, the “God” to a being that was deserving of the attention and love of its creator.
He created a life, and then spontaneously he quickly decided to run away from his creation. Victor’s actions after creating what he created were really irresponsible, and did not correctly took care of the circumstance’s he put himself in. The creation was never actually evil, but he felt abandoned by what could had been called his father. Frankenstein, the monster, was only a seeker for companionship. He strongly desired to feel loved, rather than abandoned. Society’s evil behavior toward the monster is what altered the monster’s conduct and followed to how he acted.