One in the Same The creature, a creation by the selfish and glory seeking scientist, Victor notes, “Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly, and exult in the agony of the torturing flames”( Shelley 186). Before vanishing, the creature expresses these last words to communicate his frustration toward all of the circumstances in his life. He describes all the challenges in his life as “burning miseries” because they have been with him his entire life, and they force him to live his life in ways he did not imagine. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she addresses the challenges that arise in both the creation and life of a dead creature that has been brought back to life in hideous forms. The …show more content…
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 creature resembles similar aspects of a human when he has to adjust and live in an environment where he has to separate himself from his community because of the deformity of his …show more content…
As the creature explores the teaching form the history book and the story and communication of the De Lacey family he insists, “I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language; which knowledge might enable me to make them overlook the deformity of my figure” (Shelley 95). Because the humans run away with fear in response to the creatures looks, he believes that the best way for him to relinquish their fear is by learning how to speak their language. Not only does he want to learn how to communicate with them, but he wants to become the “master of their language” so that his words overshadow the effects of his features. As many humans do, they judge the creature immediately without giving him an opportunity to explain his story. The creature is similar to humans in the way he responds to the judgment by others. Like many do today, the creature goes above and beyond the limitations of his world to show others around him that he should not receive poor treatment because of his differences. By exploring the language of the villagers, the monster is able to use the negativity from his surroundings as his motivations to learn how to explain his story to
Frankenstein is the story of an eccentric scientist whose masterful creation, a monster composed of sown together appendages of dead bodies, escapes and is now loose in the country. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly’s diction enhances fear-provoking imagery in order to induce apprehension and suspense on the reader. Throughout this horrifying account, the reader is almost ‘told’ how to feel – generally a feeling of uneasiness or fright. The author’s diction makes the images throughout the story more vivid and dramatic, so dramatic that it can almost make you shudder.
The author uses diction in the passages to signify the effect of the author¡¯s meaning in story and often sway readers to interpret ideas in one way or another. The man in the story arrives to a ¡°[dry] desert¡± where he accosts an animal with ¡°long-range attack¡± and ¡°powerful fangs.¡± The author creates a perilous scene between the human and animal in order to show that satisfaction does not come from taking lives. With instincts of silence and distrust, both of them freeze in stillness like ¡°live wire.¡± In addition, the man is brought to the point where animal¡¯s ¡°tail twitched,¡± and ¡°the little tocsin sounded¡± and also he hears the ¡°little song of death.¡± With violence ready to occur, the man tries to protect himself and others with a hoe, for his and their safety from the Rattler. The author criticizes how humans should be ¡°obliged not to kill¡±, at least himself, as a human. The author portrays the story with diction and other important techniques, such as imagery, in order to influence the readers with his significant lesson.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is ‘one of the pioneering works of modern science fiction’, and is also a frightening story that speaks to the ‘mysterious fears of our nature’. Mary Shelley mocks the idea of “playing God”, the idea that came from the Greek myth of Prometheus, of the Greek titan who stole Zeus’ gift of life. Both the story of Frankenstein and Prometheus reveal the dark side of human nature and the dangerous effects of creating artificial life. Frankenstein reveals the shocking reality of the consequences to prejudging someone. The creature’s first-person narration reveals to us his humanity, and his want to be accepted by others even though he is different. We are shown that this ‘monster’ is a ‘creature’ and more of a human than we think.
After bringing life to something seemingly horrible, Victor Frankenstein reveals his personality of avoidance and arrogance. Instead of facing the creature he created, he runs away from the problem. His motivations for the experiment vary, but there is one clear one that he even admits. "The world," he says, "was to me a secret which I desired to divine" (Shelley 18). Victor tells us that he's curious, and more importantly that he's always been this way. Victor has been raised in a very loving family. His father and mother were kind parents who loved all of their children, and even adopted some children. Victor, however, grows up a little indulged and perhaps because of this, he is selfish. He is stubborn and unyielding about many things. For
Most importantly, the creature wrestles with the nature of his identity by asking “who was I?” . Being able to consider such human questions concerning identity and existence, the creature shows an intellectual capability unique to human beings. In the same respect of reflection, the creature acknowledges and respects his creator as exclaims “I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king, if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which thou owest me.” (Shelley 84).
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.
Works Cited for: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. a. a. a. a. a J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a nineteenth century literary work that delves into the world of science and the plausible outcomes of morally insensitive technological research. Although the novel brings to the forefront several issues about knowledge and sublime nature, the novel mostly explores the psychological and physical journey of two complex characters. While each character exhibits several interesting traits that range from passive and contemplative to rash and impulsive, their most attractive quality is their monstrosity. Their monstrosities, however, differ in the way each of the character’s act and respond to their environment. Throughout Frankenstein, one assumes that Frankenstein’s creation is the true monster. While the creation’s actions are indeed monstrous, one must also realize that his creator, Victor Frankenstein is also a villain. His inconsiderate and selfish acts as well as his passion for science result in the death of his friend and family members and ultimately in his own demise.
...ess of meaning generated to compensate for the lack of completeness in relationships constructed by language. The excess of meaningless signification, seeking resolution for false desire (such as creating a female mate) drives the Monster to irrational actions as he cannot fathom how language, which he sees as superior to the imaginary, cannot fulfill his requests as he witnessed them fulfilled during his time watching the De Lacys.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, explores the monstrous and destructive affects of obsession, guilt, fate, and man’s attempt to control nature. Victor Frankenstein, the novel’s protagonist and antihero, attempts to transcend the barriers of scientific knowledge and application in creating a life. His determination in bringing to life a dead body consequently renders him ill, both mentally and physically. His endeavors alone consume all his time and effort until he becomes fixated on his success. The reason for his success is perhaps to be considered the greatest scientist ever known, but in his obsessive toil, he loses sight of the ethical motivation of science. His production would ultimately grieve him throughout his life, and the consequences of his undertaking would prove disastrous and deadly. Frankenstein illustrates the creation of a monster both literally and figuratively, and sheds light on the dangers of man’s desire to play God.
As the monster discovered, language is intertwined with culture (Brooks 594). He is on the side of nature, a deformed creature of appearance, and upon catching sight of his reflection understands not to show himself to the cottagers, of whom he yearns to win the love of, for fear of them fleeing (595). He is ‘excluded but learning the means, by which to be included’ (595) with language.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein (sometimes also known as The Modern Prometheus) is the classic gothic novel of her time. In this eerie tale, Dr. Victor Frankenstein – suffering from quite an extreme superiority complex – brings to life a creature made from body parts of deceased individuals from nearby cemeteries. Rather than to embrace the Creature as his own, Frankenstein alienates him because of his unpleasant appearance. Throughout the novel, the Creature is ostracized not only by Frankenstein but by society as a whole. Initially a kind and gentle being, the Creature becomes violent and eventually seeks revenge for his creator’s betrayal. Rather than to merely focus on the exclusion of the Creature from society, Shelley depicts the progression of Dr. Frankenstein’s seclusion from other humans as well, until he and the Creature ultimately become equals – alone in the world with no one to love, and no one to love them back. Frankenstein serves as more than simply a legendary tale of horror, but also as a representation of how isolation and prejudice can result in the demise of the individual.
Although he tries to love and be loved, he is born into a world that hates him, and lives a life of sorrow and loneliness. His inner conflictions between deciding to be compassionate and giving into hatred leave him pleading with Victor, but to no avail. A few of the creature’s words stand out and exemplify the sorrow that consumes him. The creature, being very much influenced by Paradise Lost, says statements such as, “…I ought to be the thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” (84), and “But it is even so; the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil.
Frankenstein is a horror novel by Mary Shelley which explores the repercussions of Victor Frankenstein’s decision to reanimate a dead body and ultimately creating a “monster.” However, throughout the course of the novel, the “monster” is influenced by its surrounding that the monstrous things that occur to the characters are indirectly caused by another, true monster. Through Pieces’ interactions with the human world, his inability to live to society’s expectations, and the treatment he receives from his human creator, it is evident that the bigger monster is humans themselves since they transformed Pieces into who he is. The social neglect and rejection Pieces receives from interacting with humans illustrates how society can be more monstrous than
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a story about a man, Victor Frankenstein, who is infatuated with the concept of life and how it plays into the human body. He becomes so obsessed with the science of life and death that he creates a monster. However, once he creates the form of life, Frankenstein is overcome by horror and regret which results in him abandoning the monster. Throughout the story, Frankenstein battles internally and externally with his creation. In Frankenstein, the reader can better understand Frankenstein’s cowardliness, drive, and lack of compassion when considering the creators in the “Myth of Prometheus” and the book of “Genesis”.