Aubree Pattie
English Honors VI
Mrs. Schroeder
Frankenstein
In Frankenstein, the desire for power was key to survival; with the discovery of new ideas the characters claim to drive themselves over the power of others and to free themselves from others. Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and the monster all have desires for power. With the recreation of the monster, gain knowledge with a new passage, and becoming independent each of these drives were to gain power.
As a child, Victor Frankenstein was sophisticated and longed to explore all the possibilities of life. In school, Victor was dedicated to science; this is where his desire for power began. In Frankenstein, Victor says that, “ Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated
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my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science.” (Frankenstein 34) During his time studying at the University of Ingolstadt, teachers and students were very impressed with Victor's accomplishments throughout his years at Ingolstadt. When he noticed that he could accomplish great things, he got a brilliant idea to revive a dead body.
He used skills he learned during his college studies, including chemistry like Chemistry, Alchemy, and Electricity to recreate the dead body. He created the monster but after he brought it to life he felt animosity towards the monster and did not fully comprehend how to treat the monster.Once Victor has brought his creation into the world his response in shock by running away from the monster. When Victor runs away from the monster, the monster was raving against Victor leaving him and murdered Victor’s youngest brother William. It was unknown to the family and friends as to who killed William, but Victor knew the …show more content…
truth. Victor set out to Geneva, where he visits Mount Montabert when the monster approached Victor begging him to make him a mate. Victor refuses to recreate another monster, but a deal was made between the monster and Victor stating that if Victor made the mate for the monster, the monster would have to leave Europe and go to South America. Victor takes the deal and prepares to recreate a mate for the monster this was a second act of power over the monster. They begin their secret work in England and in Scotland with a well known friend, Henry Clerval. Victor and Elizabeth get married on Victor's return to the British Isles, this is when his desire for love overpowers any other emotion Frankenstein had.
Victor said, “I was alike ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness.” (Frankenstein 202) His second thoughts led him to demolished the mate for the monster and is going to dispose of the remains in the sea. The monster was enraged and very vengeful towards Victor with him not upholding the end of the deal. When Victor and Henry set out to sea a storm drags his boat into the sea and they end up in Ireland. Victor washed up on shore unharmed, but Henry died on the shores of Ireland. Victor is convicted of murdering Henry Clerval, a well known friend and is put on trial. Victor was innocent of the
crime. With Victor and Elizabeth's wedding placed Victor became very paranoid with the thought of what the monster could do to his family. Victor puts aside what the monsters intentions were, but the monster does infact get into Elizabeth's room and strangle her. Victor wanted revenge for the death of her fiancee and sets out to kill the monster which he had brought to life. Victor chases the monster throughout parts of Europe and Russia. When he thought he had caught the monster near the Arctic Circle, that’s when Robert Walton discovered him on the iceburg. Victor was taken aboard Robert Walton’s ship to recover from exhaustion. Walton wrote letters to his sister, Margaret Saville in England, explaining to her what his intentions were to find a passage between Russia and the Pacific Ocean, we know today as the Arctic Ocean. Like frankenstein, Walton had the desire to discover new parts of life and the dedication to science. The monster also gets on board to tell Walton his side of the story, when he finishes his side, the monster disappears into the darkness never to be seen again. Much like the monster, Walton always felt alone and distant from society. The monster freed himself from his creator, Victor Frankenstein early in his life. When he disappeared and left the University to go explore the countryside. he wanders upon a family who takes him in, the De Lacey’s. The De Laceys read the monster excerpts of Paradise Lost, where the monster taught himself how to read and understand people “Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which I had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch’s Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter. The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were employed in their ordinary occupations.” (Frankenstein 151) . The creature was able to bond with the father in this family because the father was blind and he felt as if he had a direct connection to him. The monster sets out to go explore the woods and when he does he comes across a jacket and letters that were written and lost by Victor. The monster read the letters and educated himself about the creation and how he felt that he was abandoned of mankind. The desire to seek power between Walton, Frankenstein, and the monster, Victor Frankenstein gained power when he dedicated himself to the creation of the monster. Frankenstein and Walton are similar with the way they view the world. When the creature was created, the monster freed himself from Frankenstein to explore other forms of life. He discovered what love is and desired to have it. The monster tried to gain power over Victor when he asked for a mate, and frankenstein failed him, then the monster killed Victor's brother and elizabeth in cold blood. Each of these characters in Frankenstein did infact have a drive for power as well as freed themselves from power. Work Cited "Frankenstein." Frankenstein, Based on the Novel by Mary Shelley (n.d.): n. pag. Web. Ode to the west wind Holy sonnet 10 I wander lonely as a cloud To a mouse Echoing green The tyger
In Volume 1 and 3 of Frankenstein, Victor’s reason for creating the “monster” changes drastically; however, ultimately leading to the same consequence of suffering and depression. Through this change in Victor, Shelley argues that all humans have an instinctive notation of right from wrong and learn from their mistakes. Victor left his friends and family to go to college; when there, he had no friends and social life. His top and only priority was his schoolwork; he read all he can about the sciences, especially chemistry and anatomy. When finished with his studies, Victor is ready to start his creation when he confirms his proceedings aloud, “Winter, spring, and summer, passed away during my labours; but I did not watch the blossom or the expanding leaves-sights which before always yielded me supreme delight, so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation. The leaves of that year had withered before my work drew near to a close; and now every day shewed me more plainly how well I had succeeded.
Victor’s lack of compassion and sympathy towards the monster causes him to become angry instead of guilty. His cruelness to his creation made the monster kill and hurt the people he did but “when [he] reflected on [the monster’s] crimes and malice, [Victor’s] hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation,”(Shelley 325). Without compassion Victor thinks that the only way to stop the monster is to get revenge on him, instead of just giving him the empathy and kindness that monster craved. Victor realizes that "if he were vanquished, [he] should be a free man...balanced by those horrors of remorse and guilt which would pursue [him] until death. ”(Shelley 731).
In conclusion, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein shows readers how irresponsibility and the excessive need for knowledge can cause suffering among others as well as oneself. Victor never intends to cause such harm; however, he is not cautious and observant with his actions, which ultimately leads to his classification as a tragic hero. The desire to learn is most definitely a wonderful trait to have, as long as one’s knowledge doesn’t reach the extent that Victor Frankenstein’s unfortunately does.
Most people agree that Victor Frankenstein holds the most power in the text. In creating the monster, he not only has the power to create life but also the power to, indirectly, save or destroy others lives. Critics of his character speculate that Justine could have been saved had be only confessed his actions in Ingolstadt.
Locked in a perpetual struggle for dominance, both struggle to gain internal peace. Victor Frankenstein feels obligated to destroy his creation for the good of society, and the Monster wishes to come to terms with his abandonment – both are unable to find happiness. Here there is a contrast of power: Frankenstein’s intellectual power contrary to the Monster’s physical power (this is however, not to say the Monster lacked intellectual power, only that Frankenstein possesses greater fear of the physical aspects of the Monster). The first instance of this battle for power can be seen when the Monster demands of Frankenstein to “create a female…with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.” (p174) – here Frankenstein is in control. He is the only one that has the knowledge to create another being like the Monster, and thus, when the Monster asks this favour of Frankenstein he places his happiness in the hands of another. The Monster is dependent on the actions of another. However, there is a power reversal when Frankenstein denies the monster his ‘female’ (p174). Frankenstein dashes the Monster’s last hope at happiness, so the Monster threatens the life of his loved ones. Here, Frankenstein is at the mercy of his creation. For though “[Frankenstein is the] creator… [the Monster is his master” (p205) – here the Monster establishes his dominance over Frankenstein by outwardly stating his power over his creator. This power struggle is most effectively culminated in the chase around the globe. Yet it must be seen that neither Frankenstein and his Monster are in control. The Monster leaves clues for Frankenstein, demonstrating his need for Frankenstein to follow him, for without Frankenstein the Monster has no purpose in life. On the other hand, Frankenstein is following his creation all over the world, through desert, sea, and cold. Thus, it is clear that as a
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the main theme revolves around the internal and external consequences of being isolated from others. Being isolated from the world could result in a character losing his/her mental state and eventually causing harm to themselves or others. Because both Victor Frankenstein and the creature are isolated from family and society, they experienced depression, prejudice, and revenge.
In the book, Frankenstein, there are many justice and injustice problems. Justice is the opposite of injustice, the way that injustice is unfairness or undeserved outcomes. I believe that the greatest injustice in the book is the creation of the monster. I believe the human kind should not have the right to even try to create life, they are not God. in someway, victor is taking away a major role in a woman's life, in how women are the only one the can “give life”, in the giving birth to a human being.
Victor Frankenstein finds himself exploring the world of science against his fathers wishes but he has an impulse to go forward in his education through university. During this time any form of science was little in knowledge especially the chemistry which was Victors area if study. Victor pursues to go farther than the normal human limits of society. “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (Chapter 4). He soon finds the answer he was looking for, the answer of life. He becomes obsessed with creating a human being. With his knowledge he believes it should be a perfe...
Victor Frankenstein serves as an instrument of suffering of others and contributes to the tragic vision as a whole in this novel. He hurts those surrounding him by his selfish character and his own creation plots against his master due to the lack of happiness and love. The audience should learn from Frankenstein’s tragic life and character to always remain humble. We should never try to take superiority that is not granted to us because like victor we shall suffer and perish. He had the opportunity to make a difference in his life and take responsibility as a creator but his selfishness caused him to die alone just like what he had feared.
As a response to the Enlightenment movement in 18th century Europe, Romanticism gradually began to undermine the way people thought about human consciousness and nature itself. Appreciation of the natural beauty of the world and pure, human emotion bloomed in Europe as Romanticism’s influence grew ("Topic Page: Romanticism”). Romantics valued Individualism and thought that being close to nature would make them closer to God (Morner and Rausch). People also searched for solace in nature to overcome the adversities and cynicisms that followed the French Revolution ("French Revolution."). Romanticism and Romantic ideals influenced Mary Shelley, and that influence can be seen throughout her novel Frankenstein. The two main characters, Victor Frankenstein
Many people know that Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, was part of a family of famed Romantic era writers. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was one of the first leaders of the feminist movement, her father, William Godwin, was a famous social philosopher, and her husband, Percy Shelley, was one of the leading Romantic poets of the time ("Frankenstein: Mary Shelley Biography."). What most people do not know, however, is that Mary Shelley dealt with issues of abandonment her whole life and fear of giving birth (Duncan, Greg. "Frankenstein: The Historical Context."). When she wrote Frankenstein, she revealed her hidden fears and desires through the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation, putting him symbolically in her place (Murfin, Ross. "Psychoanalytic Criticism and Frankenstein.”). Her purpose, though possibly unconsciously, in writing the novel was to resolve both her feelings of abandonment by her parents, and fears of her own childbirth.
..., played God, abandoned his creation, and then hid any relation to the creature. Victor is quite at fault for the murders that take place in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. True, the monster does know right from wrong, the difference is he was not brought up by his parents that way. How to live life is something that is learned and imprinted through experience and guidance. The monster was never fully given the chance to live because upon the day he arrived he was instantly rejected. Victor created the monster physically and emotionally within himself and in turn died by it.
Frankenstein has been interested in natural science since childhood and has described himself to “always have been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature”(Shelley 25), which foreshadows his future aspiration to create life, and
Victor ignored the creature and pretended that he did not exist. Eventually the creature matured and wanted to search out his maker. The creature becomes angered when it realized that his maker has abandoned him and does not want him. In pursuit of Victor the creature kills Victor’s brother, William. Victor loses all ambition and hope he had about the resurrection of the creature, but the creature gains ambition. He wants to make Victor love and accept him. The creature sets his mind on the goal of acceptance and will do anything to achieve it. In Act 2 of Frankenstein the creature kills the gamekeeper, William and Fritz to show Victor that he is important. The creature is proving that ambition without morals and foresight hurts those closest to
Mary Shelley in her book Frankenstein addresses numerous themes relevant to the current trends in society during that period. However, the novel has received criticism from numerous authors. This paper discusses Walter Scott’s critical analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in his Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Review of Frankenstein (1818).