In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Shelley reveals the need for positive human connections by showing the results of no human connection in both individuals and societies. Throughout the novel, the lack of human connection repeatedly effects different characters into a negative state of mind. The monster and Victor are both driven insane after they are left with no companions, and are forced to drown in their own isolation. The only way to temporality get out of this negative state is through good relationships with friends which brings joy and happiness. Henry and Elizabeth calm Victor through their corresponding with uplifting nature, and their ability to bring happiness in harsh times. Sadly, the significance of man’s problems remains …show more content…
an underlying issue and gradually begins to affect not only the individual, but the society as a whole. The monster vows vengeance on mankind which leaves him on a path of destruction.Victor sees the harm that the monster does, and protects the society by making sure another dreadful monster is not created. Overall, each of Shelley’s aspects continue to express her knowing belief that humans are constantly in need for of human connection. Due to the lack of human connection, both the monster and Victor are affected in a negative way mentally which leads to their downfalls in the novel.
The monster is created like no other person, and his appearance is especially horrific to all of mankind. He becomes increasingly lonely throughout the novel when he realizes that he will never be able to make anyone be his companion since every human is afraid of him. The monster recognizes he was inherently good by saying “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend”, but he loses that goodness after being repeatedly rejected by multiple humans (Shelley 87). The monster becomes so isolated that he begins to become corrupt, and the corruption leads to a sense of jealousy. He has the desire for something that he does not have which is a companion, and becomes obsessed with the fact that he will never have one. This obsession makes him evil, and makes him lose any sense of innocence he once had. On the other hand, Victor is blessed with an abundance of family and friends. Sadly, the monster kills almost all of Victor’s family which leaves him in a depressed state from the loss of his loved ones. Victor feels alone without his family and explains how he goes crazy by saying “For they had called me mad, and during many months, as I understood, a solitary cell had been my habitation” (Shelley 189). He loses all human connection when he loses his family, and this inability to be with someone he can relate to makes him …show more content…
become immersed in his own misery which eventually makes him go insane. The effects of friendship creates happiness and joy into Victor’s life which allows him to temporarily forget his existing problems.
Friendship promotes positive attitudes, and can even be a refuge in hard times. Henry is mentioned throughout Frankenstein due to his importance in Victor’s life. Victor did not get along with many children because he was indifferent, but was united in a unbreakable bond with Henry. They share common interests, and often times exchange ideas that they may come across. Henry is always supportive to Victor, and always seems to see the good in nature which can heal people and make existing problems go away. When with Henry, Victor is more light hearted and even is able to release anxiety about the monster. Victor deeply loves Henry, and even describes him by saying “His soul overflowed with ardent affections, and his friendship was of that devoted and wondrous nature” (Shelley 145). Similarly, Elizabeth is a deep influence on Victor’s life which brings him great pleasure. Elizabeth is his adopted sister, and the love of his life. Victor considers her his pride and delight, and would do anything to protect her even if it meant risking his own life. Elizabeth brings out the best in Victor, and she can always brighten up his day by noticing the beauty of nature. Victor explains Elizabeth as “the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures” (Shelley 21). Victor easily relates with Elizabeth which creates a strong bond
between the two of them, and this makes Victor have great peace of mind. Throughout the novel Frankenstein, the significance of man’s problems has not only affected the individual, but rather the society as a whole. Victor creates the monster with only his interest at mind, but the whole society is at stake when the monster “vowed eternal vengeance to all of mankind” (Shelley 130). The monster becomes vicious after being repeatedly rejected by mankind which puts humans at danger. Victor did not know that the monster would become so evil, but once it was created it can not be taken back. The monster believed that specific humans, like the DeLacey family, would protect him and be his companion. They reject him, and even run from him in horror. This brings great pain and fury to the monster, and he even says “ I reflected that they spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger” (Shelley 127). He goes on a rampat path of destruction, and even burns down the DeLacey’s old home. Victor sees the destructions that the monster is inflicting which influences him into not making a companion monster. The monster approaches Victor demanding he create a female version of himself which could be his life companion. After many times changing his mind, Victor decides not to create the female monster for the sake of the society. He wants to protect the society from the monster that could do equal evil as the monster, and he even expresses this by saying “never will I create another like yourself, equal in deformity and wickedness” (Shelley 157). Victor even destroys any evidence of the female monster, so nobody could find the pieces. He does this to make sure nobody could possibly make the same mistake as him, and create an evil monster. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley expresses through multiple characters that humans need positive human connections or individuals and societies will have a negative impact. The monster helps support this idea when he is repeatedly rejected by mankind which influences him into going on a rampage of destruction for revenge. Victor sees this destruction, and decides to destroy any evidence of the female monster in order to protect the society. Elizabeth and Henry prove that friendship has a positive impact by providing a sense of support and happiness into Victor's life. Without any human connection, Victor and the monster become immersed into the misery and become mentally unstable. Companions are essential to promote positive attitudes, and avoid corruption from isolation. Thus proving, human interactions are the foundations in a society that keeps everything orderly and to keep humans happy and healthy.
In the novel, Victor is raised up by two happy parents in caring and indulgence. He receives a sister, an education, affection, and a wife from his family. However, unlike Victor, the Monster does not have any maternal or paternal figure to care and teach him values. When the Monster first escapes from Victor’s apartment and enters into the forest, he lives like an animal. He eats berries, drinks water from the streams when he gets thirsty, and sleeps in anywhere. These actions illustrate the Monster’s natural impulse for needs of food and shelters.
Victor is saying that he does not want to talk to Henry, he would rather remain alone. This shows that he has been “cut off” from society. He does not even acknowledge his own friends. His studies have made him unsocial, and he does not know how to act in a social environment, as he is so used to being in solitude. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, Victor demonstrates that the endless pursuit of knowledge, may lead to the deterioration of relationships.
To begin, the monster longed for human connection so badly, he even begged Victor to create his wife: “You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do, and I demand it of you as my right which you must not refuse to concede,” (174). In this quote, the monster asks Victor to make him a companion, which Victor blatantly denies. This eventually leads to
With nobody to reason with, Victor makes senseless decisions while he is alone. Victor begins this with his process of creating the monster. Nobody in the right mind would ever dig up graves, but that is just what victor goes and does. Once this creation is finally given life, which Victor has spent two years striving for, Victor foolishly abandons it. Victor comes to his senses to some degree after he brings life to the monster as he states, “‘now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 43). Had there been companions around Victor during this creation time, perhaps someone would have been able to guide Victor away from creating the “wretch” (Shelley 43) he so hopelessly conceived. As for the monster, he makes fairly good decisions even without guidance from anyone, including Victor, his creator. The monster has the desire to learn and gain knowledge as a genuine individual. As the monster is continuously rejected and shunned by mankind, his natural benevolence turns to malevolence. In his loneliness, the monster wrongly decides to declare “‘everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery’” (Shelley 126). Say the monster was able to have comrades of some kind around him, he would not have turned to this
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...
In Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”, the monster’s account of his life from the day of his “birth” is distinct to the audience. As the monster constructs a narrative of his life from the day of his “birth” throughout his development in the novel, he has a request for his creator, Victor Frankenstein, too—to create a female partner for him. Although Victor Frankenstein does not fulfill the task he was requested to do, the monster persuaded him to agree to and to fulfill the task of creating a female partner for him. The monster uses ethos, organic imagery, and tonal shift to persuade his creator, Victor Frankenstein, to fulfill the task.
...e seeking help and strength to take care of problems in their lives. Victor Frankenstein is a man with a loving and caring family. Family and friends are an important part of his life. He has his whole life in front of him, when creates his monster. He creates the monster in the likeness of man with same need of love and affection as man. Although, this is his creation, he lets the monster down and does not care for him. The monster begins to feel neglected and lonely and wants desperately to have a human relationship. The monster turns angry and revengeful because he is so sad and abandoned. He wants Victor to feel the way that he does, all alone. The monster succeeds and Victor ends up losing all the important in his life and his own life. In the end, the monster dies and the need for human relationship becomes the destruction for both the monster and Victor.
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.
“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” ...
remembers what it feels like to be loved, but is then hurt again by the sense of love and belonging. The three characters also see what it feels like to be completely alone and neglected. Robert is alone on his journey, the creature is abandoned by his creator and Victors’ expectations of a companion bring him more. Victor is the loneliest of all of the characters in the novel Frankenstein. The desire for companionship affects the characters throughout their whole lives and how they treat one another. Victor is the loneliest of all the characters.
Since the monster has grown and has developed the concepts of life and why people reject him, all he wants is to be accepted and loved. He wants a companion because he is lonely in his isolation from the society. “He explains that since Victor deserted him he has been without companionship; all who see him run away in terror” (“Overview”). The monster understands that he is a hideous monster but he still wants to feel loved and accepted by society. He wants a companion to share his life with and be happy with. He is not given that opportunity because of his appearance. The monster will always be isolated from the world because no one can give him companionship. “If any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them an hundred and an hundred fold; for that one creature 's sake, I would make peace with the whole kind! But I now indulge in dreams of bliss that cannot be realized” (Shelley, 105). The monster has been isolated all of his life and all he wants is to have a companion. Isolation has made the monster feel alone and like an outcast. The isolation of the monster has the negative effect of making him lonely and in need of a companion. The monster finds Victor and demands that he build another monster for the monster to be a companion with, or an “Eve”. After Victor says yes and then changes his mind and says no, the monster casts revenge of Victor. “...he declares 'everlasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me, and sent me forth to this insupportable misery” (Bond). The monster is angry at Victor. He wants Victor to build him a companion or he will kill everyone that Victor loves. After Victor rejects the idea, the monster wants Victor to feel the loneliness and isolation that the monster has felt all his life. “...if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear; and chiefly towards you, my
The monster does not resemble Victor physically; instead, they share the same personalities. For example, Victor and the monster are both loving beings. Both of them want to help others and want what is best for others. Victor and the monster try to help the people that surround them. Victor tries to console his family at their losses, and the monster assists the people living in the cottage by performing helpful tasks. However, Victor and the monster do not reflect loving people. The evil that evolves in Victor’s heart is also present in the monster.
Victor, out of horror of what he had created leaves the monster in isolation. The monster describes what it was like, “It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate… I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept,” (Shelley 87). At this point the monster is just an innocent child, who in his first hours has faced abandonment and such strong emotions. However, he is pure, like most babies. While he looks like a monstrosity he shows himself to be anything but. His first encounters with humans are all very negative. A man runs away screaming just at the sight of him. Villagers pelted him with rocks and chased him away. This makes him very fearful of humans. However, when he comes across the De Lacey family in their little cottage he sees how peaceful they are and he regains some hope. “What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners of these people; and I longed to join them, but dared not. I remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would remain quietly in my hovel, watching, and endeavoring to discover the motives which influenced their actions,” (Shelley 93). He is curious little
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.
He had asked Victor to create him another monster as a companion and if he doesn’t keep his promise, then he will be miserable. When Victor goes to England with the intention of creating this promised monster, his friend Henry follows him. After several months, Victor destroys the half created creature and this upsets the monster very much so because he wants this companion. When he kills Henry, the monster distinctly planned it so that Victor would be blamed for the murder. Through all this confusion on who killed Henry, Victor knew all along that the monster did it. At this point, Victor knew that he must return to Geneva to protect his family whom he loved very much (Shelley 181). Since this monster killed Henry, Victor knew that his family was now is in danger. The monster is very happy that Victor is having to suffer because, Victor is now feeling the loneliness that he feels all the time. Though the monster’s character is not evil, the pain he feels is what he wants his creator to feel. His revenge only increases throughout the book because he is only longing for a fellow companion that Victor can only give him, but yet he is choosing not to create it. The anger that is within the monster is only growing and this is increasing the possibilities of him hurting more