Many people consider Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" to be a remarkable gothic work because of its dark topics, gloomy atmosphere, and supernatural aspects. Frankenstein was written in the early 19th century, and perfectly captures the spirit of the Gothic genre with its depiction of the macabre, the enigmatic, and the monstrous. The somber themes of "Frankenstein," which center on morality, loneliness, and unending ambition, are among its most significant elements. Victor Frankenstein’s ceaseless ambition results in the birth of a grotesque creature, trapped inside its own ugly body, constantly wondering why it was born and why it should suffer due to its birth. The Modern Day Prometheus tries his best to play God and ends up creating an inquisitive creature with a good heart, shoved into a …show more content…
Victor's obsession with his research drives him to withdraw from society, which deteriorates his physical and mental state. Similarly, the creature is abandoned and condemned to a life of loneliness, fueling its anger and desire for revenge. In “Frankenstein”, the topic of what it means to be human is one that is often raised. The monster has a consciousness and possibly a soul since, despite his horrific looks and unusual birth, he is full of emotional and moral dilemmas. The reader is compelled to consider what defines a person, including our physical attributes such as strength, height, and attractiveness, as well as our moral obligations, empathy, and compassion. Throughout the book, the creature learns new things often and shows intense emotions, while Victor is preoccupied with the consequences of his own actions and his own hubris. He doesn't see humanity in his own creation until it's too late, since he is so consumed with pursuing his scientific goals. Victor notices the creature's violent rampage only after it has started, leading him to a profound sense of regret and
Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature highlights Frankenstein as the work of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, published in 1818, and it brought into the Western world one of its best known monsters. Elements of gothic romance and science fiction help in telling the story of young Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, as he creates a horrible monster by putting together limbs and veins, leading to destruction and his later regret. The creature is left alone in the world, even by his own creator, for his hideous appearance, and through watching humans he learns their ways of living. Haunting Victor due to his loneliness, he forcefully makes Victor agree to make him a female companion, but Victor’s regret and misery enables him to tear up his
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...
Victor Frankenstein, a man obsessed with scientific oddities since his youth, finds a way to reanimate the dead. Hoping to create “a new species [who] would bless me as their creator,” (33) thus leading to, what he hopes to be, “the creation of a human being;” (33) however, his attempt produces merely a living being. A being which Victor grows to despise and fear, despite Victors initial claims that “darkness had no effect upon [his] fancy” (31). Later within the novel he describes his experiment as a catastrophe when he “saw the dull yellow eyes of the creature open” (Shelley 35). The attempt the creature makes to join the society is met with violent rejection; leading him on an endeavor to humanize himself through knowledge and language. As the creature grows, intellectually speaking, he comes to the realization that the humans will never allow him to be part of society nor will Victor ever accept the being that he created. Leading to the deterioration of the educated image the creature painstakingly created for himself. Due to the reactions of society, the creature goes through a paradigm shift when he is faced with the realization that due to his outward appearance, he will never be recognized by society as human, therefore being denied the rights of man. The creatures growth, which ultimately leads to deterioration, could be depicted within four steps; Victors view of his creation, the Villagers reaction to the creature, the creature at the cottage, and the eventual deterioration of the creature through murder.
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” ...
Science fiction writing began in the early 1800’s as a reaction to the growth in science and technology. The genre is characterized by its intellectual excitement, high adventure, and its making of the fantastic possible. Due to the nature of science fiction, film has become an essential piece to its popularity. Science fiction films have been popular since the earliest silent clips because of the outlandish visuals and creative fictional story lines that capture an audience’s attention. Under the guise of this popular platform writers relay political, social and philosophical messages to their audience. The popular 1931 version of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, depicts an anti-exploration and anti-intellectual philosophy. In Frankenstein there is criticisms for the immoral behavior that is involved with progresses, the natural tendency for humanity to attempt to be greater than God and the pursuit of knowledge.
Like most horror stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has a wretched monster who terrorizes and kills his victims with ease. However, the story is not as simple as it seems. One increasingly popular view of the true nature of the creature is one of understanding. This sympathetic view is often strengthened by looking at the upbringing of the creature in the harsh world in which he matures much as a child would. With no friends or even a true father, the creature can be said to be a product of society and its negative views and constant rejections of him. Although this popular view serves to lessen the severity of his crimes in most people’s eyes, the fact remains that the creature is in fact a cold-hearted wretch whose vindictive nature is brought through the killings which take place throughout the story. Regardless of his unfortunate upbringing and life, however, the creature is a being determined to ruin the life of Victor, through being the master of Victor’s life and every day existence, almost in a slave and master scenario, who feels remorse but continues to kill anyway and is therefore deserving of the title, "monster".
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.
Victor Frankenstein's determination to constitute a race causes him to create a deformed creature, which he immediately rejects. In the first place, Victor, who is strong willed, spends both night and day working on his creation, his initial concern is to create a race in which he may be their leader. He also uses parts that are bigger in size so that he may finish faster. When he finishes his reaction is completely different from what he had expected. For instance, when he is done with his creation he becomes so appalled by its appearance that he "rushed out of the room" (42). When Victor awakens the next morning he finds the creature at his bedside and at that moment he leaves. When he returns he finds an empty house with no creature in sight, which brings him a feeling of relief. Victor describes the creature as a "demonical corpse" (43) to which he has given life. Furthermore, Victor, sometime later, sees the creature at a distance and never once decides to approach it. Instead Victor always rushes in the opposing direction. For example, while Victor is on his journey home he crosses the lake to Plainpalais and sees...
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.
Victor Frankenstein proves his ability of holding ultimate knowledge by creating life, but as a whole, the society shows a greater impact over others. The Creature 's physical strength plays a vital role in the novel as well. Through the Creature’s many murders, he showed his strength and mental drive to accomplish the things he wanted. The desire for power plays a vital role within the novel, pushing the characters to act out in either a positive or negative manner. Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and the society all show a different type of influence over others within the novel, creating different desires of
Victor’s drive to create life from has died compelled him to create an unnamed creature. The creature was eventually Victor’s demise, destroying almost every piece of joy Victor had once held close. Although the creature commits horrible acts against Victor and many innocent civilians, multiple signs point to the idea the creature is not the true monster of this novel. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores what makes one monstrous through the ideas desire for knowledge, neglect, and irresponsibility.
Throughout the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the Monster gives an in-depth personal analysis of what it means to be human. Throughout the story, the monster proves his ability to express complex emotions unique to the human experience. While exploring the monster’s humanity, the argument of fault is made. Thus introducing the notion that a monster is an embodiment of society's fears, (physical advancements that make violence more capable, and cruel actions that may render one as “inhumane”) and that society projects the state onto the monster. Victor's duality of cruelty and human emotions questions the reader to assess Victor's moral standing and whether he is also a monster.
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).
Alvares, Brallan Mrs. Hodson –Burt English12IB Per.3B 28th May 2015 Book Review: Frankenstein Frankenstein Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 1818 280 Pages Thousand Oaks Library Frankenstein stood out to me because it was something that I was not expecting. Considering how the monster of Frankenstein has been perceived over the past few decades in the media, I expected it to be about an evil scientist who created a killing machine on purpose. To my surprise, it was a very interesting story that presented a theme I could relate to.