Jean-Jacque Rousseau influence on Mary shelleys Frankenstein
"I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the like of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other."
Mary Shelley wrote the novel 'Frankentein' in 1818, During tis time the was a revolution taking place often referred to as the age of reason, or 'the enlightenment'. Throughout this time the public began to revolt against the powers of the time, reinvistioning how they looked at the world through different sciences and technologies, and taking vast amounts of power away from blindsight belief and religion. People began to use logic and the sciences of the time to investigate and give reason to different phenomena.
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This upheaval of society was spurred on by various public figures and philosophers of the time, these include John Locke, Voltaire and Jean-Jacque Rousseau. These philosophers had a profound effect on the literature of the time, their theories can be found in many novels of the time. This combined with the many new and intriguing scientific ideas of the time aloud the imaginative and horrific 'Frankenstein' to be written. Through out this text i will be discussing how Jean-Jacque Rousseau's, being one of the more prolific figures of the time, philosophy and theory's influenced how Mary Shelley wrote the novel Fankenstein, I will be particularly focused on the antagonist, Frankensteins 'monster', as through out the novel it becomes evident that the monster reflects many of Rousseau's theories. Rousseau's philosophy was largely focused on human nature and our inherent good. According to Rousseau, "humans are not quite blank slates but come into the world with two key instincts: self-preservations, and compassion. There fore they 'naturally" have the ability to be good and would be if civilisation was not corrupting". There are three key concepts of Rousseau's that are highly impactful on Frankenstein, the first being, man is most content in the state of nature. Second, that without outside influence humans are good. Third, goodness is as much part of the educator as it is the person being educated, meaning that a beings actions and nature is dictated to an extent by the environment that it grew up in and learnt in. "Man is most content in the state of nature" Rousseau stated "natural man is blessed with an enviable total freedom because he is not a slave to the artificial needs that civilised man has created for himself such as companionship" In Frankenstien this can be seen as Frankensteins monster leaves the loft he was created in and begins to explore the countryside. At this point the monster is still young and learning about the world around him, He is in solace and has not yet been tainted by "the artificial needs that civilised man has created" He does not yet know of his horrific appearance and does not know of evil. The monsters complete freedom, there is nothing holding him back. It is not until the monster has been around for a longer period of time, having been rejected by so many and had more development mentally that his is more able to interperatate and understand the complexities of human emotion.
He has been locked down by our artificial needs. He feels trapped and misfortune by his lack of companionship, He knows he's been rejected and he wants someone to understand his misery. "Everything is related...the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read....Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in …show more content…
disgust?" The monster has been tainted by man through rejection and their intense detest toward him causing him to be miserable, they turn against him - planting a seed of evil - and ultimately cause the monster to turn against man. "Without outside influence humans are inherently good" This concept ties in closely with the first in the sense that they both revolve around the idea of purity and solace.
We have no way of knowing the monsters intent when he is first created in Dr Frankensteins lab, as a result of this we must assume that his intent is good "innocent until proven guilty" however as the novel progresses the monster becomes malignant due to his exposure to society and the evil that man breeds in to him.
Rousseau states "Without language of the ability to reason, it simply never occurs to the savage to be evil", Language that the monster deems to be "godlike science" that he "ardently desires to become acquainted with". This language that he learns through the surveillance of man gives the monster the tools needed to understand and loth man. Without this ability it is likely that the monster would not feel such animosity toward men and may be considered "Good".
"Goodness is as much part of the educator as it is the educatee"
The book 'Emile", Writes by Rousseau in 1762 is an important text behind Frankenstein as it helped to form some of the fundamental ideas that frankenstien follows. Its a novel in which a tutor educates a young orphan, guiding him through an 'ideal' education according to nature. Then as an adult he is considered an ideal citizen due to his close association with his
tutor. If you look at it like this, a persons education and the role of the educator is incredibly important, and our innate tendency toward compassion need to be brought up and developed. Therefore it is important to look at how Frankensteins monster learns and who he learns from, to think about whats been written on his slate.The monster goes from being a "noble savage" to a "malevolent monster" due to what is impressed on hm bu human society; an outside influence. He is rejected and abandoned by his creator and has no one to educate him and shape him to fit in with society. As a result the monster was largely isolated "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". He felt as though he was in a world of his own and he could not reach out due to his isolation from society, being unable to fit in. At the same time, The tutors of Victor are misguided scientists who are partly responsible for his warped perspective, belittling him when he asks questions "really spent your time in studying such nonsense?". In other words, it is not only important to have a well guided education, it has to be the right kind of education. In Rousseau's words it must be "one that is tempered with benevolence, humility, and self-scrutiny." Again, Rousseau's philosophy were instrumental to the age of enlightenment and they show very well in Frankenstein. The monster in Frankensteins showcases so many of Rousseau's concepts so perfectly, from his beginning as an unknowing innocent soul to his end as a vengeful creature fulled "from the crown to the toe top-full. of direst cruelty"
Frankenstein speaks fondly of his youth because his parents were “indulgent” and his companions were “amiable” (21). His parents’ policy in the education of their children is that there should neither be punishment nor “the voice of command” (26). Instead, they encourage their children to pursue their studies with vigor by “having the end placed in view”(21) and by having them discover the process by which to reach the end and not by making them learn tedious lessons. Frankenstein’s testimony to this is that he learnt better and retained his knowledge well. The approach to Frankenstein’s education in the home is strongly influenced by Rousseau, one of the most eloquent writers of the Age of Enlightenment. In his influential novel Emile, Rousseau expounded a new theory of education that emphasises the importance of expression rather than repression to produce a well-balanced and free-thinking child.
But in the case of Frankenstein’s monster the monster is only named monster. At first, he was just about as innocent as a newborn. It is the people who make him the way he is. Everyone has good and evil inside them, so no one might actually determine who the monsters and the men really are.
The authors of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and the United States Constitution pulled from many different sources during the infancy of these invaluable documents. They used pieces such as Hobbes’ Leviathan, Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, Rousseau’s Of The Social Contract, and Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws as inspiration for America’s fundamental government. Each of these influential political philosophers were instrumental in making our government what it is today. Hobbes brought the ideas of natural equality, a strong, powerful government, and the principle that governments must be able to protect the people to American political philosophy. Locke added that
The creature’s moral ambiguity characteristic was a vile ingredient to the construction of this novel Frankenstein because it made the reader 's sympathies with him even after the audience knows he had committed murder because the readers had seen the truth this creature had to face. That he had tried everything within his power to peacefully live with them, to interact, communicate, and befriend them “these thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh ardour to the acquiring the art of language”, that even though he was seen as a monster because of the looks he was created with, something he had no control over, he still had hope to be seen as equals, ”My organs were indeed harsh, but supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease. It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration;” this hope of his was utterly crushed, and can only set him up for utter disappointment(12.18). Because in the end he only received hates, scorns, violence, and prejudice from his good will. So in the end of the story, Mary Shelley’s forces the readers to see within the creature’s heart and for
The Creature, Victor Frankenstein’s creation, is shaped into a monster through its experiences, instead of the nature of itself, which is more expected. Victor Frankenstein, on the other hand, is shaped into a monster because of his mind’s power-hungry nature. Victor treats his creature poorly and he himself becomes wicked. While the Creature also becomes wicked in the end, its actions are more justified because multiple people treated it poorly, causing the Creature to lash out. Even though Victor Frankenstein and the Creature both turn into wicked monsters, to some extent, only one of
On the contrary, this demonstrates how human the creature really is. On the contrary, the creature also experiences the deficiencies of human emotion through rage and vengeance after he is attacked for rescuing a little girl. “The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage... I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.” (Shelley 121).
The Enlightenment age encouraged everyone to use reason and science in order to rid the world of barbarism and superstition. In fact, Kant argued that the "public use of one's reason must always be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among men" (Kant 3). Enlightenment thinking not only influenced philosophy and the sciences, but also literature (especially in Pope's Essay on Man). In reaction to Enlightenment's strict empiricism, Romanticism was born. In Frankenstein, Shelley argues (1) that Victor Frankenstein's role as an Enlightenment hero, not only pulled him out of nature, but made him a slave to his creation; (2) that Frankenstein's role as a revolting romantic failed, because he didn't take responsibility for his creation; and (3) mankind must find a balance between the Enlightenment and Romantic ideologies.
The popular 1931 version of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, depicts an anti-exploration and anti-intellectual philosophy. In Frankenstein there are criticisms for the immoral behavior that is involved with progress, the natural tendency for humanity to attempt to be greater than God and the pursuit of knowledge. Frankenstein, the doctor, aims to create a man in his own image. His personal ambitions drove him mad and into isolation. He leaves school in pursuit of better facilities and free rein to test, create and revise.
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. Throughout the novel, Shelley investigates the idea of monstrosity. She makes the point that a monster does not have to be genuinely evil in order to be considered monstrous.
In the novel, Frankenstein, a doctor named Victor Frankenstein created a monster. Victor’s monster was created using old human parts, chemicals, and a “spark.” Victor wanted to create this monster in order to benefit mankind, and for the purpose of playing God. Victor thought his creation would turn out great, but in all actuality, his monster ended up terribly wrong (Shelley, 145). The monster was a deformed man, standing eight feet tall, with yellow eyes, black hair, black lips, and skin that did not conceal his internal features (Shelley, 144-145). Even though the monster was very grown, he had the mind of a newborn child, and he was very kind and gentle (Shelley, 327). The monster’s appearance terrified Victor, and he immediately abandoned it. Dr. Victor Frankenstein also never named his creation because he disliked it that much. The monster was longing for love, and since no one loved him, he became very violent. He ended up killing Victor’s brother and best friend out of pure revenge (Shelley, 193). Anytime the monster tried to help people, he was bea...
The late 18th century was a time of enlightenment for Europe. All categories of learning improved in this enlightenment period. The most impressive advances were in the sciences. Newton had developed his laws of physics, and scientific method had been tuned to a point. These improvements gave people a new outlook on life and the world. Mary Shelley tries to tackle the intimidating nature of the enlightenment period in the book, Frankenstein.
At first, The Monster is very kind and sympathetic. He has a good heart, as shown when he collected firewood for the family on the brink of poverty. Like every other human creation, he was not born a murderer. All the Monster wanted was to be accepted and loved by Victor Frankenstein and the other humans but instead he was judged by his appearance and considered to be dangerous. The Monster says, “like Adam, I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence…many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me” (page 105). This line is an important part of the novel because the Monster lets it be known how like Adam he was created into this world completely abandoned and like Satan he is angry with those people who have found contentment and satisfaction in their lives. The rejection and unwelcome feeling he is faced with, is the main reason the Monster becomes a killer. Watching another family show love towards each other made the Monster realize how alienated he truly was. He did not know how to deal with his pain and emotions so he murders as
At first the Monster never intended to hurt anyone, but continuously being made fun of by every human that he ran into took a toll on his mental state. He knew that the only way to get Frankenstein’s attention was kill someone that he loved. It started off with his brother, William. Then Justine, the family servant, was the one framed and was executed for “killing” William. Henry Clerval, Frankenstein’s best friend, and last his wife and cousin Elizabeth were killed throughout the book in hopes of getting Frankenstein to create another creature like the Monster. The Monster never had a fair life because he was created as...
At first glance, the monster in Frankenstein is a symbol of evil, whose only desire is to ruin lives. He has been called "A creature that wreaks havoc by destroying innocent lives often without remorse. He can be viewed as the antagonist, the element Victor must overcome to restore balance and tranquility to the world." But after the novel is looked at on different levels, one becomes aware that the creature wasn't responsible for his actions, and was just a victim of circumstance. The real villain of Frankenstein isn't the creature, but rather his creator, Victor.
The evil side, Edward Hyde, could enjoy all the wicked pleasures and execute all of Dr. Jekyll's angry, and vengeful wishes, yet, Dr. Jekyll does not have to be afraid of his conscience. Since Mr. Hyde was pure evil and was affected by science, Stevenson tells his readers that science is evil through Hyde's actions, and through the characters like Utterson whose descriptions of Hyde is immense horrifying. As he says, Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish; he gave an impression of deformity without any namable malformation, he had a displeasing smile,., and he spoke with a husky whispering and somewhat broken voice,. God bless methe man seems hardly human! (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde pg.20) Like Frankenstein, the words "evil, satan, and devilish" were all used to describe Mr. Hyde.