Examining the Similarities Between the Creature and Victor Frankenstein A large portion of society holds the belief that hierarchies were created in order to uphold the idea that one person is better than another. Power, social standing, and fortune can all influence this. Although hierarchies promote differences and a sense of essential power, they frequently ignore the humanity that all people share, regardless of social class. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both Victor and the creature are solely people with similar needs and goals in society, highlighting the pointlessness of making hierarchical divisions based on inadequate standards like social status or physical features. Numerous similarities exist between them, including …show more content…
For instance, he depicts being financially secure and having well-respect; because of his family's reputation and the influence of his father, Alphonse Frankenstein, in their community, he has access to resources and possibilities for study and progress. Victor highlights the challenges of trying to be God by putting himself and others through great agony as a result of his quest for scientific discovery, ambition to defeat death, and desire to make a lasting impression on the world by creating the creature. "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 Akeg 2 to become greater than his nature will allow"(Shelley 39). This chapter emphasizes the sadness that accompanies lofty goals. Victor dedicates considerable time and energy to constructing the creature, which eventually becomes a threat to him, his friends, and his family as his ambition to become a scientist is realized. The statement "Learn from me, if not by his precepts" underscores Victor's warning that one must not become arrogant or pursue knowledge beyond the boundaries predetermined by God. In addition, the creature gains power. To demonstrate, Victor abandons the creature soon after he was created, so he had to learn everything on his own. He starts to realize how strong he is physically and intellectually, and …show more content…
For example, he isolates himself from his friends and family during the creation of the creature due to his demanding work in science. Tragic events in the story are partly occurring by Victor's fascination with experiments, which results in isolation and severe psychological suffering. “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I have deprived myself of rest and health. 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 43). This portion of the passage goes into further depth regarding how long Victor spent dedicating himself to making the creature and how much extent it brought. He spends two years working on it, giving up sleep and jeopardizing his health in the process. He withdraws from society, isolating himself from people. His creation of the Creature makes him face more isolation as he runs away from facing the repercussions of his actions out of concern for the creature's existence. His separation from society is made worse by this behaviour. Furthermore, the creature encounters significant isolation. For instance, because of his grotesque looks, the creature feels pity and forgotten by society. His creator, Victor Frankenstein, deserts him, leaving him to fend for himself in the outside world. Readers
The phrase, “opposites attract” occurs in the thoughts of all the hopeless romantics available in the world. However, what is factual in life is also disturbingly accurate in books. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley encompasses the thoughts that hinder the sleep of many individuals across the world in her novel, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. Victor Frankenstein’s foil, or opposite, happens to be his childhood friend Henry Clerval. Their relationship portrays the themes of life, or existence, and the pursuit of science.
As he goes off to college, interested in the science behind life and death, he ends up going his own way and attempts to create a living being. Victor “had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body” (Shelley 43). The being Victor has created does not by any means sit well with him. As victor is away from his family and for six years, he is neglectful to them, which only adds to his sorrow and misery. Victor’s isolation is brought upon him because of himself, however his creation, or “the monster”, is isolated from any connections with humans against his will. To start out, the monster would have had Victor there with him, but Victor is ashamed of what he has created, and abandons the monster. The monster is a very hideous being, which sadly is a contributing factor to his isolation. With nobody to talk to at any time, naturally this will be condescending and frustrating. Although the monster is able to
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 had created the creature with the vision from his dreams of a strong, tall perfect being with no flaws. His years of study with the unnatural and science had come to this final conclusion and masterful idea that he was determined to finish. To his surprise, he had created the opposite, “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. 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) Victor is saddened by what he thinks of as a failure. He leaves his own apartment to go sleep in his court yard outside following his creation. He begins to isolate himself from the creature because of his fear of the creature’s outward appearance. He loses all hope for the creature without even learning anything about him. The fact that Shelley begins to refer to the being that Victor created as a “creature” shows Victor’s ignorance and lack of acceptance. It is Victor’s prejudice that blinds him of the creature’s true potential due to the unwanted preconception that follows the creature as he finds meaning in
In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor and his creature share many characteristics although they are opposing forces because of their differences. Even though our perception of Frankenstein is a creature created by a mad scientist during dark stormy day, waiting for a lightning bolt to strike the creature and yelling “It’s Alive!” the actual story in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, has more depth and meaning to what Frankenstein and his creature really is. The story takes place during the late 18th century during Robert Wilson voyage through the Arctic Ocean. After many weeks at sea his ship suddenly gets stuck in ice, and becomes stranded as they wait for the ice to thaw out Wilson and his crew see a man on the verge of death on
Both characters from the novels Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein were similar because they were both intelligent. Victor loved science, he sued to go on journeys to seek more information about life and death, because at home he had nobody to teach him.” My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a child's blindness, added to a student's thirst for knowledge. (Victor Frankenstein quotes on education). And he even studied abroad to see more knowledge on his favorite subject. This created major conflicts with his professor at the university but also admiration among professors and peers.
An idea becomes a vision, the vision develops a plan, and this plan becomes an ambition. Unfortunately for Victor Frankenstein, his ambitions and accomplishments drowned him in sorrow from the result of many unfortunate events. These events caused Victors family and his creation to suffer. Rejection and isolation are two of the most vital themes in which many dreadful consequences derive from. Victor isolates himself from his family, friends, and meant-to-be wife. His ambitions are what isolate him and brought to life a creature whose suffering was unfairly conveyed into his life. The creature is isolated by everyone including his creator. He had no choice, unlike Victor. Finally, as the story starts to change, the creature begins to take control of the situation. It is now Victor being isolated by the creature as a form of revenge. All the events and misfortunes encountered in Frankenstein have been linked to one another as a chain of actions and reactions. Of course the first action and link in the chain is started by Victor Frankenstein.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there are many themes present. One prominent and reoccurring theme in the novel is isolation and the effect it has on the characters. Through the thoughts and feelings of both Victor and his monster, Frankenstein reveals the negative effects of isolation from society. The negative effects that Victor faces are becoming obsessed with building a monster and becoming sick. The monster faces effects such as confusion about life and his identity, wanting companionship, and wanting to seek revenge on Victor. Victor and the monster are both negatively affected by the isolation they face.
Vanity as a central theme in Frankenstein is constant fuel for conflict; the society the Creature is exposed to deems him unworthy of simple kindness
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley combines three separate stories involving three different characters--Walton, Victor, and Frankenstein's monster. Though the reader is hearing the stories through Walton's perspective, Walton strives for accuracy in relating the details, as he says, "I have resolved every night,...to record, as nearly as possible in his [Victor's] own words, what he has related during the day" (Shelley 37). Shelley's shift in point of view allows for direct comparison and contrast between the characters, as the reader hears their stories through the use of first person. As the reader compares the monster's circumstances to those of Victor and Walton, the reader's sympathy for the monster greatly increases.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, many similarities can be seen between the creature and his creator, Victor Frankenstein. While Victor and the creature are similar, there are a few binary oppositions throughout the book that make them different. The binary oppositions in the novel serve as thematic contrast; and some of the most illustrative oppositions between the two characters are on the focus of family, parenthood, isolation and association with others.
The question that everyone ask is did slavery cause the civil war. Is there a simple answer or is there something really deeper than the information given? Slavery has not only impacted history but it’s impact on morals and philosophical reasoning how life should be more equal than socially ranked. The main reasons why I believe slavery was the cause of Civil War are plantations, economic issues, and racial divisions. Without slavery, would the topic Civil War pop up?
If someone were to ask people who Frankenstein is they would probably describe a tall, hideous monster with bolts sticking out of its neck. But long before movies reinvented their version of the monster, there was a novel by Mary Shelley entitled Frankenstein. In her novel, the monster is shown as child-like and uneducated. But what really makes someone a monster? Who is the true monster of Mary Shelley’s novel? Victor and the Creature present similarities and differences in their action and character throughout the novel.
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