There are many themes in the book Frankenstein by Gris Grimly (original text by Mary Shelly). In my opinion, the most important theme is revenge. “Victor assumed the monster would attack him, not realizing that the monster wanted revenge by subjecting him to the same horror to which he subjected it: isolation.” This quote shows how revenge affected both Victor and the creature in this book. Revenge was the main theme of this book because it affects both characters drastically and shapes the whole book. At the beginning of the book, when Frankenstein creates the creature, he feels regret for making this creature. This shows on page 41 where it says “With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, …show more content…
In paragraph two of pg. 115 he says, “You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse.” Frankenstein does not want to make a mate for the creature but after a while, he decides to comply. On page 139, he sees the creature’s face in the window as he is almost finished making the creature. This changes everything, the sight of his face makes him remember all of the terrible things he has done. Victor wants revenge and destroys the creature’s mate. What Victor did filled the creature with rage. He wanted revenge on Victor for not caring about him. After the creature saw Victor destroy his mate, they got into an argument. Once it ended on page 142, the creature says, “I go; but I shall be with you on your wedding-night.” On page 150, Victor gets arrested. He is arrested for the murder of his best friend, Henry Clerval, while it was the creature who was guilty of the murder. While he sat in his jail cell, he was visited by his father. This gives him some hope of seeing someone he loves again. But the pain still was with him of his loved ones
The monster tells Frankenstein of the wretchedness of the world and how it was not meant for a being such as himself. At the end of his insightful tale the creature demands a companion of the same hideous features but of the opposite gender to become his. Victor only has the choice to make the monster or suffer a lifetime of horror his creation would bring upon him. Which the creator ultimately agrees to make the female monster to save the lives of his family but gains a conscious that fills with guilt of all the destruction he has created and creating. When the monster comes to collect the female he tears her apart and the monster vows to destroy all Victor holds dear. The monster’s emotional sense is consumed with rage against Victor, murdering Frankenstein’s best friend. Though when the monster’s framing ways do not work to lead to Victor being executed, he then murders Frankenstein’s wife on their wedding night. This tragedy is the last for Victor’s father who becomes ill with grief and quickly passes within a few days, leaving Victor with nothing but his own regret. Shelley doesn’t give the audience the monsters side of the story but hints that the remainder of his journey consisted of being a shadow to that of his creator. It is at the graves of the Frankenstein family when the creature makes an appearance in the solemn and
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 Shelley’s work of literature Frankenstein many themes such as family, compassion, secrecy, and revenge are present throughout the story. Of all the themes, the one that stands out most is revenge. When revenge is brought up in any conversation the outcome is typically people saying revenge is not worth the outcome. Revenge is bittersweet but usually has an ugly aftermath because it can be dangerous in its own way. Throughout Frankenstein there are numerous examples of revenge and characters seeking revenge. The two main characters constantly pursuing revenge are Victor and the creature.
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.
“But when I discovered that he, the author at once of my existence and of its unspeakable torments, dared to hope for happiness, that while he accumulated wretchedness and despair upon me he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the indulgence of which I was forever barred, then impotent envy and bitter indignation filled me with an insatiable thirst for vengeance” (Shelley 212). It makes sense that the monster would not be happy in this world, he never even asked to be here. He holds Frankenstein responsible for his sorrow as he is the one who created him. To only be seen as a monster despite your attempts at compassion and thoughtfulness can get to someone. Once again, the insight into what the monster is feeling here, envy and rage, makes him more and more human to the reader. The murder the monster partakes in becomes his inclination, “Evil thenceforth became my good. Urged thus far, I had no choice but to adapt my nature to an element which I had willingly chosen. The completion of my demoniacal design became an insatiable passion. And now it is ended; there is my last victim!” (Shelley 212). With his creator also dead, he finds his vengeance at an end. The monster does not murder Victor however. He wants him to suffer as much as he has since his creation. The isolation and abandonment inflicted from Victor is the catalyst for the Monster to murder members of his family. Despite this hatred for this man, the monster still views him as a father figure. This is why he weeps and pleas to Walton, the regretful words of a son who has lost his father. Walton is witness to the creature’s deep depression, he wishes he could take back all the pain and suffering caused by both parties. His sense of longing and remorse in his words are
Since the fall of Adam, humanity has always been keenly aware of the existence of good and evil, right and wrong, justice and injustice. Any person who has been betrayed or abused has felt the weight of injustice. Anyone who has been mistreated has experienced the desire for vengeance. However, opinions begin to differ when defining the boundaries of justified revenge. Varying perceptions prevents humans from viewing and validating the motives of others. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, the two main characters were driven to madness by their desire for revenge against each other. In the book, Victor Frankenstein and his creature both relayed the same story; however their individual perspectives drastically shift the roles of the perpetrator and the victim. Mary Shelly’s brilliant juxtaposition between the Creature and his Creator demonstrated the relativity of justified revenge.
Revenge is a fairly strong emotion; it’s wanting to retaliate towards those who wronged you. Revenge is such an uncontrollable way of retaliation that it can result in a destructive outcome or carried out successfully. Although the results may vary, revenge sums up to one thing which is pain of some sort, affecting both parties or just one. Throughout history we see many tales of revenge and redemption. Often revenge does leave the one carrying it out feeling victorious but this can suddenly change as the process of karma generally begins in some tales.
Frankenstein spent nearly two years devoting his life to giving life to an inanimate body. Frankenstein was so excited about finishing his work until he brought it the creature to life. Once the creature came to life Frankenstein abandoned him. Victor said, “Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued a long time traversing my bedchambers, unable to compose my mind to sleep (Shelley, 43).” Victor cast aside his creation simply because of his looks he could not get passed them. If Victor would have accepted and embraced the Monster than the outcome of their relationship could have been very different. Frankenstein’s rejection was the start of his future and happiness being stripped away from him. He had a chance to redeem himself to the Monster and he promised him he would create a companion for him and again he denies him that right as well. Victor spends months creating a companion for the creature and once he was almost finished he “tore to pieces” the Monsters companion. Victor now not only betrayed his creation once, but twice. First Victor left him and then he breaks his promise that he made
This reveals a great deal about Victor’s character rather than the Creature; Victor deems the Creature monstrous simply because he is not as beautiful as Victor had hoped. Victor’s God complex fuels his narcissism, “I had selected his features as beautiful” (Shelley, 43). The Creature later explains that in the first few moments of his life he reached for Victor for affection and reassurance, but was left cold and alone. As the Creature fends for himself out in the world, he witnesses nature and beauty and develops an intense self-loathing. When he witnesses the beauty of William Frankenstein playing outdoors, he longs for the same pure appearance and for a companion.
Victor stated in the novel, “a new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. I might in process of time, renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption” (pg. 52). This quote portrays the reason why Frankenstein created the monster. At first, Victor views his monster as a beautiful creation but later when he first lays eyes on the monster he starts to fear and rejects the monster and no longer took interest in the
Victor and the creature both seek revenge against one another and by doing so this creates the destruction within the novel. Soon after William’s death, Justine is executed. In response to this, Victor becomes increasingly depressed. Victor reflects on the past events that led up to William and Justine’s deaths:
Revenge is often the motives of either Frankenstein or the monster throughout the novel and is an extremely important driving factor of the plot. Frankenstein seeks vengeance because of the torment inflicted on him when the monster kills his loved ones. This is not only produced by resentment towards the monster, but also love for his family and friends. The monster’s vengeance is based on the isolation he feels. The monster experiences deep sorrow due to his lack of human companionship; he wants to punish Victor for causing him this pain. Despite both character’s actual intentions behind their rage, they mutually seek revenge towards one another, thus making revenge an essential motif in
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the themes of revenge and obsession is displayed through Victors need to kill the monster for all he has done. The first example of this demonstrated from chapter twenty three through the end is when the monster takes the last chance of happiness Victor has. The monster stole Elizabeth’s life. The newlyweds are now freshly separated by death. Victor states, “A fiend has snatched from me every hope of future happiness…” (Shelley 146). This tops off the final bit of patience Victor has towards the creature. He is now out for revenge and will not stop until he has it. Victor states, “I was possessed by a maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired and ardently prayed that I might have him within my grasp to
Revenge is not the Solution. People often assume that revenge will make them feel better. This important theme is shown throughout Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. The monster in this novel portrays this evil character because of the actions he took and because of revenge toward his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Revenge controlled the monster’s life and caused him to kill many of the people Victor loved.
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.