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An essay on depiction of monsters in literature
What makes a monster
An essay on depiction of monsters in literature
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What is a monster? The word "monster" causes one to imagine a hideous, deformed or nonhuman creature that appears in horror movies and novels and terrifies everyone in its path. More importantly, however, the creature described generally behaves monstrously, doing things which harm society and acting with little consideration for the feelings and safety of others. "Thus, it is the behavior which primarily defines a monster, rather than its physical appearance"(Levine 13).
Alhough Victor Frankenstein calls his creature a monster, and considers it disgusting and abhorrent, it is in fact Frankenstein who behaves monstrously. He claims to have created the creature for a noble purpose: to defeat death. However, it is clear that his motives are largely selfish, as he states: "I was surprised that among so many men of genius who had directed their inquiries towards the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret" (36). He creates a living being without considering the consequences, without acknowledging that the grisly nature of its creation and ph...
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
As Frankenstein is enroute to his pursuit of gaining more knowledge, he states, “I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit of my nature, should be completed” (Shelley 41). Frankenstein’s decision in allowing his intellectual ambitions to overpower everything else in his life leads him to be blinded to the dangers of creating life. He isolates himself from his society when creating the monster, letting himself be immersed in his creation while being driven by his passions, allowing nobody to be near him. The fact that he allows this creation of a monster to consume his total being reveals how blinded he is to the immorality of stepping outside the boundaries of science and defying nature. His goal in striving to achieve what wants to in placing man over nature makes him lose his sense of self as all he is focused on is the final product of his creation. He starts to realize his own faults as after he has created the monster, he becomes very ill and states, “The form of the monster on whom I had bestowed existence was forever before my eyes, and I raved incessantly concerning him” (48). His impulsive decision to make the monster leads him to abhorring it as it does not turn out to be what he has expected. Because he chooses to isolate himself in creating the
Victor Frankenstein: The Real Monster. & nbsp; Science is a broad field that covers many aspects of everyday life and existence. Some areas of science include the study of the universe, the environment, dinosaurs, animals, and insects. Another popular science is the study of people and how they function. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is an inspiring scientist who studies the dead. He wants to be the first person to give life to a dead human being. He spends all of his Frankenstein is to blame for the tragedy, not the monster he has created, because he is the mastermind behind the whole operation, and he is supposed to have everything under control, working properly as a good scientist should. & nbsp; Although some critics say that the monster Victor has created is to blame for the destruction and violence that followed the experiment, it is Victor who is the responsible party. First, Victor, being the scientist, should have known how to do research on the subject a lot more than he had done. He obviously has not thought of the consequences that may result from it such as the monster going crazy, how the monster reacts to people and things, and especially the time it will take him to turn the monster into the perfect normal human being.  something that would take a really long time and a lot of patience which Victor lacks. All Victor really wants is to be the first to bring life to a dead person and therefore be famous. The greed got to his head and that is all he could think about, while isolating himself from his friends and family. In the play of Frankenstein, when Victor comes home and sets up his lab in the house, he is very paranoid about people coming in there and & nbsp; I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I 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. (156) & nbsp; Victor is saying that he has isolated himself for two years and in the end, he is not at all happy because of the bad outcome. He also adds, "Winter, spring and summer passed.so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation" (156). By spending most of his time inside on his experiment, never going out, but mostly worrying about his success, he has got himself crazier. This has made him lose sight of his surroundings and judgment & nbsp; Moreover, the monster should not be held responsible for killing Victor's family members and friends as shown in the book and movie, because it is Victor who has brought a dead creature back to life. He expects the monster to know everything when he wakes up cool, calm, and collected. But when the monster is awakened, he does not know anything. He sees a world different from what he is used to, which makes him get nervous and scared, so he&nb has removed him from dead. With the dawning of life, the monster has to learn about his new environment. In the play of Frankenstein, the monster starts to gradually get used to things. The problems he encounters are with Victor's assistant, Peter Krempe, Victor's friend, Henry, and other family members, including Elizabeth, and these are reactions to how these people treat him. These reactions are clearly shown in the movie of Young Frankenstein, where Victor tries to teach the monster how to live like to show off the monster to an audience in a dance routine of sorts. But then people start to scream, panic and throw things at the monster, so he reacts by attacking them to defend himself. In this case, it is clear that Victor tries to push the monster too hard because he wants to be famous.
Tragedy shows no discrimination and often strikes down on those undeserving of such turmoil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a creature more repulsive than one can imagine is brought to life by a young scientist. Although this creature is horrifying in sight, he is gentle by nature. Unfortunately, the softer side of the creature is repeatedly overlooked and the so called “monster” is driven to a breaking point. Even though the Creature committed many crimes, Mary Shelley’s Creature was the tragic hero of this story because of his efforts rescue the life of a young girl and helping destitute cottagers.
In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s world, however, things couldn’t get much worse with the main figures, knowing that the end of them is programmed in the title of the play. As adaptation, ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead’ happens to be locked in the end set in the initial play. This causes a deep pessimism sense in the play that cries over the absence of change and action, based on the knowledge of the audience that the only change possible will happen to cause the protagonists death.
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.
Examine the Concept of Monsters and the Monstrous in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Miss Hutton “Frankenstein” has a variety of monsters and monstrous things/incidents within it, however I am jus going to focus on some main aspects of the monsters and monstrous. Shelley got the idea for “Frankenstein” whilst she was on holiday. AS well as being challenged by Lord Byron to produce a horror novel, she was also influenced death many times; she was abandoned and had a literacy upbringing. Shelley relates her story to fears which were carried by many humans at that time.
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.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a play centered on a theme which tries to explain the basic mysteries of the world. Our two main characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, find themselves in almost the entirety of the play, in confusion, and lacking basic knowledge, for example, their identities. The play starts off with our two heroes unable to remember their destination, the purpose for their journey, and a constant misunderstanding and confusion of the world around them. This constant confusion and lack of understanding results in the demise of our heroes.
The wise Uncle Ben once told Peter Parker, “remember, with great power. Comes great responsibility.” There is no greater power than that acquired by the infamous Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when he discovers the secret to creating life. Shelley’s Frankenstein is a tale of creation that depicts acts of human conception and discovery. The Oxford English Dictionary defines creation as “the action or process of bringing something into existence from nothing by divine or natural agency; the fact of being so created.” It defies the natural order of things and creates a world of its own. The multiple acts of creation and discovery bring upon a certain set of responsibilities and implications as depicted by David Collings who analyzes the responsibilities that come as a result of these acts in his essay “The Monster and the Maternal Thing: Mary Shelley’s Critique of Ideology”. The main act of creation is evident through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the Being which is depicted most prominently in the novel. However, there are multiple other acts of creation and discovery that may not be apparent at first sight. One of the most important being, Victor’s discovery of the knowledge required to create life. Apart from initially creating the Being, Victor also plays a critical role in the Being’s evolution into a raging and vengeful creature. Perhaps above all other acts of creation and discovery is Victor’s personal creation of himself into a monster. As stated by Collings most of these acts of creation on Victor’s part are subconsciously brought upon because of their lack of a maternal figure but also in part because of his desire for fame and glory. However, he is blinded by his motives and forgets that with his...
Monsters can come in various physical forms, but all monsters share the same evil mentality. A Monster is a being that harms and puts fear within people. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of how appearance does not determine whether a creature is a monster or not. In the story, Victor Frankenstein tries to change nature by creating a super human being. The being appears to be a monster. Victor becomes so obsessed with his creation and then rejects it. Victor is the real monster because of his desire for power, lack of respect for nature, and his stubbornness.
A monster is defined as an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. By this definition, Victor’s creature who is depicted to be eight feet tall and hideous
We bring upon ourselves “intellectual darkness” by blindly following prescribed church dogma, similarly we become enlightened when we have the courage to think for ourselves. All of these situations involve a choice, or in other words free will. Kant was revolutionary in his time by believing that humans have the power to think for themselves and that we are more then machines controlled by the laws of nature. Kant talking about free will states, “it affects the principles of government, which finds it to its advantage to treat men, who are now more than machines, in accordance with their dignity.” Kant believed that men are machines when they do not think for themselves. He would equate the church or government (anything in which people surrender their freedom of thought) to the laws of nature and that when men surrender their freedom of thought they merely become a cog in a giant machine controlled by these powerful organizations. Kant calls for a rebellion against against these giant organizations and demand that people do not simply surrender that in which they only have to give—their reason. However, according to Kant society can only achieve enlightenment
In Act III, Scene I, he says, “To die, to sleep.—ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off his mortal coil, must give us pause.” This theme undoubtedly shines through Hamlet’s soliloquys. This theme is also apparent in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The “game of question” evokes deep thought in the reader. Questions such as “Is there a God? “ (43), “Is there a choice?” (43), and “Who do you think you are?” (44), are posed. As the rules demand that only questions are uttered, none of the questions posed are truly answered. This game provides the spectators with a new viewpoint to the existing theme of uncertainty and meaninglessness. Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s deaths are not incorporated in either of the plays, thus leaving the audience to question what had truly occured. The meaninglessness in their deaths reveal the lack of control they have over their own fate is more evident in Stoppard’s play. They recognize the lack of answers in their lives and are constantly questioning their surroundings. In the final scene, Rosencrantz expresses frustration that no explanation is provided about their lives, nor their deaths. Upon realization that Guidenstern’s life is as meaningless as his death, he attempts to kill the Player. As he runs a sword through the Player, he shouts “If there are no explanations for us, then let there be none for him” (Stoppard 96). Even the certainty of death is meaningless and Stoppard’s play aids in the exemplification of this theme though the in-depth depictions pf Rosencrantz and
Obviously, there is a major difference in the level of academic responsibilities between high school and college. In terms of expectations and responsibilities placed upon you in high school, they are more of a guideline and carefree, whereas college it is more complex and is individually based. What I mean by this is that in high school you can count on parents and your teacher in order to guide you in setting priorities and remind you of your responsibilities. It was part of your parents’ and teachers’ responsibility to make sure that you succeed in high school. Students have fewer duties to worry about, and fewer requirements where they could depend on others for help. In class, you are usually told by the teacher about what you need to study and how you are doing with your grades and attendance. Furthermore, in high school, many of the classes are assigned to you, and you are supplied with many of the materials and books. It’s an entirely different story once you enter college. In college, you have to set your own priorities and have much more responsibilities to carry out. Students ar...