The most prevalent theme in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is that of obsession. Throughout the novel there are constant reminders of the struggles that Victor Frankenstein and his monster have endured. Many of their problems are brought upon by themselves by an obsessive drive for knowledge, secrecy, fear, and ultimately revenge.
From the onset of Victor’s youth, his earliest memories are those of “Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember” (ch. 4) This is the first example of obsession that we see in the novel. This drive to learn the ‘hidden’ laws of nature is the original driving force that sets the plot in motion. Without this, Victor would have never embarked on his unholy quest to overcome mortality, thus leading to his creation of his monster.
“Dr. Victor Frankenstein feels uncontrollably compelled to create animation in the lifeless body” (Storment) this obsession with the creation of life alienated him from his loved ones. His impending marriage to Elizabeth was one aspect of his life that he sacrificed. In chapter 22, Elizabeth writes to him “Tell me, dearest Victor. Answer me, I conjure you by our mutual happiness, with simple truth-- Do you not love another?” Elizabeth’s concern
about his faithfulness is based on his neglect of their relationship. He simply did not allow any other aspect of his life to impede his goal.
Victor Frankenstein is ultimately successful in his endeavor to create life. This, however, does not stop the underlying theme of obsession. Shelley’s shift from Victor’s never-ending quest for knowledge is replaced with an obsession of secrecy. “I had worked har...
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...his mental strength, taking its toll, leaving him incapacitated for months on end. The final compulsion to destroy his daemon takes him to the end of existence. Exhausted from his relentless pursuit, he dies without ever obtaining the closure that he was searching for. “Victor Frankenstein’s life was destroyed because of an obsession with the power to create life where none had been before” (Moring)
Shelley leaves us pondering the question, when does obsession cross the line into insanity?
Works Cited
Moring, Patrick. Who is the Monster? California State University, Northridge. n.d.Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
Storment, Suzanna. Frankenstein Commentary. Washington State University. n.d. Web.
31 Oct. 2014.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Page By Page Books. Read
Classic Books Online, Free. n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
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: 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.
“Allure, Authority, and Psychoanalysis” discusses the unconscious wishes, effects, conflicts, anxieties, and fantasies within “Frankenstein.” The absence of strong female characters in “Frankenstein” suggests the idea of Victor’s desire to create life without the female. This desire possibly stems from Victor’s attempt to compensate for the lack of a penis or, similarly, from the fear of female sexuality. Victor’s strong desire for maternal love is transferred to Elizabeth, the orphan taken into the Frankenstein family. This idea is then reincarnated in the form of a monster which leads to the conclusion that Mary Shelley felt like an abandoned child who is reflected in the rage of the monster.
The movement is one of the most important literary periods of history,; affecting literature, music, and art of the time. Mary Shelley uses all these philosophies when writing “Frankenstein”. The book reflects many elements of the Romantic era such as the supernatural, exotic, and loneliness. Victor Frankenstein was not a romantic hero, but his monster on the other hand certainly presents itself as one. Victor Frankenstein is a man that is obsessed and self-centered with great ambition. His life is the mirrored reflection of tragedy and greed. In his case, failure and excessive pride cause s him to rush into things, which is notisn't prepared because he fulfills his ambition and makes the biggest mistake of his life by creating the monster.
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.
After Frankenstein discovered the source of human life, he became wholly absorbed in his experimental creation of a human being. Victor's unlimited ambition, his desire to succeed in his efforts to create life, led him to find devastation and misery. "...now that I have finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished..." (Shelley 51). Victor's ambition blinded him to see the real dangers of his project. This is because ambition is like a madness, which blinds one self to see the dangers of his actions. The monster after realizing what a horror he was demanded that victor create him a partner. "I now also began to collect the materials necessary for my new creation, and this was like torture..." (Shelley 169). Victor's raw ambition, his search for glory, has left him. His eyes have been opened to see his horrible actions, and what have and could become of his creations. As a result, Victor has realized that he is creating a monster, which could lead to the downfall of mankind. His choice is simple, save his own life or save man.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a nineteenth century literary work that delves into the world of science and the plausible outcomes of morally insensitive technological research. Although the novel brings to the forefront several issues about knowledge and sublime nature, the novel mostly explores the psychological and physical journey of two complex characters. While each character exhibits several interesting traits that range from passive and contemplative to rash and impulsive, their most attractive quality is their monstrosity. Their monstrosities, however, differ in the way each of the character’s act and respond to their environment. 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.
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
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, explores the monstrous and destructive affects of obsession, guilt, fate, and man’s attempt to control nature. Victor Frankenstein, the novel’s protagonist and antihero, attempts to transcend the barriers of scientific knowledge and application in creating a life. His determination in bringing to life a dead body consequently renders him ill, both mentally and physically. His endeavors alone consume all his time and effort until he becomes fixated on his success. The reason for his success is perhaps to be considered the greatest scientist ever known, but in his obsessive toil, he loses sight of the ethical motivation of science. His production would ultimately grieve him throughout his life, and the consequences of his undertaking would prove disastrous and deadly. Frankenstein illustrates the creation of a monster both literally and figuratively, and sheds light on the dangers of man’s desire to play God.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley highlights on the experiences her characters undergo through the internal war of passion and responsibility. Victor Frankenstein lets his eagerness of knowledge and creating life get so out of hand that he fails to realize what the outcome of such a creature would affect humankind. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, highlights on how Frankenstein’s passion of knowledge is what ultimately causes the decline of his health and the death of him and his loved ones.
This normal tendency had quickly turned into a deep fascination and passionate desire to learn more. Surely enough, Victor immediately had an obsession with science. This eventually led him to the idea of wanting to create living from the dead, working extensively towards his goal. According to Neal Bukeavich, he said, “Lured less by "knowledge for its own sake" than by the promise of power that knowledge confers, Victor Frankenstein signifies the negative potential of science. He functions as a nightmarish counterexample to the idealized image of the Enlightenment scientist dedicated to cool, dispassionate observation and truth seeking.” He touches upon the negativity of what science has done to Victor: he has not communicated with his family, he has ignored his mental state and health, and has twisted with the nature of science for his own desire. This obsession to change science and make the impossible possible shows that it has turned him selfish and does not care if he messes with the aspects of science. Mary Shelley acknowledges the absence of morals within Victor. Shelley implies that Victor is so preoccupied into his work that he is trying to play the role of God; Victor says, “A new species would bless me as their creator and and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Shelley 42). He believes society would praise him for his work and the ability he had to create the
Often, things are not always what they seem. In Mary Shelley’s morally questionable novel, Frankenstein, Shelley employs ambiguity in its characters thoughts and actions, allowing the reader to overlook many socially and ethically problematic situations that might otherwise provoke concern. Victor Frankenstein’s creation is morally ambiguous, as seen through conflicting sides of the monster’s character: one of innocent sincerity and one of confused violence. Together, these conflicting sides portray Victor’s creation as morally ambiguous.
A prevalent theme in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is obsession. Throughout the book there are constant reminders of the struggles that Victor Frankenstein goes through. Many of the issues and conflicts that occur are a result of his own obsessive drive for knowledge and secrecy. By not taking responsibility for the creation of his monster, he allows more and more bad things to happen as the monster unleashes his fury.
Victor Frankenstein faced abandonment in his youth, leading to a fear of abandonment from those that he perceived as parental figures. This fear resulted in his obsession with the connection of life and death. The first true abandonment that Victor felt was when his mother died of the scarlet fever when he was a teenager. The abandonment he felt from his mother after her unexpected death made him obsessed with death and the creation of life from death. One night after his mother’s death, Victor was dreaming of his beautiful lover, Elizabeth, who was looking beautiful until she changed into “the corpse of… [his] dead mother” (Shelley 46). Victor’s dream started with his beautiful, young lover in the prime of health, but she slowly changed into his deceased mother’s corpse. This dream reflects Victor’s fear of abandonment due to the death of a relative. When Victor started to study the possibility of creating life from death; “one of Victor’s objects in finding ‘a passage to life’ is to restore his mother and ‘renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption’... but his dream only underscores his rejection of the maternal or female model” (Knoepflmacher 108). Knoepflmacher’s
This request angers Frankenstein who had been content in his returning heath and tranquility (105). Although Frankenstein displays apprehension about working under the watchful, hidden eye of his creation, he “toil(s) day and night” (118) to recreate the experiment that yielded his first Creation. Frankenstein is subject to obsession with his work regardless of the environment. His employment becomes a source of thrill or terror, making it difficult for him to pull away. During his second exile, Frankenstein is conscious of the decision he is making to cut himself off from society in order to resume his work on a new Creation. He leaves his family, Elizabeth, his friends, and his tranquility “to pass two years of exile,” (110) and exile he has placed upon himself. By exiling himself from the surrounding world, Frankenstein effectively pushes aside all possible distractions, allowing his mind to wrap itself completely around the puzzle of his work. Although he is no longer obsessed with achieving artificial life, Frankenstein’s obsession manifests itself in new ways and habits. He becomes re-immersed in his work, describing his feelings towards its completion as “tremulous and eager hope,” (118) he is clearly re-engaged with his work on the same level as he was previously, except now he is aware of the consequences