Marry Shelly illustrates Victor Frankenstein as an ambitious yet rational character but as the novel progresses, Victor's attitude is seen as obsessive and irrational. In Mary Shelly's allegorical novel Frankenstein, composed in 1817, we learn through the recounts of three narrators of Victor's doomed quest for knowledge. The novel reveals the dangers of ambition and the human need for connection. In order to understand Victors transformation as a character, it is essential to examine the important influences on Frankenstein's behaviour as well as the point at which his view on the world begins to shift and investigate his relationship with his creation.
The important influences on Frankenstein's behaviour will aid us in understanding
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Victor's development as a character. The creature, also known as "daemon", plays a significant role in Frankenstein's development.
When the creature is brought to life, fear strikes Victor Frankenstein. "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…a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed;" This marks the development of Frankenstein's character. This fear sparks the change of his attitude. It acts as a catalyst for his behaviour into becoming irrational. Victor also experiences a dramatic change when he leaves Geneva to study in Ingolstadt. During his time at the University of Ingolstadt Mary Shelly only mentions two professors, Professor M. Krempe and Professor M. Waldman. The influence that Krempe and Waldman had on Victor is vital to the alteration of Frankenstein’s behaviour into becoming overly obsessive. “As he …show more content…
went on I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the mechanism of my being; chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose.” As teachers, they rekindle Victor's passion for the natural sciences as well as enable him to continue his studies. They are adding fuel that inflates Victor's obsession towards the creation of the monster which ultimately leads to Victor’s obsession towards destroying his creation. Clearly it was Victor’s creation that influenced him into becoming irrational and his Professors that guided him towards obsession. Examining the details of Victors view of the world will assist us in comprehending Victors transformation. Victors perspective shifts multiple times during the novel: After the birth of the wretch and moments before he passes away. It is easy to see that before and after the night of the 'creation' of the monster, we see two different sides to Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein begins the story as an ambitious young man, fascinated with science and discovery.
He lives with loving family and has a quaint life. “No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights which we enjoyed. When I mingled with other families I distinctly discerned how peculiarly fortunate my lot was, and gratitude assisted the development of filial love.” Once the creature is created, Victor becomes consumed with guilt and shame. He tries to hide the creature, but it is out to get revenge on him because of Victor giving him a dreadful life. It can be argued that by the end of the story, Victor is the true monster. He loses everything he loves because of the creature and becomes obsessed with destroying his own creation. “I, who had ever been surrounded by amiable companions, continually engaged in endeavouring to bestow mutual pleasure, I was now alone.” This isolation from his friends and family whom he had lived with so long could explain the change in Frankenstein's character. Victor's final words to Walton demonstrate that he has gained some self-awareness. He advises Walton
to "seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries" These words prove that Victor recognizes the vanity of the glory-seeking aspiration of his youth. Exploring Victor’s relationship with the Creature will help us make sense of Victor’s transformation. Victor has a complicated relationship with the creature that fluctuates as the novel progresses. From the very moment the creature awoke the relationship between the creator and the created changes from disgust and hate to fear and revenge “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation.” When the creature requested for a female companion Victor finally allowed himself to feel pity and a little compassion. “I compassioned him, and sometimes felt a wish to console him” but these newfound emotion were almost instantly replaced with the old feeling of revulsion. Many themes are explored such as nurture versus nature, and love versus hate. These themes are used to develop the complex relationship between Frankenstein and his monster. Victor himself was nurtured, he grew up in a loving family but Victor could not return that same love to the creature he gave birth to. The monster instead received hatred from the very moment he was brought into this world. Victor and the creature are analogous. They both have a severe hatred for one another. Victor denies the monster what he has denied himself, a family and wife. Victor refuses the monster any social acceptance. ”It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate.” This is a parallel as Victor himself is cut off from the world for months to focus on his work. Marry Shelly characterises Victor Frankenstein as an aspiring yet sound character however as the novel advances, Victor's state of mind is viewed as obsessive and nonsensical. Frankenstein provides a plethora of opportunities to examine the theme of nurture vs nature and the idea of seeking happiness in tranquillity. The text has revealed the dangers of pursuing on the path to increase one’s knowledge. Mary Shelly has intentionally exposed the reader to concepts that change their understanding of the world and help understand the importance of studying texts. Perhaps the greatest lesson that can be learnt from the text is that “he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Solomon)
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, values of society are clearly expressed. In this particular society and culture, a great value is placed on ideologies of individuals and their contribution to society. In order to highlight these values, Shelley utilizes the character of Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein is the main character of the novel, and with his alienation, he plays a significant role that reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values of individualism and use in society. This is done through Victor’s actions of self-inflicted isolation.
in Frankenstein: Contexts, nineteenth century responses, criticism. By Mary Shelley. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. Norton Critical Edition.
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...
After bringing life to something seemingly horrible, Victor Frankenstein reveals his personality of avoidance and arrogance. Instead of facing the creature he created, he runs away from the problem. His motivations for the experiment vary, but there is one clear one that he even admits. "The world," he says, "was to me a secret which I desired to divine" (Shelley 18). Victor tells us that he's curious, and more importantly that he's always been this way. Victor has been raised in a very loving family. His father and mother were kind parents who loved all of their children, and even adopted some children. Victor, however, grows up a little indulged and perhaps because of this, he is selfish. He is stubborn and unyielding about many things. For
“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.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W.
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.
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.
He toils endlessly in alchemy, spending years alone, tinkering. However, once the Creature is brought to life, Frankenstein is no longer proud of his creation. In fact, he’s appalled by what he’s made and as a result, Frankenstein lives in a perpetual state of unease as the Creature kills those that he loves and terrorizes him. Victor has realized the consequences of playing god. There is irony in Frankenstein’s development, as realized in Victor’s desire to destroy his creation. Frankenstein had spent so much effort to be above human, but his efforts caused him immediate regret and a lifetime of suffering. Victor, if he had known the consequences of what he’s done, would have likely not been driven by his desire to become better than
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.
Shelley, Mary. “Frankenstein.” In A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1996.
Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has grown to become a name associated with horror and science fiction. To fully understand the importance and origin of this novel, we must look at both the tragedies of Mary Shelley's background and her own origins. Only then can we begin to examine what the icon "Frankenstein" has become in today's society.
Although “Frankenstein” is the story of Victor and his monster, Walton is the most reliable narrator throughout the novel. However, like most narrator’s, even his retelling of Victor’s story is skewed by prejudice and favoritism of the scientist’s point of view. Yet this could be attributed to the only view points he ever gets to truly hear are from Victor himself and not the monster that he only gets to meet after he comes to mourn his fallen master.
Victor Frankenstein finds himself exploring the world of science against his fathers wishes but he has an impulse to go forward in his education through university. During this time any form of science was little in knowledge especially the chemistry which was Victors area if study. Victor pursues to go farther than the normal human limits of society. “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 to become greater than his nature will allow” (Chapter 4). He soon finds the answer he was looking for, the answer of life. He becomes obsessed with creating a human being. With his knowledge he believes it should be a perfe...
He created a life, and then spontaneously he quickly decided to run away from his creation. Victor’s actions after creating what he created were really irresponsible, and did not correctly took care of the circumstance’s he put himself in. The creation was never actually evil, but he felt abandoned by what could had been called his father. Frankenstein, the monster, was only a seeker for companionship. He strongly desired to feel loved, rather than abandoned. Society’s evil behavior toward the monster is what altered the monster’s conduct and followed to how he acted.