Comparing Dickens Great Expectations And Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Easily one of the most notable themes in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the role of nature versus nurture in developing children, recurs throughout the novel with the two main characters, Frankenstein and his creature, believing in opposite sides of this theme. Favoring nature, Frankenstein maintains that the creature was always evil from the moment of creation, regardless of the creature’s experiences. However, the creature, in his narrative to Frankenstein, argues that “[he] was benevolent and good; misery made [him] a fiend” (106). In adherence with John Locke’s concept of tabula rasa, the creature was born with a blank slate, and only through his experiences does he gain knowledge and personality. Struggling to persevere in the human world, Frankenstein’s creature merely wants humans to welcome him as one of them. The change of the creature from looking “upon crime as a distant evil” because “benevolence and generosity were ever present” in him to seeking revenge on Frankenstein results from a culmination of horrible experiences (103). While it may be hard to see the creature as a trustworthy narrator because of how he has acted and his ulterior motives, he does present physical evidence to support his tale. Facing rejection in different forms, he becomes truly evil, giving up hope of companionship as a result of his trials and lessons. From the moment of his creation, the creature encounters abandonment, violence, isolation, and rejection everywhere he turns.

With a first glance, an article of a man who, although he’s rich, poses as a hobo and a novel about a mad scientist who’s creation goes astray may not seem to have much in common. In many ways, James Eads How and Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are quite different. James Eads How gave up his riches to live a poor, but humble life. How was a real man that lived in the early 20th century. His story was widely popular, and writer and illustrator Tim Lane, recently made a comic about How’s adventure called The Millionaire Who Lived as a Hobo and published it on the Riverfront Times, a news and culture website.

However, their personalities are polar opposites. Going off of that, Magwitch and Compeyson act nothing alike, but they might look alike. Pip confuses Compeyson for Magwitch, because he “[dresses] in coarse grey, too, and [has] a great iron on his leg, and [is] lame, and hoarse, and cold, and everything the other man [is]; except that he [has] not the same face” (Dickens 16). As this evidence shows, Magwitch and Compeyson are easily mistaken for each other, except for their personalities. As a result, even though people can look alike, they can be totally different on the inside. Similarly, when compared, people’s looks to their personalities, most of the time they are completely different. When Magwitch is seen, he comes off as mean. But, if someone has a nice conversation, he is really kind. To show, the conversation might go like this, “‘I’ve been a sheep-farmer, stock breeder, other trades besides, away in the New World’” (Dickens 318). To enumerate, this evidence explains how Magwitch is nice, but he can seem mean at some times, if someone gets on his bad side. Even though he does not have the same personality as Compeyson, even though they look similar. Another key point, Compeyson is not nice. He does not look nice, and he does not act nice, either. For example, Pip receives a note saying that Compeyson is “the man who [professes] to be Miss Havisham’s

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley uncovers the dangers of knowledge through the creation of the monster and the downfall of Victor Frankenstein. Shelley portrays Frankenstein in a way that can be utilized to explain his decline. In Frankenstein, Victor’s impulsive, selfish, and vengeful character is revealed when compared to the creators in The Myth of Prometheus and the King James Version of Genesis. For example, Frankenstein’s impulsiveness is highlighted when compared to the well-thought out actions of Prometheus. Frankenstein’s impromptu plan to create the monster was driven by his curiosity and lacked any consideration of the consequences.

Most Americans have some idea of who Frankenstein is, as a result of the many Frankenstein movies. Contrary to popular belief Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a scientist, not a monster. The "monster" is not the inarticulate, rage-driven criminal depicted in the 1994 film version of the novel. Shelley’s original Frankenstein was misrepresented by this Kenneth branagh film, most likely to send a different message to the movie audience than Shelley’s novel shows to its readers. The conflicting messages of technologies deserve being dependent on its creator (address by Shelley) and poetic justice, or triumph over evil (showed by the movie) is best represented by the

Frankenstein shares many of the same characteristics with monsters, such as his appearance, his selfishness, and his aberrant desire to be Godlike. Victor Frankenstein is described as grotesque, almost demon-like, during the scene in which Frankenstein laments his fury on

Victor Frankenstein is in many ways more monstrous than the monster he created. Victor and his creation demonstrate a thesis-antithesis correspondence wherein they reflect opposite character traits. Victor has no sense of empathy or compassion, whereas the monster, although hideous and rejected by society as an outcast, has

In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein creates a creature, stronger and better than humans in every way except his looks. After Frankenstein abandons him, the Creature meets the De Lacey’s, a nice little family that indirectly teach him how to read and write. In truth, the Creature only becomes a monster after the hatred that Felix, one of the De Lacey’s, shows him. Before, he had done nothing wrong, but afterwards, all he did was fall down a slippery slope.

In Frankenstein, the monster is a hideous, vicious being of large stature who has the potential to cause injury, so he is perceived to be malicious due to these characteristics. The creature desires human interactions

On the surface, both characters appear to be polar opposites of each other. Pip is referred to as Young Pip by Orlick who refers to himself as Old Orlick, even though according to Pip, "he was about five-and-twenty, but he usually spoke of himself as an ancient person" (106). The work ethic of the two blacksmith apprentices vary immensely, with Pip basically being a diligent worker as opposed to Orlick’s lazy habits who is described by Pip as "always slouching" (105). Orlick hates his job and is a generally mean and dispirited individual.

Though Victor Frankenstein and his creation both have qualities that are clearly monstrous, Victor’s selfishness, his abandonment of his responsibilities, and his inability to recognize his own faults and the monstrous qualities within himself qualities within himself make him the true monster while his creation is rather the opposite.

Throughout the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, the creature is subjected to countless acts of violence and rejection. For a monster to develop, one must have been formerly exploited either by an individual or their society. The creature is not only a physical product of science, but his atrocious behavior is also an explicit result of Victor’s actions toward him. The creature was not born a monster, but slowly morphed into one as he experiences violence and rejection from his society.

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

The main storyline has to do with Pip’s expectations of becoming a gentleman. To do this he received help from a secret benefactor. For the first half of the novel Pip is convinced that Miss Havisham is the one doing this so one day he and Estella can be together. Dickens creates a story around Pip’s assumption to make this a very logical explanation. Coincidentally right after Pip realizes and confirms he was wrong about his benefactor, an unexpected character reappears. “You acted nobly, my boy,” said he. “Noble Pip! And I have never forgot it!” (Dickens 248) These words ring out of his benefactor’s name. Who appears to be the escaped convict from the beginning who threatened him, known by the name of Magwitch. Magwitch reveals that ever since that day in the graveyard when Pip returned to give him what he requested he has found a job to help Pip out for what he did for him. By doing this secretly for all this

Mary W. Shelley’s brilliant gothic story, Frankenstein, is one that emits the prevalent theme of light versus dark, in which possesses obvious characteristics of a novel written during the romantic era. The novel tells the account of the overambitious Victor Frankenstein, who created a monster in hopes that he’d be known for crafting something human from the body parts of corpses with physical and mental advantages in society, basically playing the part of God on Earth, but through the auspices of science. Instead of creating a “normal” human, his creation ended up being a disfigured creature who he then neglects. Upon his abandonment, the monster seeks revenge on Victor after being cast away by society due to harsh physiognomy in which