Development Of A Hero In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

To begin, Linda Seger’s article demonstrates how the idea of a hero is universal and is defined by their journey, which is incorrect because other cultures might define a hero as something else. In her article, she tries using ten stages of how a hero is sometimes just an ordinary person. Who then takes in order

Within any story, the hero must contain three integral qualities: he or she must be the apparent protagonist of the novel, he or she must commit oneself to noble qualities and doings without exception, and he or she must be figuratively or literally invisible.

In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein’s Creation reach similar conclusions humanity by seafaring to the North Pole, delving into the dark depths of science, and observing the rejecting nature of humans. The three tragic heroes Walton, Frankenstein and the Creation are all character doubles in their initial enthusiasm for knowledge, inner dualist personalities, religiously glorified personal goals, possessive relationships and negative effects of gaining knowledge. The three character’s views of humanity are a microcosm of the culturally accepted importance of beauty, and how the culmination of knowledge can be blinding and lead to utter ruination.

    In any novel the author is free to create and shape their characters in whatever way they see fit. In Frankenstein, Shelley does an excellent job of shaping her characters, be it however minute their part in the story, so that the reader gets a clear picture of Shelley's creations. It seems that each character in Shelley's Frankenstein is created by Shelley to give the reader a certain impression of the character. By doing this Shelley creates the characters the way she wants us to see them. She tells us certain things about them and gives them certain traits so that they will fit into the story the way she wants them to. In particular I will examine the characters of the

Heroes are the people who demonstrate qualities of courage or outstanding achievements and are recognized for their influence in the society. Heroic characters are defined similarly in literatures as well. In the two literatures, Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey, the main characters shape the plot the stories by their heroic abilities. The literatures also tend to illustrate how heroic qualities were perceived and portrayed in societies. Both characters come from different part of the world yet their plots are similar to each other. The protagonist from two literatures is on a quest to go home and to claim their ancestors’ throne, which is righteously theirs.

Tragic hero’s can come in all shapes and sizes. They may appear as a villain in multiple works of literature. In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the tragic hero is the creature. He is a main character whose faults led to his overall downfall. Often, the creature is misinterpreted by people to be named Frankenstein because he is such a prominent character. While the creature is able to identify the faults in mankind it is only after extreme suffering on his own part.

However, since the hero is part of society, the journey is also one of personal development. On a more psychological level, one could suggest that the hero’s quest is symbolic of all personal conflict. Conflict begins when a problem arises that must be dealt with. Most people, at first, refuse to come to terms with whatever this problem may be, and attempt to ignore it. With enough mental determination and/or aid from an outside source, however, one can bring themselves to cross the first threshold, and begin their journey into the heart of the problem. For example, victims of rape or other types of abuse must face what is haunting them in order for it to be exorcised properly.

The hero is one of the most commonly seen archetypes throughout literature and film. While there are many different types of heroes, there are particular characteristics that identify a character as a hero. These characteristics are largely not in regards to who the hero is: personality traits, beliefs, or values – rather, these attributes concern the hero’s journey and the actions the hero takes while on that journey. In Guillermo Del Toro’s film, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ofelia is an archetypal hero because she is born into royalty, leaves her family and land, goes on an adventure, receives supernatural help, proves herself many times, and is rewarded spiritually when she dies.

hero's journey is not solely “applicable to fiction but also to the journeys that everyone goes

In his article “Transforming Society by Teaching Everyday People About the Characteristics of a Modern Hero.” Philip Zimbardo states what attributes heroes possess, “A hero is someone who possesses and displays certain heroic attributes such as integrity, compassion, and moral courage, heightened by an understanding of the power of situational forces.” (Zimbardo).. Zimbardo wants us to understand that heroes are different between now and earlier times, by the way they act, and the personality traits they possess. He wants society to know what characterizes heroes today and how they are different from say Homer’s times.

For example, some people argue that Bond is perceived as the anti-hero. This interpretation would make sense because some people believe that Bond lacks conventional heroic attributes. He often uses fancy weapons, like a handgun that recognizes his palm print, and different specialized methods of transportation. In addition, his character, often drinking, sexualized, and in the beginning weak, is seen as having non-heroic characteristics. However, this view is ultimately weakened by not acknowledging the validity of Campbell’s research on the hero journey.

In novels with heroes and heroines, the hero or heroine is brave and mentally strong; to

The Byronic hero as presented in Lord Byron’s “Manfred,” is a protagonist who has traits, including: a troubled background, high self esteem, isolation from society, an exaggerated sense of independence, and genuine guilt. All of these traits Manfred bears, and Victor shares in a differing form. The differences between Manfred and Victor begin with their feelings of guilt and continue through the amount of control they give up over themselves. The guilt of Victor is false when compared with that of Manfred, and Victor relinquishes some of his autonomy to the monster in Frankenstein, in contrast to Manfred’s steadfast hold of complete self government. These changes, seen in Victor’s personality, lead to a critique of the Byronic hero in

The literature of a culture is a reflection of its beliefs. This is true of its mythology. In a fantasy setting, the qualities that a society exalts in a protagonist, here the hero of the myth, can be fully manifested, without being restricted by reality. Although these qualities differ, the principle remains the same throughout these cultures. Despite the differences chronologically and geographically between India, ancient Greece, and modern America, their heroes are similar in their superhuman abilities and courageousness. As heroes, they find themselves obligated to save others who cannot save themselves. The burden of their heroic status is to take on challenges and defeat them.

While they may be very different from one another almost every movie must have some type of hero. Screen writers and movie directors must constantly develop these different types of heroes to please the many different attitudes and opinions of movie goers. Movie enthusiast all have different reasons for liking the movie heroes they do and it is up to the screen writers, actors, and directors to successfully please the movies target audience. Numerous studies have tried to reveal just exactly what people consider a hero to be. In a study discussed in the course packet the results show that terms such as intelligent, loving, and leader are some of the most commonly used