Examples Of Monstrosity In Frankenstein

What is a monster, really? Is it really a Creature that has three eyes instead of two, with pus seeping out of every crevice in his face and an abnormally large form? Or is it someone with a mind so corrupt it rivals that of Satan? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story within a story that centers on the tale of a man with an immense thirst of knowledge and a fetish to imitate the Creator. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a lot like the Greek mythological tale of the Greek God, Prometheus, and his brother, Epimetheus, who were assigned the task of creating man. The story captivates the theme of monstrosity. Mary Shelley wrote the novel in a form so the reader’s opinions never stray far from sympathy for the monster and apathy for Victor

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the tale of a man whose entire life turns to misery after creating what he calls a monster, a demon and a fiend. However, the real monster in this story is pride and the feeling of superiority. This is evident in the novel with Robert Walton’s view of himself and his expedition, Victor Frankenstein’s attitude towards himself in comparison with the creature, and mankind’s perception of the creature and their ignorance towards him.

From beginning to end Frankenstein’s Monster is shown as a wicked creature from the people; however, he possesses many human characteristics. The monster was originally an idea of Frankenstein that will soon come to life. Created from many different parts, the monster was never given a chance to be seen as anything other than a science project. From the outside looking in,

Mary Shelley’s ability to create such multidimensional characters in Frankenstein proves that writing is a powerful tool that has the ability to provoke vastly different opinions amongst readers. Even though each individual reading the story is reading the exact same words, their interpretation of those words often leads to opposing views in regards to the fate of the characters. The creature, in particular, has been a popular topic of discussion when conducting a close read of the novel due to his arguable versatility as a victim and villain. The concept of the villain has evolved over the years, however its basis still rests upon the simple fact that as a character in the story, their actions are a result of malicious intentions

In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster is portrayed as a grotesque abomination. However, as Hopkins states in Contending Forces, the cultural and geographical situations, or lack thereof, in which one matures in play a crucial role in the proper development of one’s mind and brain. The monster is simply a product of circumstance. The lack of social interactions alongside geographical isolation propelled the daemon to be alienated from society, ultimately resulting in a lack of morals and an underdeveloped psyche. By being a culmination of his surroundings and experiences it is revealed that the true monstrous entities are the factors that leave the daemon predisposed to fail in a modern society. Arguably, Victor created a being, while the circumstances that said being was placed in “created” a monster. Shelley purposefully terrorizes the monster with such intensity to provoke and justify the overarching theme in this novel which states that people should not be judged on their physical appearance.

In the novel, the readers learn that the main antagonist, Victor Frankenstein, is trying to reanimate life and create a “new generation” of advanced humans. Despite being successful in creating the monster, Victor would abandon his creation which forces it to have and conceive different identities and creates conflicting perspectives for the readers. This technique of giving the monster different identities is used by Shelley to portray the monster as a complex being. In the book, Victor abandons his creation because he is horribly terrified as he sees his creation is dreadful looking and says, “I beheld the wretch

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, illustrates an interesting story focusing in on many different themes, but what most readers may miss, is the similarities between Victor Frankenstein and the creature he created. As the story develops, one may pick up on these similarities more and more. This is portrayed through their feelings of isolation, thirst for revenge, their bold attempt to play god, and also their hunger to obtain knowledge. These are all displayed through a series of both the actions and the words of Frankenstein and his creature.

In Mary Shelley´s Gothic novel, Frankenstein, the Monster once claimed, “The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.” Frankenstein, since the 1910 film adaptation, has known a series of several adaptations that changed drastically, not only the plot but one of the main characters, the Monster, from stealing its creator´s name to being portrayed as a cold villain. Though, in the original storyline, the biggest threat to society is the creator itself, the one pretending to play as God, Victor Frankenstein. This essay will discuss the nature of the main characters of the novel and conclude who is the “real monster” in the end.

Who is the real monster?” acts as the dominant question throughout the novel “Frankenstein” written by Mary Shelly as the reader explores the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his nameless creation. As the novel progresses, the reader notices how the relationship between the two characters goes far beyond a neglectful creature and resentful creation, for the two influence the thoughts, actions and emotions of each other. Furthermore, the creature’s physical appearance acts as his purpose throughout the novel as well as a mirror of Victor Frankenstein’s true identity. Additionally, the creature’s lack of identity begins to initiate Frankenstein’s shame towards his own identity, revealing the flawed character of Frankenstein and determining the resolution to the question “Who is the true monster? Who is the true catalyst of destruction?” During the novel, the reader is able to identify the creature as the most effective foil for Victor Frankenstein because the creature causes: Frankenstein to view the action of the creature as his own work, the shift between pride and shame in Frankenstein, and his physical appearance demonstrates his purpose to reveal the true character of Victor Frankenstein.

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.

In Frankenstein Mary Shelley tells the story of a man, his creation and eventful tragedies are told. A part of the story, is formed and influenced by the creation and actions of a creature brought to life by Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein includes a morally ambiguous character known as the creature, who contributes to the meaning of how nature is impersonal.

Frankenstein is a story full of questions and excitement. What is interesting about Shelley’s novel is the absence of God and multiple female characters. She ignores the proper way of conception and birth. Due to this, the science of what Victor accomplished had gone awry. His goal while creating the monster was a perfect race in which they would help mankind, “even though the dream of the new race is...exploded” in the end (Levine 12). Victor Frankenstein

When I first began reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley I had a vastly different idea of how the book would play out. Going into the story I expected it to be more of a science fiction tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the Monster that we have seen so much of in the last century of film. Within the first half of the book, I was rather perplexed by the fact that the Monster really didn’t play an integral part of the story. I wasn’t prepared for what ended up being a tale of Victor’s life and his struggles and the Monster being more a symbolism of how unaccepting humanity is to things they don’t know.

Everybody has their own idea of what a monster is. To some it could be a vicious, three headed, 6 eyed, scaly fire breathing creature, but to another it could simply be a man in long coat that lives down the street. Monsters are never the same to everybody, and look different in the eyes of everybody, even animals. My own concept of a monster isn’t necessarily a big fire breathing lizard beast, or a one eyed humanoid, but actually any being in my eyes that has a certain character flaw that makes them do bad things, or is just downright evil. It isn’t always something that appears frightening, for a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover. A simple man, with a simple look could be out to destroy the world for all you know, or at least ruin your

“People like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves…they feel better then. They find it easier to live” (Andrej Sapkowski). All human monstrosity possesses an underlying motive. Through the art of literary masterpieces utilizing themes, theories and devices in demonstrating the need for power and wealth in society, it helps discuss such destructive behaviours clearly. Macbeth decides to kill King Duncan with seemingly noble intent although this behaviour is illogical. In a like manor, Victor creates his being in an attempt to achieve perfection, but he soon realizes the true atrocity of his actions. Correspondingly, Lady Macbeth displays a truly malicious personality, in comparison to her innocent female exterior in 11th century Scotland. In accordance to that, the cottage family rejects the being, who unknowingly teach him and appear to be ‘perfect’, when in all reality they view him as a monster similar to everyone else. The present ideas showcase the truth that monsters are not born, but the world creates them. Therefore, the theme of monstrosity exemplifies the significance of power in society and the lengths people go to achieve it; due to the themes of noble savagery and appearance versus reality in the manuscripts Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.