Individual identity or the self identity means what people think about themselves. The thinking comes from how the personal contacts of an individual take place on the physical, emotional and psychological level. Identification with one’s own identity develops through thinking. This thinking takes place through the interaction taking place in the family by the family members, neighbourhood, society and the community. The factors that shape the individual identity of a person help to shape up the attributes, behaviors, beliefs and relationships of an individual. At times when the identity of an individual is not established in the society then that individual can take unnatural means or illegal ways to foster that identity.
However, the development
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People acquire different behavioral characteristics and attributes as a response to the behaviors received by them. Love and warmth brings comfort and caring which helps to develop cheerful and confident adults. On the other hand, hatred received from the people bounces back in the form of more hatred from that individual. If the basic needs and the desires are not fulfilled, then a person develops into a complex character. This happens in the sub conscious mind. The person may not be aware of the behavioral changes that he may be going through in order to find and prove his own identity.
The complex nature of human being, their quest for individual identity and the resultant behavioral changes is the centre of focus in the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelly in the year 1818. The novel written two centuries back was a bold novel that talked about the havoc the science may create through the eyes of a strange creature. At the same time, the novel digs a little deeper into the complex minds of the people and their egos. Ego is an integral aspect of one’s personality. When a person finds his personal identity then his ego is polished and he finds himself worthy in his own eyes. However, the
Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them
In the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley during the romanticism period, we see different characters who struggle with self-understanding and self-deception, as well as those who shift to gain a better realization of themselves and others. Victor Frankenstein’s creation is one example of a character we see shift from being very self-deceptive to gaining self-knowledge and understanding himself in relation to others. In the beginning, the creation’s false expectations, based on limited human interactions and knowledge, lead him to deceive himself by believing humans can accept him and overlook his deformities. But after many negative experiences, he understands the true and cruel nature of humans, vows vengeance on the entire species, and gains self-awareness and accepts his identity as a “monster.”
Philosophers and scientists alike have debated for centuries whether a person’s character is the result of nature or nurture. In the writings of Thomas Hobbes, it is expressed that humans are endowed with character from birth, and that they are innately evil in nature. John Locke’s response to this theory is that everyone is born with a tabula rasa, or blank slate, and then develops character after a series of formative experiences. The idea that true character is the result of experiences and societal interaction is a theme deeply explored throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Through different interactions with the monster, Shelley attempts to express that it is because of Victor’s failings as a parent and creator, because of the
Shelley explores identity through the character of the monster whom is a victim of Victor’s abandonment. An identity indicates more than merely a name or label specifically to the monster as it signifies that one has a place within society and that one has a purposeful existence in the world. A deeper understanding of identity emerges from Shelley’s writing stance of the monster seeking an improved quality of life, mirroring the issues of her time due to the poverty and large numbers of unemployment. Frankenstein displays identity through portraying the abandoned character of the monster constantly desiring and longing for a purpose in society through the use of rhetorical questions to illustrate his inability to find his place in the world, “I was dependent on none and related to none. The path of my departure was free, and there was none to lament my annihilation. My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them.” Furthermore Shelley stresses her notion on identity through having the monster long for a companion to belong to in the world. This is seen in, "'I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My
The novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley involves the complex issues with the creation of life through an inanimate life. Shelley uses these character archetypes to develop a deeper meaning of the characters intentions. Shelley does an excellent job at allowing the reader to have a peak at the characters inner thoughts and feelings. The archetypes presented in Frankenstein allow readers to identify with the character's role and purpose.
The concept ‘nature vs. nurture’ refers to the debate surrounding the influence of genetic factors and the environment in determining personality. It still remains contentious as to whether our personality is primarily determined by inherent genetics (biological approach) or by environmental conditioning (behaviourist approach). Shelley effectively embodies this life-long debate through the characterisation of Victor Frankenstein and the Frankenstein creature. She highlights the significance of the environment in creating personality as indicated by the influence of Victor’s home education and the creature’s character development. This essay shall hence illustrate that Frankenstein does not only engage with the nature vs. nurture debate,
The novel Frankenstein has exhibited the many complex correlations to Sigmund Freud's theory of ID/Ego/Superego. In order to identify these similarities, one must fully understand the theory itself. Freud believed that there are three main factors that make up the human being’s personality complex, which is an identity, an ego, and a superego. An identity is theorized to be who you instinctively are. While the superego is who you are as a person.
Sherry Ginn’s “Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?” effectively uses Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and the story of Shelly’s life background, to explain how Marry Shelly’s absence of maternal and parental upbringing caused her to implement the philosophies in the novel Frankenstein. Erikson’s theory says that there are eight human steps one will face from infancy to adult hood. The steps will approach as one confronts a conflict. If he/she can overcome the conflict, it will lead the individual to a higher physic development and become turning points in the individual life. A closer look at the novel coupled with Marry Shelly’s history, leads one to believe that many of the major themes in the novel Frankenstein are adapted from Mary's own life. Sherry Ginn, in her critic identifies and refers to many examples to help illustrate her idea and portray the connection between the story of the novel and the life of the author.
Frankenstein was the type of “mad scientist” who would isolate himself in a laboratory, secretly creating another human life, only to discover he created a monster (Haynes, 2006). The Frankenstein story was a product of the subconscious rather than the conscious mind of its own author (Haynes, 2006). The monster replied to the beauties of nature, to the joys of domesticity and ideas of excellent novels (Haynes, 2006). The monster had both an alter ego and even denied that he had a child while married to Elizabeth (Haynes, 2006).
Self-identity is the understanding a person has of themselves. The more certain we are of our self identify, the more likely we will stick with our beliefs and values and not conform.
What makes you who you are? Everyone has an identity that is made up of many changing factors. Two factors that help shape one's identity in a positive and negative way are family and friends.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is a novel of interpersonal struggle between inborn traits versus the self determined willingness to work for success. The author demonstrates the contrasting personalities of Victor and the Creature specifically in regard to the nature they are born with in contrast to who they made of themselves. Innate aspects hinder personal growth for the Creature although he works hard to become a self-made man, whereas nurturing miens obstruct growth for the dignified Victor despite his fortunate nature. Shelley demonstrates sympathy with a Creature who tries to overcome his monstrous form more than a gentleman who abases him in order to convey that no matter how hard he tries to overcome his nature, personal choices can
Authors tend to receive a lot of their imagination from things they’ve personally experienced, even when writing fictional novels. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein consists of many literary elements, undertones, and themes which help mold it into the beautiful psych novel readers love. The novel contains many elements that provide a thrill, but, an interesting element of the novel is that it is essentially an autobiography. Many of aspects of the novel can be traced to Mary Shelley’s personal experiences; it’s as if when she writes it, she writes her life. Even more so than the thrilling nature of the novel, the fact that the author writes this fictional story in a way that portrays her personal life is even more electrifying. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley not only provides readers with a grasping exposition of their surroundings, but also with an inside look into her personal life.