In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the social institution exemplified gives constant reckoning onto the creature that Victor Frankenstein bestows life into. Such a process presents light to the true meaning of the word monster and what worldly beings deem having the title. As the conjured creature manifests its emotions and newfound conscious, the constructive elements that make up this societal institution sling constant hostility and horror shaping its mindset until it becomes what its superiors deem is a monster. Looking at the book from the perspective of the creature, one can argue how the only real monstrosity is the remedial society displayed. The classic conditions of a monster have long been understood to rely solely on physical aspects and not intention, thus making it difficult for a being, such at Victor’s creation, to have a chance in the seemingly civilized world it is made into. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary states a monster is “(in stories) an imaginary creature that is very large, ugly and frightening; an animal or a thing that is very large or ugly; a person who is very cruel and evil”. From birth the creature starts fulfilling these requirements and after exhausting all possible hope of having accepted intentions it fully becomes what others shape it towards. Victor’s first judgement holds up through almost all characters the creature encounters: I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the
Perhaps what led Victor to this rejection, why he was so horrified of his creation, was because he had had such high expectations. In chapter 1, he talks about his life and his parents, he says he was an “innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven”. Perhaps this is what he wanted from his creation, for it to be a gift from heaven, and when it turned out it was ‘hideous’ and not so heavenly, he was disappointed. He wanted something that was “perfect”, “human”, but what he made was something hideous, and his gigantic structure made him different from a human. However, what we realise later on in the book is that it’s what’s on the inside that makes him human. This monster is capable of human emotions and intelligence, he learns to read write and think like a human. This is what makes us have sympathy to the monster- that we can relate to his feelings.
Victor Frankenstein and his creation surprisingly share many of the same characteristics. Even though Frankenstein is an ugly, unwanted creature, he and Victor withhold an obvious connection throughout the novel. However, Victor and Frankenstein also share their differences as well.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. Frankenstein’s direct association with fundamental Gothic literature is extremely renowned. However, the novel’s originality is derived from the foundational thematic values found within the relationship (or lack there of) between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he had created, in combination with a fascinatingly captivating plot. Understandably, Frankenstein can often be associated with a multitude of concepts; however, in this particular instance, the circumstances in the book seemed remarkably coherent with Shelley’s Romantic beliefs in preserving the natural world, and one’s natural existence. These values present themselves as metaphorical symbols that
Although humans have the tendency to set idealistic goals to better future generations, often the results can prove disastrous, even deadly. The tale of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, focuses on the outcome of one man 's idealistic motives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation of horrific creature. Victor Frankenstein was not doomed to failure from his initial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it was his poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation 's thirst for the vindication of his unjust life. In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so the creation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever be entirely received by the people who inhabit it. Not only failing to foresee his faulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey, consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting he himself that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being and the quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable for his own death than the creation himself.
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein is as much as a monster as his creation. They are related in many different ways such as the fact that they are both isolated from society. While the monster isolated from society due to his physical features, Victor is isolated from his family and of his creation of the monster.
Find the definition of what a monster is and it means multiple things. Two definitions that are applicable to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein define monster as an imaginary monster that is large, ugly, and frightening or; as a person of repulsively unnatural character that exhibits extreme cruelty or wickedness as to appear inhuman (Oxford English Dictionary). While both meanings differ, the latter definition seeks to give negative character traits to an inhuman monster. However, the creation of a monster should not imply that monsters are inherently cruel or wicked. The traits associated with the term monster are a construct of what people believe inhuman monsters possess. By this logic,
His intelligence and longing to fit in society illustrates his humaneness. Although the creature seeks to find companionship many times, his efforts are only met with fear and hostility. Frankenstein’s creation can only accept the rejection he faces from society and respond with the same attitude his father has for society. By casting away all around him, the creature indulges in evil. The creature’s greatly wishes to be part of society, “if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear”(Shelley 135); and “if I have no ties and affections, hatred and vice must be my portion”(Shelley 137). The so called monster is only responding to Victor’s indifference and apathy. The creature shows the urgency to feel loved and accepted by society and not indifference.
Like most horror stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has a wretched monster who terrorizes and kills his victims with ease. However, the story is not as simple as it seems. One increasingly popular view of the true nature of the creature is one of understanding. This sympathetic view is often strengthened by looking at the upbringing of the creature in the harsh world in which he matures much as a child would. With no friends or even a true father, the creature can be said to be a product of society and its negative views and constant rejections of him. Although this popular view serves to lessen the severity of his crimes in most people’s eyes, the fact remains that the creature is in fact a cold-hearted wretch whose vindictive nature
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.
What purpose does it serve to have multiple narrators telling a story? In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, three main narrators tell the story about the creation of a monster and the events that follow. The job of narrator shifts between Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster that Victor creates. As each narrator shares his own recollection of the events that occurred, new facts are introduced to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Although Frankenstein uses multiple narrators to tell the story, it is important to look at the effects it might have on the stories accuracy. In this essay, I will closely examine the motives, differences, and similarities of each narrator to see what influences, if any, they have on the narrative.
Mary Shelley’s exemplification of various characters in Frankenstein is a reflection of social norms of the time. This is ever so evident through the character of the creature, as society’s disgust with him reflects society’s aspiration in customs. This rejection of the creature also reflects Shelley’s own society as they start rejecting the Enlightenment’s pursuit of knowledge after the age of Romanticism
At the beginning of his creation Victor had “selected the features as beautiful,” but in reality, “this luxuriance only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes” (Shelley 35). The outcome of Victor’s actions show how unprepared he was for what would happen if he were to actually create life out of “an inanimate body” (Shelley 35). He is appalled by what he has created and is the first character to characterize his creation as a monster, providing that image to the reader. Immediately after this event, Victor flees the scene, and hopes that somehow, he will not have to face what he has done, and celebrates when he returns to find that the “Monster” is gone, and he does nothing to attempt to find his creation or fix anything that he had done.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, dreams, nightmares, goals, and aspirations of the the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his creation, give insight to events that will occur later in the novel. The dreams and aspirations of Victor Frankenstein and the creature he creates contrast to the harsh realities that they are faced with. Frankenstein’s first dream foreshadows the death of his beloved wife and several others whom he is close to. His second dream foretells a potentially fatal encounter with his creature. His aspiration to become a renowned scientist by creating life from death consequently leads to the demise of Frankenstein’s life and reputation. The creature Frankenstein creates aspires to learn compassion, and how to fit into society. Though the creature learns human behaviors, he suffers from the rejection of his creator, and all people who see him.
In the story, one of the main conflicts is Victor versus himself. In the beginning, it shows that the man isn't even stable in the first place. When Victor wants something, he obsesses about it without thinking about the consequences that can occur. Obviously, the creature did not begin its life as a monster but became one after Victor Frankenstein rejected it and refused to realize that he has to take care of this creature from now and forever and be responsible. The creature was born a defenseless being into the world. It was simply born and tried to see the person who made him come, the one who needed him and loved him. But when it saw the world did not see anybody who at least gave him an arm to stand up. Victor Frankenstein wanted to give life to a creature, but when he managed to do it “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart…”[p.57] When Victor finally achieves his goal of creating life, and he realizes the horrid aftermath of his activity, he falls into depression and becomes ill. He sets himself up for failure with the monster he
In most people’s minds as of today, there is no question to who the monster is in Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein. It is the creature that Viktor Frankenstein created, that murders innocent people. However, when looking beyond the appearance of the creature, it is evident that he did not begin as a monster. Mary Shelley analyzes fundamental and crucial issues in her novel in terms of being able to use science and knowledge for the good of people and not for the satisfaction of personal ambitions without even being able to take responsibility for that. It is also the novel of social rejection based on external looks and inability to accept. It was the extreme misconceptions of humans that resulted in the extreme isolation of Frankenstein’s