Frankenstein : That Which Turns Light Into Darkness

For many people, the creature was the antagonist of Frankenstein. People don't see him as human, even though he was created with human body parts. Many think simply because he was dead and brought back, the creature must be evil. Many people think he only wants to haunt his creator and make him suffer. However, the creature

Light: The light portrayed throughout the novel is representative of enlightenment. Walton, during his trip to the North Pole, is searching for the secrets of the universe, and refers to the location as “a country of eternal light” (140). Light is also apparent whenever Victor comes to a realization; when he first discovers natural philosophy, he calls it “a new light [that] seemed to dawn upon my mind” (25). Also, when Victor discovers the formula to life, he said it felt like “a sudden light broke upon [him]” (26).

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, explores the concept of humanity through distinguishing it from that of a demonic nature. This is done through a constant doubling between her two superficially opposing characters throughout the novel. Through the thematic use of nature, knowledge, wretchedness, and vengeance, sometimes as direct comparisons other times as striking contrasts, Shelley blurs the lines between human and demon within her own characters.

In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, the creature is a seemingly cold-hearted serial killer bent on destroying Victor Frankenstein’s family. In the book there is a motif of light and darkness that is recurring throughout the story. The etymology of the word dark means “sad, cheerless; sinister, wicked...the absence of light" implying that being light means you are benevolent, kind, honorable. To put it simply, if you are dark you are bad, and if you are light you are good. The creature is inherently good, however he turns bad because mankind sinned against him. It is not the creature’s fault that he turned out the way he did; it is the fault of those who influenced him to go bad.

Topic: Mary Shelley has Victor Frankenstein create a living being, who then becomes a murderer. Who or what is responsible for the wretch’s behavior? Is Shelley casting blame on a society that refuses to accept the wretch? Does she hold Victor responsible for his negligence as a “parent” (both father and mother) or is the wretch himself responsible for the chaos he creates?

“He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish. I shall no longer see the sun or stars, or feel the winds play on my cheeks. Light, feeling, and sense, will pass away; and in this condition must I find my happiness.”(161)

Victor Frankenstein worried about everyone else and playing God, rather than trying to do right, morally. Victor had to go through a lot of steps and difficulties to create the monster. After the creation of the monster, everyone including Victor abandoned him. Victor refused to create a girl creature to avoid a lot of problems, but he did not realize the hell the monster would end up causing him. Victor regrets trying to play God because his action would cause him great troubles and consequences.

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 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.

It is true that the creature did take some terrible decisions. The monster killed people and it hurt people. Yet he only did this, because he was hurt. His father figure abandoned him, no one accepted him. If now a days people are bullied they stand up for themselves too. The monster did this as well. The monster only wanted to be accepted and loved. – if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear ~ Mary Shelley, Frankenstein’s monster

The creature was created by a man named Victor Frankenstein, who abandoned the creature right away. The creature had to face the pain and confusion of being brought into a world full of strange sounds and vibrant colors. He had to learn the nature of the world all by himself. Because he was alone, he had to rely on his primal instincts and learn to survive by trial and error. During the time of trial and error, he went to a village. At the village he suffered as well as brought on suffering to others. His appearance was so horrifying that it brought on the village’s suffering. Women fainted and men feared for their lives because the deformities of the creature made him appear like a monster. While the village suffered from fear of the creature, some villagers threw rocks and sticks at the creature as well as force fire into the creature’s path (Shelley 136). Thus, the creature also suffered. The horror

It is vital that you know who the real monster in the Frankenstein book, Victor Frankenstein is the number one contender for this position. He creates a monster, but who knows if the actual monster he created is the true monster in this story. In later chapters the true monster is revealed, Victor Frankenstein takes fault for the deaths of Justine, William, and Henry even though he wasn’t the actual cause of their death. Although the monster was created by Victor, he is still horrid and disgusted by how his monsters look and abandons his creation because of his unpleasant demeanor. Victor didn’t accept the monster and decided to avoid coming into contact with the monster, woefully the monster later commits an evil act and kills Justine

Frankenstein was a story written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley while she was on her vacation in Switzerland with her husband. The story got published in 1818 without letting the public about the author. It was in 1831 when the novel revised edition was out and Mary Shelley name mentioned as an author. The novel focused on social, cultural and political facet of the societies during Mary’s lifetime. The fictional character in the novel clearly shows the battle against the pre-established people’s attitude during that time. Religion and science always create a controversy in the society with religion always differencing from any scientific principles and experiments. Shelley’s tried to addresses the above controversy and showed how science and modern technology is sometimes wrong. She tried to show how scientists and inventors are sometimes selfish only care for achieving their plan without evaluating the end result.

when he felt lonely and when he was hungry there was no one to guide

Introduction: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is a book with a deep message that touches to the very heart. This message implies that the reader will not see the story only from the perspective of the narrator but also reveal numerous hidden opinions and form a personal interpretation of the novel. One of its primary statements is that no one is born a monster and a “monster” is created throughout socialization, and the process of socialization starts from the contact with the “creator”. It is Victor Frankenstein that could not take the responsibility for his creature and was not able to take care of his “child”. Pride and vanity were the qualities that directed Victor Frankenstein to his discovery of life: “...So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation”[p.47]. He could not cope with this discovery and simply ignored it. The tragedy of Victor Frankenstein and the tragedy of his creature is the same – it is the tragedy of loneliness and confronting the world, trying to find a place in it and deserve someone’s love. The creature would have never become a monster if it got the love it strived for. Victor Frankenstein would have never converted his creature into a monster if he knew how to love and take responsibility for the ones we bring to this world.