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Frankenstein Tragic Hero Essay

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In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, we are told the story of a man named Victor Frankenstein who figures out how to bring something to life. He constructs a human like body and brings it to life, only to discover he has made a hideous Monster. When the Monster learns how to speak, decipher hunger and thirst, and function as a human, he discovers that how lonely and depressing his life is. Deciding to get revenge on his creator, he kills Frankenstein's brother, best friend, and wife, while framing the servant for his brother's murder. With his family gone, Frankenstein decides to hunt down the Monster, but fails when he dies on a fellow sailing crew’s ship. There has been much debate on who the real Monster and tragic hero of the tale is: …show more content…

In the beginning of chapter one, we learn about Frankenstein's family. His background of coming from a wealthy and loving family makes us believe that he is set up for success. From early on in Frankenstein's life, he exhibited traits of always wanting to learn more. In chapter two, he tells a story from when he was thirteen and read a book filled with a plethora of facts and knowledge. When his father calls it “sad trash”, it only fuels his desire to learn more. Although Frankenstein's thirst for knowledge fuels him, he also describes this as being one of the key factors that perpetuates his downfall. For example, he states “I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling in the recollections of my childhood, before misfortune had tainted my mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and reflections upon self.” (page 34). This proves that his childhood did build him up for achievement, he achieved something that eventually tore him down to failure. Ultimately, the creation of the Monster was what brought upon Victor Frankenstein's downfall. His inability to nurture it and raise it as if it were his own child brings the Monster to have the desire to get revenge on Frankenstein. Because of the Monster's plot for revenge, Victor Frankenstein meets his

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