Frankenstein and Humanity

    Sometimes, in novels like Frankenstein, the motives of the author are unclear.  It is clear however, that one of the many themes Mary Shelley presents is the humanity of Victor Frankenstein's creation.  Although she presents evidence in both support and opposition to the creation's humanity, it is apparent that this being is indeed human.  His humanity is not only witnessed in his physical being, but in his intellectual and emotional thoughts as well.  His humanity is argued by the fact that being human does not mean coming from a specific genetic chain and having family to relate to, but to embrace many of the distinct traits that set humans apart from other animals in this

If there is one theme that the gothic novel Frankenstein expresses it is humanity. Throughout the text we are shown example after example of the little things that define humanity: curiosity, love, and mistakes.

Human nature is unchangeable. Human nature also applies to just about every living thing. Human nature isn’t so human, is it? In Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel, Frankenstein, it is shown just how universal human nature is. In Frankenstein, Robert Walton tells the story of Victor Frankenstein through a series of letters to his sister, Margaret Saville, in different perspectives. Upon his ship on an expedition to the North Pole, Robert befriends a scientist, Victor Frankenstein. He reveals that he is looking for his creation, a being that was never truly alive, whom he bestowed life upon. He then tells an account of his life until it switches in perspective to the monster’s, followed by a switch to the present. In his tale, Victor tells of his early childhood, where he was an avid bookworm, and became enraptured by science. This led to him delving deeper and deeper into the world of science until he became a man obsessed. He dedicated himself to science and conducted an experiment to see whether he could bring life to a being that never had life in it before. Rather than being overjoyed at his successful experiment, he was disgusted. He came out with a humanoid resembling a monster. This disappointment led to Victor abandoning the Creation, leaving him to find his own way in the world. Given the proper care, the Monster could have succeeded, but Frankenstein's monster will not because the neglect from Victor, treatment by others, and the internalized self-hatred deign a

For as long as man has encompassed this world, the divisive enigma of humanity has prevailed. Seeping its way into each generation, while sparking heated conversations, it has become evident that there is much we do not know about what truly makes us human. Regardless of our genetic composition, philosophers often ponder the deeper meaning of humanity. We know that, biologically, recreating the genetic makeup of a human does not yield humanity, so what is the missing aspect? Humans -have the ability to contemplate their own existence in this world. Awareness of existence. This driving force enables us to analyze situations while placing ourselves within them. Our involuntary ability to understand the impact of our actions and the affect they have on others causes us to be inherently human. Our actions evoke strong emotions within us that allow us to learn through our experiences. We retain the resonated feelings of certain occurrences and apply them to others in order to deduce outcomes. Often this facet of mankind is taken for granted, yet we are reminded, through both literature and hypothetical scenarios, of its importance. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, constitutes as one of these profound reminders. Shelley develops a theoretical story in which the humanity of Frankenstein’s monster is questioned. Despite having the accurate organs and framework of a human, Shelley causes the reader to seek the missing aspect that is preventing the monster from being human. Likewise,

When one looks in the mirror, they see many things about themselves; the color of their eyes, the way their pupils dilate when exposed to varying intensities of light, the curve of their mouth contrasting against the flatness of the surrounding walls. They look into the mirror and form a judgement about themselves, their appearance, their behaviors, who they are and what they are to become. But the question no one seems to ask themselves when they look in the mirror is what exactly makes that person they see human? And while this may not be a question that most people ask about themselves on a personal level, it is a topic that is widely discussed alongside Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. Many debates have surfaced discussing if

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.

Many years have passed since the novel “Frankenstein” was published for the common readers, yet it gave a huge impact in the society’s point of views and beliefs about what kind of monster Victor Frankenstein created. Even in present day, the novel has influenced, in many ways, how to shape the opinions of the society. Although, it has many argumentatives elements, they are all based on how the monster develops in the story from a victim to a villain.

Texts are a reflection of human concerns of morality and values which remain universal despite the varying contextual and historical influences in which authors of different periods are subject to. Mary Shelley’s epistolary novel, Frankenstein (1818) explores the irrational behaviours and immoralities of Romantic Prometheanism within the realms of science, ideology, politics, and the dilapidation of humanity brought about by the Industrial Revolution, Romanticism and the period’s technological and scientific innovation in areas such as galvanism and evolution. Shelley utilises the unique narrative form of personal recounts by three characters Victor, the Creature and Walton, to comment upon the overlapping fears of society towards man’s inherent

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein we are introduced early in the story to one of the main characters Victor Frankenstein and subsequently to his creation referred to as the monster. The monster comes to life after being constructed by Victor using body parts from corpses. As gruesome as this sounds initially we are soon caught up in the tale of the living monster. Victor the creator becomes immediately remorseful of his decision to bring the monstrous creation to life and abandons the borne creature. Victor describes his emotions and physical description of his creation as follows:

(Shelley). The fact that Frankenstein fled from his creation very shortly after it came to life, proves how he refused to accept his obligations and responsibilities after his creature was created. ?The [creature] is Frankenstein?s abandoned child? (Mellor Abandonment 357). It is unfair to bring something into the world, and then not teach it how to survive. Victor was intimidated by his hideous characteristics and felt threatened by the creature. He did not know his creation at all, so he had no right to judge him. This is an example of how various people and society place too much judgment on physical appearance. The creature had just come into the world for the first time, and the first thing he saw was his creator screaming for his life as a result of his appearance. This traumatized the creation, and caused him to seek revenge on Frankenstein. This novel shows how when people are prejudice against physical deformity or ugliness, it automatically characterizes that person as bad or monstrous (Halberstam 59). Victor was the one who gave him these characteristics; so in fact, he is to blame for the creature?s appearance being so monstrous.

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 Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the character Victor Frankenstein creates something that he thought it was going to be good. He thought it would be good because he had already been thinking about creating something like for a long time. But when he saw what he had created he was amazed but at the same time he was terrified of the thing he has created. The two main reasons why the creature is considered a human is because he has emotion and he feels love. He feels emotion because when Victor died, and the monster started to cry.

Victor created the Creature with the intention of it being near human, and perfect “…many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me.” (Shelley 21). Victor saw the creation of life as- him as a God, and its Creature as an Adam, but when the Creature didn’t turn out human-like in appearance Victor rejected his creation. Victor automatically assumed that because the Creature was not human-like in appearance it was a monster and therefore evil. To be fearful of the unknown has been deeply engrained in human nature since humans were hunter-gathers. The fear of the unknown translates to the association between something being different from

What does it mean to be human? This question has been debated since the beginning of time. The dictionary definition of the word “Human” is defined as “of, relating to, or characteristic of people or human beings.” This definition encompasses the biological human, but is that truly what it means to be human, both physically and emotionally? Humanity can be defined as the natural need for love and companionship and multiple flaws.

The idea or “nature” of a monster during the time of 1818 was seen primarily as unconventionality from what humanity saw as normal. “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world” (Shelley, 34). This explains Victor’s obsession over