Frankenstein's Life Lessons

Frankenstein is full of ideas and warnings, which are relevant to a modern day audience; in what ways does Shelley explore. Frankenstein Coursework Q. Frankenstein is full of ideas and warnings, which are relevant to a modern day audience; in what ways does Shelley explore these ideas? The novel Frankenstein is set in the pre 1914’s, when there were theories on certain things that they did not understand. It is full of darkness and tragedy in some places.

In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the character Victor Frankenstein illustrates betrayal in the way he abandons his creation, with no hesitation he leaves him behind. With the feeling of abandonment ,the creature feels anger towards Victor which leads the “monster” to become a villain. Love and family are all the monster wants, but it is something that Victor could not give due to his own internal battles. As result, the monster begins to take Victor’s loved ones such as: little William and his wife Elizabeth. The monster kills

In the novel when Victor’s mother dies after taking care of his sister Elizabeth who was sick with a very ill condition, Victor then wants to study the cycle of life. Maybe the death his mother in this novel made him want to in some way come back into contact with his mother. Victor couldn't take the responsibility for the monster he created nor could he take care of it. “...so much has been done, exclaimed the soul of frankenstein… I will achieve treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore the unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” (Shelley 47) Victor didn't want to manage with the discovery  he made with science and he ignored it. Victor Frankenstein and his creature are the same in some ways. It is the problem of loneliness and coming into contact with the world. Also trying to find somewhere they belong in the world and a person's love. The creature created would not have been given the title as a monster if it had gotten the love it wanted. If Victor would have knew how to take care of the creature,  the monster title wouldn't have been there, so responsibility was not there. Victor only thought of the creature of an science experiment gone wrong.

While Creature is full of humanity and has a thirst for knowledge, his longing for acceptance in society is met with constant rejection. Through this rejection, it sparks anger into the Creature for his irresponsible creator, Victor Frankenstein. Creature’s anger leads to greater tragedies for Victor. The greater of the tragedies are the murdering of innocent people including Victor’s family that is seen to be the fault of Creature since he is the one who murdered them. If Victor did not abandon the Creature and had taught him murder was not morally correct, Creature would not have committed the heinous acts.When Creature was first theoretically born, he was introduced into the world in a very harsh way. Metaphorically, Creature starts out into the world as a newborn, needing a parent 's guidance and teachings. Victor abandons him immediately with no sense of direction. Creature, after his “birth”, approaches Victor with a hand of longing for compassion. “He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they maybe called, were fixed on me...He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out” (Shelley 35). Victor instead of showing acceptance immediately runs away at the sight of him.

Victor Frankenstein in the book Frankenstein faces many terrible situations and has to face many consequences for trying to play God’s role in creating life. Victor seen and dealt with many situations as a young boy that will lead to his madness and obsession with science. Victor has always been intrigued with science and life ever since he was a boy. He studied natural science endlessly trying to master how to create a creature that could sustained life. When Victor finally creates his creature, he becomes disgusted with how it turns out. Victor runs from his creation failing to teach him any social or moral qualities. The creature haunts Victor killing many of his family and friends. Victor will try to run from the many problems he has caused. This causes Victor’s misery throughout the book. Victor becomes the true murderer in the book for trying to play God and create life with science.

The monster has no relationship with Victor besides a need for revenge. When Victor created the monster, he looked at him in disgust. He abandoned his creation after looking at the creation with horror. This feels the monster with loneliness and rage, so he goes and lives on Felix’s farm. However, he realizes how alone he is, so he returns to Frankenstein and demands a female partner. He promises to cease all relations with his creator if he can give him a mate. Victor reluctantly agrees and builds a bride for the fiend he created. However, he destroys the female and dumps the body in the lake, much to the anger of the monster, shown when he states “Shall each man,” cried he, “find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?”

Victor Frankenstein played the role of God in hopes of getting rid of death and disease so no one else would know the suffering that he felt after the death of his mother. He is a learned man and became fixated on acquiring the ‘secret of life’. Finally he finds the secret, but is unhappy with his results, a foul mangled monster. As a result, Victor is enraged, guilt ridden and consumed with the lust of destroying his creation. As a result of Victors remorse and anger the monster is ridden with suffering and sadness. Henceforth the monster and Victor make a deal for the monster to obtain a companion. Be that as it may, Victor goes back on his part of the deal and the monster is enraged and wishes to make Victor feel

In the novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, the creature and its creator, Victor Frankenstein, share a lot of similarities throughout the story. The relationship shared between the two resembles that of a father and his son. Since Victor created it , the creature inherits certain traits of Victor’s without realizing it. Victor and the creature both have an overpowering thirst for knowledge, a love for the beauty of nature and a tendency to use it as a scapegoat, a depressing feeling of isolation from people, a desire for revenge, and the ability to play God. The relationship between Victor and the creature does not develop like a normal father-son relationship, nor does it develop as a good versus evil relationship. Both characters show hero and villain qualities throughout the novel as their relationship develops.

“Victor finds himself farther and farther removed from the boundaries of society as he falls deeper and deeper into his passionate consumption.” (Bangerter 3). Victor lost his ability to communicate with his family and his fascination with the monster brought them closer throughout the book. Victor never learned until the end that the monster was only killing to keep his attention and hopefully bring them together. Once again, Freud would tell us that through his id he created the monster as his mother and his Oedipus complex was the reason for his attraction to the monster. “Frankenstein wanted to recreate his mother but he instead made a creature comprised of socially repressed elements of his wish for his mother.” (Hicks 1).

The creature was outraged so he killed Victor’s brother and set up Justine for the murder so Victor loses two people close to him. Frankenstein’s creature says "I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?" (Ch.17, pg.174) Not being accepted has caused anger and loneliness in both creatures which causes them to kill they both just wanted a friend/ companion and they wouldn’t have been the “monsters” some thought they

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny” (C.S. Lewis). If these words are true, and it is also true nobody is ordinary, does that then mean that hardships are a form of midlife rebirth? Any form of birth is proof that you have survived something, after all nothing is created nor destroyed merely transformed. Although many people do not believe in past lives, it can hardly be denied that everyone goes through rebirth in their lives and that our struggles shape who we are.

The creature created by Frankenstein learned by observing other people and he realized he should not be lost or lonely, and that he should at least have someone else there for companionship. That is the reason he asked Victor to make him a companion, but Victor did not go through with it. He was wrong for doing so because the female creature would only know as much as the creature would’ve wanted her to know, and if it was any more than that it was simply an observation. He would’ve also gone down in history for changing human society by advancing science. The creature just wanted happiness from life, and he depended on Victor to deliver that happiness.

     As soon as Frankenstein’s monster comes to life, “… horror and disgust filled his heart,” (56). After running from the monster for years, Frankenstein realizes that his monster has been killing people close to him. Frankenstein immediately takes the blame for the deaths and will do anything to stop the monster’s actions. Victor reluctantly agrees to make a female companion for his monster. He begins to create another monster but destroys her because he can not bear the thought of, “setting loose upon the earth a demon whose delight is in death and wretchedness,” (160). Victor chases the monster for years in hopes that he will end the monster’s life in retribution for killing his loved ones. He never catches the monster and the rest of Victor’s life is lived with overwhelming feelings of remorse. It was his creation that killed his brother, best friend, wife, and lead to the death of his father.

This lust for accomplishment leads to the ones he loves to perish. We see at the begging the distancing of his family is caused by his lust, but this lust lead to him wanting to create something to play God, to be a scientist who does the impossible. This then leads to him making a monster which he is horrified by and wants nothing to do with, leading the monster to develop the longing for love and acceptance. The monster and the consequences of the creation of the monster comes with his desires to be wanted and being neglected, this neglect then leads him to have a cold heart once he realizes his very creator didn’t want him. He seeks revenge on the ones Frankenstein loved and this tears Frankenstein apart because he knows he is ultimately responsible “But I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom...” (96)., Victor states “Anguish and despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a