The Monsters of Lusus Naturae by Margaret Atwood and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“And the Destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars.” (Butler 77) The books “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler are both science fiction novels warning of a dangerous potential future. Frankenstein looks at the dangers of creating artificially intelligent beings, while Parable of the Sower explores human savagery in the collapse of American civilization as the result of poor political decisions. Each addresses concerns of the time they were published. While both are pessimistic views of the future and both require the suspension of disbelief, the concept of dystopia and utopia is definitely apparent in both novels. A dystopia being a world in which nothing is perfect and a utopia being a “perfect” world. Frankenstein addresses a timeless issue that modern science may soon make a reality, while Parable of the Sower creates an alarming depiction of conservative leadership.

Beloved, by Toni Morrison, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, are masterpieces of literature that use different components to criticize society and explore the nature of humankind. Some of the main characters in the novels – Sethe and Beloved, and Victor Frankenstein and the Monster – have intricate relationships based on love, hatred, remorse, and mainly vengeance. The gothic thematic of each novel is demonstrated through elements that explore the setting of most scenes, as well as the nature of human behavior. The characters who were unnaturally brought to life, Beloved and the Monster, serve as catalysts for the development of the narrative, and have profound effects in all remaining characters.

In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster commits a number of immoral acts out of rage. These actions are directly related to the monsters creation and upbringing. The burden of fault for the monsters actions rests on Victor Frankenstein’s shoulders alone.

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.

Knowledge is given to those that understand the power it holds, this power could either destroy or help one in their path to success. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, we see this idea being practiced by individuals in the novel. However, they are incapable of seeing the dangerous potential outcomes of misunderstanding knowledge and the power it offers, leading to their ruin. We see the suffering as a cause of knowledge through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of life, The Monster’s dream of fitting the norm, and Robert Walton’s dangerous journey to the North. The characters in Frankenstein pursuit of knowledge leads to certain destruction, showing us the potential negative outcomes of misusing knowledge.

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,

When first reading the book of Frankenstein does one just think of a mythical science fiction book that really has no meaning? Frankenstein can have numerous meanings depending on how a person perceives it. Frankenstein can be analyzed into many themes; some say religion, feminism, or scientific symbolization, it all depends on ones own perception. When one analyzes further into Mary Shelly’s life and then interprets the novel it is obvious that is a sociological theme. One can simply assume that Mary Shelley creates Frankenstein through on her own life experiences and the sociological symbolism shows that. Mary Shelley experiences many tragic events throughout her life that are synonymous with the monster in her book Frankenstein. Mary

One outstanding contrast refers to their personal histories. While Victor is raised in greatest harmony by his caring parents (Shelley 19), who supply him with love and parental affection, his creature experiences no support whatsoever. The unconditional bond of love that is usually tied between parents and their children cannot be built up among the two main characters of the novel (Shelley 84). Moreover, Frankenstein often mentions the importance of his “companions amiable” (Shelley 21) in Geneva and that he has the luck to enjoy “mutual affection” (25) in his life. As opposed to that, the monster has to endure refusal throughout the whole plot. He is expelled by his own creator and strangers, alike (Shelley 73). Another difference concerning how both figures are raised is their education. Acquiring knowledge seems to be an important issue for Frankenstein’s family. Therefore, Victor is able to learn many languages at home and is even supported in moving to Ingolstadt for his further studies in science (Shelley 21, 25). His monster, on the other hand, is not taught any languages actively, but rather adopts the one spoken by peasants, whom he covertly listens to (Shelley 75). In summary, there are quite a number of differences in how Victor and the monster grow up that affect the way they behave in their later

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.

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein there are several parallels that can be drawn. One of the major parallels in the novel is the connection between Victor Frankenstein and the creature he creates; there is an interesting relationship between these two characters. Frankenstein and his creation are not blood related, however, their similarities bond the two. Despite their dislike for one another and their physical differences Frankenstein shares many characteristics with his creation, throughout the novel we see each of them find comfort in nature, become isolated from society, and seek revenge towards those who have wronged them. There is significance in these similarities; if Frankenstein’s creation had not been physically deformed they would

Terry Pratchett once said, “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players.” In the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells the characters Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Moreau are scientists who take their experiments too far. Both Victor and Moreau are very smart men who want to experiment with nature. Victor is smart and curious. Victor wants to fight disease and discover the mysteries of nature. Moreau is a very ruthless barbaric man who does not take the feelings of others into consideration.

In Margaret Atwood’s “Lusus Naturae”, a young girl/ monster is hidden away from the world because her family will not accept her appearance. While her parents thought keeping her locked up in the house was a beneficial decision, she became isolated and lacked the knowledge and understanding of the world outside her four walls. Even though “Lusus Naturae” is a dark, twisted, and frightening tale there is more to the story than just a “freak of nature” being hidden from the world. One must read the story more in depth and closer to illustrate the themes of women’s roles in society in relation to the monster. Margaret Atwood uses symbolic parallels and narrative tones to exemplify her views of women’s historical roles in society.