The Power Of Passion In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, explores the theme of the pursuit of knowledge and scientific discovery through the main characters; Victor Frankenstein, the Creature and Robert Walton. This pursuit of knowledge drives the plot of the novel, leading Victor to create the Creature in his attempt to break down the mortal barriers that surround him and unlock the secret of life. Robert Walton’s quest for discovery leads him to the North Pole, far beyond the reach of Humans at that time. Ultimately Victor’s thirst for knowledge and scientific discovery did him more harm than good with Victor’s hatred of his creation driving him to death. Frankenstein’s message to the modern is age is simply put as “humans should not meddle in the business of the gods”. Mary Shelley’s is using Frankenstein and the actions of the characters in the novel to warn us that although we have the technology to for example, create a human being, some things are better left to nature. In our quest for knowledge we can do ourselves more harm than good. Through her novel Shelley tells us that on our path of scientific discovery there are some trails better left unexplored.

Pg. 62). The letters with in the preface tell the story of Walton and his sister, and reveals that both he and his sister both put themselves in harm’s way simply to be the first to gain knowledge. The novel shows that sometimes the actions you take do not necessarily give you the outcomes that you want. This is shown in chapter four when Dr. Frankenstein was first conducing his experiment and becomes extremely obsessed with the lust to create life. Dr. Frankenstein ultimately removes all of his personal relationships and isolates himself from people who care about him. “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.”(Chapter 5, pg. 42) It is clear that Dr. Frankenstein dislikes the monster he just created and notices that he does not make something that is beautiful but more on something that’s is monstrous. Increasingly, Shelly makes a point by giving the reader a sort of “warning” on the aspect of wanting knowledge too much She makes the effort by making Dr. Frankenstein a example for the magnitude of gaining dangerous knowledge. “A flash of lightning illuminated the object and

Frankenstein will teach you a life lesson on the different ways to deal with anger and to accept love. It is a tale that involves two characters who have, until the onset of this story, dealing with love and hatred in very similar ways. Intensely this book is said to have been, “ A tale so overpowered with sources and origins that it has gained a reputation in literary circles as ‘the most protean and disputable of even Romantic texts.” ( Hetherington 4) Victor Frankenstein is empowered with the drive to do something so great with his life that he creates a monster in this, he believes, will bring him fame and happiness soon. It becomes very apparent that love and happiness are not to found. On the other hand, the scientist loses many loved ones, then the monster seeks to find love and seems always to fall short. Throughout the novel, Victor Frankenstein and his amazing creation, a “ Monster”, share many characteristics while expressing the emotions of anger and love. This well-known story and its characters portray one of the greatest romantic horror stories of which have ever been written.

In Frankenstein, Shelly demonstrates how Ambition prevents people from seeing reality and knowing the consequences of their actions. The book presents the idea that when people become too ambitious, they seem to lose the concept of right and wrong. For instance in a series of letter to his sister, Walton describes his exploration to the north pole in hopes of chasing after the unpossessed knowledge, however his dreams are short lived as his ambition leads him to a life threatening situation. Walton himself agrees with the situation when he states," So strange an accident has happened to us ... we were nearly surrounded by ice, which closed in the ship on all sides, scarcely leaving her the sea-room in which she floated.

In Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”, Victor Frankenstein’s monster is an unrealistic character. The monster is involved with the realistic elements of desire of control, alienation, and thoughtless ambition. It is revealed the overall theme of the novel, that the pursuit of knowledge, is dangerous.

In the gothic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley weaves an intricate web of allusions through her characters’ expedient desires for knowledge. Both the actions of Frankenstein, as well as his monster allude to John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Book eight of Milton’s story relates the tale of Satan’s temptation and Eve’s fateful hunger for knowledge. The infamous Fall of Adam and Eve introduced the knowledge of good and evil into a previously pristine world. With one swift motion sin was birthed, and the perfection of the earth was swept away, leaving pain and malevolence in its wake. The troubles of Victor Frankenstein begin with his quest for knowledge, and end where all end: death. The characters in Frankenstein are a conglomeration of those

Who is the real monster?” acts as the dominant question throughout the novel “Frankenstein” written by Mary Shelly as the reader explores the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his nameless creation. As the novel progresses, the reader notices how the relationship between the two characters goes far beyond a neglectful creature and resentful creation, for the two influence the thoughts, actions and emotions of each other. Furthermore, the creature’s physical appearance acts as his purpose throughout the novel as well as a mirror of Victor Frankenstein’s true identity. Additionally, the creature’s lack of identity begins to initiate Frankenstein’s shame towards his own identity, revealing the flawed character of Frankenstein and determining the resolution to the question “Who is the true monster? Who is the true catalyst of destruction?” During the novel, the reader is able to identify the creature as the most effective foil for Victor Frankenstein because the creature causes: Frankenstein to view the action of the creature as his own work, the shift between pride and shame in Frankenstein, and his physical appearance demonstrates his purpose to reveal the true character of Victor Frankenstein.

In Frankenstein, Shelley uses a variety of figurative language that contribute to the novel’s depressing atmosphere. Figurative language, such as allusions, personifications, and similes, establishes a relationship between two literally contrasting subjects. It prompts readers to more closely analyze the subjects for underlying similarities. It can also add to depth to the piece and enhance the overall novel by making abstract concepts more digestible.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a classic novel that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a youthful scientist who creates a monstrous yet humanlike creature. The story is full of imagination and passion, although this contradicts a critique published by the Knight’s Quarterly Review in 1824. They proclaim that the book contains “not one flash of imagination, not one spark of passion.” However, this is not the case. Both Victor and his grotesque creature express their feelings in passionate, fervent manners. For example, when the monster is observing the family in the cottage, the words he uses to elucidate how he is feeling are obvious declarations of passion. Another example shown through the monster is when he is reflecting on the book Paradise

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells a story about the creation and the destruction of a man considered by society to be a “monster”. In the novel, there is profound meaning to be found in the monster’s self-education. Patterned after the evolution of human learning, the monster’s spontaneous learning proceeds through major stages. First, is the accidental discovery of fire, this is followed by a realization by the monster that knowledge yields power.

Frankenstein realizes that the only way that he will have freedom is through his death or that of his creation. He continues with slavery language as he states that the creature has a sort of power over him. His statement is similar to that of his previous quote were he claimed the creator oppressed him to the point of a fever. Both quotes show Frankenstein as oppressed with his creation to the point that it holds him as a slave. In addition to Frankenstein’s feeling of slavery, the monster sees Frankenstein as his oppressor and master by stating, “I knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture, but I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested yet I could not disobey” (238).The monster begins his statement claiming to have prepared for “a deadly torture” this is a similar attitude to of Frankenstein’s when he claims to be “oppressed by a slow fever” and “toil in the mines” like a slave might; both characters use metaphors of hard labor to indicate the passion they have for the destruction of each other.

Sometimes considered one of the first science fiction novels of supernatural terror, Frankenstein proved itself an instant success when released anonymously in 1818. The mad scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation provoke readers with the fear of the unknown and the power of natures forces. A deeper look into the character of Victor Frankenstein, the role of scientific experimentation and the intricate settings of nature in which the story evolves, prove Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein , a worthy example of both Romantic and Gothic representation in nineteenth century British Literature.

Victor could not liberate himself from his blinding ambitions, he made it seem that all men, and notably those who pursue to raise themselves up in renown above the rest of society and even god, are in fact impetuous and "imperfect creatures" with "feeble and defective natures." We can all learn from Victor's last words to Walton, "Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries." (P. 162) Shelley must have written the novel with at least a slight intention of teaching readers the importance of abstaining from obsession. She would picture the obsessive ambition and determination, in short, the id, the unstoppable force. The superego, whether

“But Sorrow Only Increased with Knowledge:” A Critique on Romantic Ideals in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Romanticism was a movement that swept over all of Europe; it affected all areas of life and society, not only just literatruture. At its base was a belief in the rights of man and this impetus led to two enormously important resolutions: the American Revolution and the French Resolution. Romanticism does not only mean romantic love, it is a literary term characterized by elements. Some elements of romanticism are growth of industrialization, mingling of races, frontier, experimentation, and optimism. One of the writers that include romanticism in their writings is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly.