The Self Destruction In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Every work is a product of its time. Indeed, we see that in Frankenstein, like in the world which produced its author, race, or the outward appearances on which that construct is based, determines much of the treatment received by those at all levels of its hierarchy. Within the work, Mary Shelley, its author, not only presents a racialized view of its characters, but further establishes and enforces the racial hierarchy present and known to her in her own world. For the few non-European characters, their appearance, and thus their standing in its related hierarchy, defines their entrances into the narrative. For the Creature, this occurs on the ices of the Artic, when, “atop a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on towards the north, at the distance of half a mile;” Walton and his men perceived, “a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature.” (Shelley 13) Shelley clarifies, even this early in her novel, the race of its principal Other as soon after the intrepid adventurers rescue its namesake, Victor Frankenstein, who, Shelley clarifies, “was not, as the other traveller seemed to be, a savage inhabitant of some undiscovered island, but an European.” (Shelley 14) Later, closer examination of the Creature reveals a visage and figure of near unimaginable disfigurement, with a “shrivelled complexion,” and yellow skin which “scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath.” (Shelley 35) This could be contrasted directly

Shelley addresses romantic conventions in Victor to convey his loss of identity. Victor is impatient and restless when constructing the creation, so much, that he does not think about it’s future repercussions. One of the great paradoxes that Shelley’s novel depicts is giving the monster more human attributes than to it’s creator [p. 6 - Interpretations]. This is true as the monster seeks an emotional bond, but Victor is terrified of it’s existence. The monster later reveals, “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurred at and kicked and trampled on [Shelley, p. 224].” Victor’s lack of compassion is rooted from the inability to cope with his reality. He distances himself from others and is induced with fainting spells [Shelley, p. 59]. From this, the nameless creature exemplifies Victor’s attempt to abandon his creation to escape his responsibilities. His creation is described as, ‘wretched devil’ and ‘abhorred monster,’ eliciting that the unobtainable, pitied identity [Shelley, p. 102]. The act of not naming the creature reveals Victor as hateful, and unnaturally disconnected to his own created victim.

John Locke is one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and is famously known for asserting that all humans have natural rights. He also believed that humans are born with clean slates, and that the environment humans grow in, especially at a young age, has massive influences on aspects of their personalities, ideals, and motivations. Shelley was most definitely influenced by this claim when writing Frankenstein. As the reader, we can see the monster that Victor Frankenstein creates grow up alone, without guidance, and be formed by the experiences it is put through while trying to survive. Its emotions and beliefs throughout the book were merely a result of its experiences as it encounters the harsh reality of the world. Mary

Throughout the novel, “Frankenstein,” the “monster” was seen as hideous. As a result, many including the creator himself did not give the “monster” a chance and portrayed him as evil. Rather than looking at his personality, they looked at his outward appearance, which scared them off and made them assume he was a “monster.” When readers, including myself, read this story, we feel disappointed about how during this time everything revolved based upon looks and not on what really mattered like charisma. Overall he is portrayed as an evil, scary creature. When Victor describes him he is so harsh and cruel it makes him seem to be a monster. “He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks,” (Shelley 59) this phrase proves how when Victor describes the monster he did not care to think about what the monster was trying to say because he was too scared of his horrible looks.

We react with ambivalence to this question because we have been exposed to both sides of the story, which is a rarity in most cases. Shelley represents the creature as truly monstrous and evil through the eyes of Victor Frankenstein, which gives readers the opportunity to view Frankenstein as the hero. It is only when we read the creature’s account that we began to feel both sympathy and even empathy for the struggles he has encountered. The creature never asked to be born and continually suffers at the hands of other throughout the novel. It is hard not to feel sympathy with someone who is so childlike and “new” to the world. Especially when the creature cries out in agony: “‘Cursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God in pity made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of your’s, more horrid from its very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested’” (Shelley, 91). The creature also goes on to say: “‘Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?’” (Shelley, 95). How could one not feel sympathy for someone who hated themselves? Humans have experienced such feelings of loneliness and isolation. The creature even says that Satan, of all people, had friends, but he is so hideous that he is utterly alone in the world. All

​Victor decides to destroy the mate he is creating because he feels tricked from the creatures smile. Victor is afraid that the girl creature is going to reject him and roam somewhere in the world, she might be stronger than he is, and she might even kill him. i know this because it shows and says in the book what i just typed here. When Victor Frankenstein destroyed the monster it made the monster very angry because as you know victor destroyed it because of the creatures creepy smile and at that time victor didn't feel tricked by the monster but when he seen the creatures smile he felt

Victor Frankenstein played with the secrets of nature and life, ultimately usurping the role of God and creating a living creature from dead human parts. Frankenstein, however, was not a good god, in that God is supposed to love his creations, regardless of what they look like. However, Victor judged his own creation as monstrous because when the monster threatened to hurt Elizabeth, Victor knew then that he had created a monster that wasn't in his control. He also knew that it was his fault that the monster turned out to be what it was because of his own shunning. If he had accepted his creation, the monster wouldn't have turned into evil.

Frankenstein and the monster’s regard for human life diminished as they began to play God with the lives of others. After leaving the cottage and seeing how even people as kind as Felix and Agatha could not look past his own superficial hideousness the monster turned violent, in an effort to cause as much harm to his creator as Dr. Frankenstein had to him by making the monster so ugly that all of humanity hated him. In an effort to control Victor’s life, the monster killed Dr. Frankenstein’s brother, wife, and best friend, all while trying to blackmail Victor into creating another monster. In the face of rejection from humankind the monster transitioned from wanting compassion, to attempting to command fear “[the monster] was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend, make me happy and I shall again be virtuous.” (.94) The monster recognized the horror he had become and forced his pain upon Victor in order for his creator to feel as much pain as he, the creation, had to endure. Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s desire and success in discovering the secrets of biological science caused him to believe that he was of a higher status than the rest of humanity, whom he believed to be too prideful over their few accomplishments. This perceived self superiority over humanity was what led him to try and create a higher-caliber race, which could accomplish all that normal humans could not. Dr. Frankenstein threw away his relationships with family and friends in the pursuit of

One’s nature has always influenced his or her actions. Everyone has his or her unique attitude but there are different attributes that make up one’s attitude. Arrogance, overconfidence, greed, selfishness, selflessness, benevolence, and fear are among these attributes. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley empowers her characters with these attributes. In the gothic novel Frankenstein, the character Victor creates a creature in order to fulfill his ambitions. This creature is abandoned by Victor, which causes the creature to be overwhelmed with loneliness. Everyone judges the creature by his appearance and this causes the creature to disdain his master. The creature murders Victor’s family and later both of them duel each other in order

Science is a broad field that encompasses many aspects of everyday life and existence. Some areas of science include the study of the universe, environment, dinosaurs, animals and insects. Another popular science is the study of people and how they work. In Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is a scientist who studies inspiring the dead. He wants to be the first person to give life to a dead human being. all their time to focus on this goal renounces his family and friends passed, and. When finally this is achieved, everything crumbles. So, Victor Frankenstein is to blame for the tragedy, not the monster he has created, because he is the mastermind behind the whole operation, which is supposed to have everything under control, working properly as a good scientist should do.

Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the creature symbolized his projection of his benumbed self. Victor’s pursuit and longing of “the other”, creation of his own projection, and flight from “the other” underscores Frankenstein’s unwieldy narcissism. Creations and thirsting for knowledge or the want for more can lead down a dark path. Sometimes scientist can have an underlying ulterior motive. Maybe, to satisfy an inner hunger even unbeknownst to themselves.

“No it ain’t” Max replied to his brother while throwing rocks into a little stream nearby not paying an attention that his brother didn’t respond to his reply. Soon he got extremely bored and started walking not knowing where his brother is at. He had wandered into a den of some sort and suddenly he got pulled into the underwater pond never to be seen again. The beast was scale clad and had features on its head except for a mouth cover with needle-like fangs. The fangs dripped the deep red blood of its first victim of many years.

What images are usually associated with a monster? Monsters are usually portrayed as green, slimy aliens with big, bulging eyes, extra limbs, scaly backs and rows upon rows of sharp teeth.. However, a monster does not necessarily have to possess hideous physical features in order to be deemed one; a monster can simply be someone who causes death and other forms of tragedy. Mary Shelley has been surrounded by death her entire life and she felt like a monster, such as the one in her novel Frankenstein. She felt responsible for the tragedy around her.

Throughout the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, the reader is exposed to many unusual circumstances for the 1800s. These circumstances include the Frankenstein and De Lacy families expanding through adoption, the creation of a monster, and more importantly, the fact that most women in this novel are treated with respect and are treated as equals by the male characters. Although the women in this novel still preform cultural norms, they are given some privileges their male counterparts receive such as an education, the right to a trial by jury, and a voice. Along with these shared privileges, men take on some female gender roles and stereotypes of the Victorian era including keeping the house, educating others, and showing emotion. The reversal of gender roles is present in this novel because of its successful female author. It is important to remember that Shelley was a successful female author during the 1800s. Not only did Shelley write novels, but she did not rely on her husband to do so, which added to the equality seen within their relationship. The author’s life experiences and relationships explain the mixed gender norms within this novel. Seeing the creature was exposed to these mixed gender roles, it is possible to suggest that Frankenstein’s monster would be able to educate a female monster successfully and live as equals.

Introduction: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is a book with a deep message that touches to the very heart. This message implies that the reader will not see the story only from the perspective of the narrator but also reveal numerous hidden opinions and form a personal interpretation of the novel. One of its primary statements is that no one is born a monster and a “monster” is created throughout socialization, and the process of socialization starts from the contact with the “creator”. It is Victor Frankenstein that could not take the responsibility for his creature and was not able to take care of his “child”. Pride and vanity were the qualities that directed Victor Frankenstein to his discovery of life: “...So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation”[p.47]. He could not cope with this discovery and simply ignored it. The tragedy of Victor Frankenstein and the tragedy of his creature is the same – it is the tragedy of loneliness and confronting the world, trying to find a place in it and deserve someone’s love. The creature would have never become a monster if it got the love it strived for. Victor Frankenstein would have never converted his creature into a monster if he knew how to love and take responsibility for the ones we bring to this world.