Essay What Frankenstein Can Teach Us About Human Nature

    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

Victor Frankenstein created life, a monster that was born into this world with no purpose, and no one to love. He did not even have a name, he was called a monster from the start. Just like a normal human baby, he came to life not knowing anything, and had to learn from his surroundings. Just like a person, he watched and learned from others, and tried to understand the world and the people in it. From that, the monster understood that he just wants to find a life for himself, and not be viewed as an evil monster, but there are many things that are preventing that. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the author portrays Frankenstein’s monster as a friend through details in his character and his outlook on life.

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.

The result of his passion, the monster, is ever present in Frankenstein’s thoughts and it controls his actions. The monster eventually destroys everything that is important to Frankenstein, because everyone he loved is dead. Frankenstein lives the rest of his miserable life in hope of avenging the deaths of his loved ones. Shelley expresses that relationships between people are the key to happiness, because Frankenstein is unable to find any joy after his loved ones are murdered. Throughout the story, Frankenstein is a slave to his desire for knowledge and the ability to create life.

There are obvious similarities between Victor and his creation; each is abandoned, isolated, and both start out with

The creature knew how to love and how to express the love he had. He was just an innocent creature before Victor left him and before anyone approached him. In the novel page 83 it states, ' How can I move thee? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I alone, miserably alone? ' The creature is explaining that before any hate he has love and humanity.

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley tells the audience how the monster is acting and his reactions to the world. Like why was he so interested in watching the cottagers ?, He would watch them because he was curious and wanted to see how they act and talked by watching them the monster learned how to talk “I learned and applied the words, fire, milk, bread, and wood, I learned also the cottagers name” (Shelley 12). What is the monster seeking in life ? . The monster was seeking for a friend he can talk to because he felt lonely, but mostly a family where he had a mother and father. “ But where were my friends and relations, no father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses or if they had all my past

This creature throughout the book is seen as a monster by everyone who sees him. Due to the way everyone treats the creature it begins to change drastically in a monstrous type way. But even though Victor’s creation is seen as a monster by everyone is it really just as human as all of us?

Esteban San Roman Mrs. Brown English 4: Block 7 4 February 2015 Tragic Loneliness Few stories have managed to remain in the hearts of both the world of literature and filmmaking. Such is the case with Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, a novel that tells the story of a monster in search of affection and intimacy. Unable to find love, the monster, along with many other characters like Robert Walton, and Victor Frankenstein resort to a life of loneliness. Undoubtedly, this story offers a fantastic view on how humans are inherently lonesome, yet are constantly in search of appreciation.

In the beginning of Frankenstein the monster’s “heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy,” but due to Victor’s negligence and repugnance of him became a murderer (Shelly 272). The monster desperately wants companionship “He cared for the villagers, next to whom he lived, so much that, to save them the distress of a sudden intrusion,

In fact, they are the cause of one another's passion. After countless hours of hard work on developing his monster, Frankenstein abandons it out of fear once the reality of what he has done finally sets in. Upon being deserted, the monster develops these emotions of confusion and unwantedness. These emotions are what drive his passion to plot revenge against his creator. He does so by killing the people most important to Victor starting with his younger brother Will, which then causes the death of family friend Justine. These outburst then in turn are what drive Frankenstein to seek revenge. His first act of retaliation was when he refused to create a companion for the monster. This starts a feud which that will soon ignite Frankenstein's passion for killing his

Most of it does come from the monster’s threats to Frankenstein and his family, but Frankenstein does feel some sympathy for this creature that he brought to life and abandoned and sets off to create a female companion. As he does, Frankenstein begins to reflect on his process in creating the first monster.

From the moment of birth, humans possess so many amazing qualities. However some qualities make us more human than others. If one were to read the astonishing tale of Frankenstein’s monster, would one be able to recognize these qualities, if any in the monster? Throughout the story, people constantly run at the hideous sight of the monster without even discovering what qualities the monster possesses. Does Frankenstein’s monster possess any of the qualities that make us human?

“To hurt is as human as to breathe,” said J.K. Rowling, a famous author, in one of her novels. Everyone in the world experiences pain in some way; it is destined to happen. This has become especially relatable recently as more and more tragic events such as shootings have occurred around the world. These painful incidents cause people to question the humanity of others especially the ones behind these events. Similarly, in Frankenstein, the author, Mary Shelley, leads readers to question the humanity of the creature invented by Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who tragically longs to discover the key to restoring life. The creature eventually destroys many things and kill any one in his path, influencing the other characters to view him as simply a monster. However, as seen in Frankenstein, the creature shares many traits with humans such as the ability to think and feel as well as the innocent goodness of newborns before being distorted by the outside world, making him more human than monster.