What Role Does Beauty Play In Frankenstein

  One of the main themes in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the importance of appearance and acceptance in modern society. In today's society, and also in the society of Frankenstein, people judge one often solely on their looks. Social prejudice is often based on looks, whether it be the color of someone's skin, the clothes that a person wears, the facial features that one has and even the way one stands. People make snap judgments based on these and other considerations and they affect the way that they present themselves to one, and also the way that the treat the judged person. In Frankenstein the society of that time is much like our own today. It is an appearance

Some people may believe that if you are ugly, you will not be successful in society. In Frankenstein, Shelley reinstates the fact that the Creation does take steps to learn about the world around him and become a better “person.” Throughout the book, he observes the humans in order to learn words and collect wood for them, proving that he is not truly a monster. The quotation, “You, my creator, detestm and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us” (Shelley 113) analyzes this concept. By incorporating logos into Frankenstein, Shelley makes the point that we cannot control the way we look.

    In any novel the author is free to create and shape their characters in whatever way they see fit. In Frankenstein, Shelley does an excellent job of shaping her characters, be it however minute their part in the story, so that the reader gets a clear picture of Shelley's creations. It seems that each character in Shelley's Frankenstein is created by Shelley to give the reader a certain impression of the character. By doing this Shelley creates the characters the way she wants us to see them. She tells us certain things about them and gives them certain traits so that they will fit into the story the way she wants them to. In particular I will examine the characters of the

   Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, sheds light on the importance of appearance through the tale of an unwanted creation that is never given a chance by society. Ironically, the supposed beast was initially much more compassionate and thoughtful than his creator, until his romantic and innocent view of the human race was diminished by the cruelty and injustice he unduly bore. Not only does the creature suffer the prejudice of an appearance-based society, but other situations and characters in the novel force the reader to reflect their own hasty judgment. The semi- gothic novel includes several instances of societal prejudice that include the isolation and outcast of Frankenstein's creation,

   In the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, the characters have been portrayed effectively. Much of the interactions between characters, and characteristics of the characters have been based on events which have occurred in Shelley's own life, or they represent what she believes is important. For example, Victor is portrayed as having a strong passion for science, and a poor understanding of relationships. Elizabeth is shown as a stereotypical woman of the time, who is also very powerless. The monster is depicted as being both beautiful and ugly, and someone who the reader feels sympathetic towards. Through the portrayal of her characters, Shelley has created a very effective

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, we are introduced to a character named Victor that creates a creature so malicious and disturbing to look at that no one shows sympathy or compassion for; he describes this creature to be a “daemoniacal corpse” and “hideous” (Shelley,82) to the point where he never wants to see him again. But is the monster really this evil? Or is he lacking the quality of affection that would change him? The monster understands how hideous and demeaning his appearance is, but his actions of revenge and misery coincide with his loneliness, “ I am alone and miserable” (Shelley,168) “I am malicious because I am miserable” (Shelley,169). After reading beyond Victor’s descriptions, we see that the monster is not as inhuman as he

In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley reinforced the role of female nature in a book that is predominantly male-oriented. The female character is an underlying feature throughout the whole novel. For example, when Victor Frankenstein created his Monster from dead body parts, he disregarded the laws of female reproduction. Both Anne K. Mellor and Jonathon Bate argue that Victor defiled the feminine nature when he created his Monster from unnatural means. Mellor argued in her essay, “Possessing Nature: The Female in Frankenstein,” that Victor eliminated the necessity to have females at all (355). There will not be a need for females if new beings are created in a laboratory. The disruption of mother nature is one of the novel’s original sins (479). In Bate’s essay, “Frankenstein and the State of Nature,” he argued that Victor Frankenstein broke the balance between female principles of maternity and mother nature (477). Frankenstein broke nature and undermined the role of females. The argument of Mellor was more persuasive than the discussion of Bate because she was able to provide more evidence that Victor Frankenstein dishonored the role of female nature.

The monster was always judged on the way he looked which made him the outcast because he was not normal in the human’s eyes. By using this in depth character interplay, Shelley further expands upon the monster archetype and allows the reader to question who truly is the monster inside of Frankenstein.

She describes the origin of the creature as well as the creation and destruction. It is made up of the scientific method, change the part of the organ and stitch all around the body. Observation of the stitches in his face that's why it looks ugly. “I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.”, “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness.” She described the look of the creature clearly For readers to see the trial of supernatural experiment and the concept that readers can't be predicted because it is in fact not confirmed to confirm. Cause this novel is the mystery and makes readers scare of it. But when looking at the side of Shelley makes the monster can speak. “ His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs.” In order to keep readers see, although it is born from a dead piece, it has parts idea, a mind no different with human life. The reader can feel the pure heart of this monster cause sympathy that it can’t choose a new life, but this chance makes it an isolated life because Dr. Frankenstein who creates the monster doesn't want it

At first glance high school seems to be a fun and relaxed time. A time that you get to hang out with friends and participate in extracurricular activities. Some of your most treasured memories will be made in high school. However, high school is a cruel and unforgiving place. In high school individuals get judged by their appearance, the way they act, and who they hang out with.

8.2 The monsters’ outward appearance and the Beast "His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! - Great God!" (Shelley, p.45). Frankenstein actually tried to create a beautiful being, but he forgot to take into account that he animated already decomposing body- parts, hence the “[…] yellow skin […] watery eyes […] shriveled complexion and straight black lips.” (Shelley, p.45).

Beauty and prejudice have become commonplace in today’s society; the tiring cycle of living up to impossible beauty standards and facing the constant criticism of one’s image seems never-ending. However, this incessant obsessiveness over image has been around for thousands of years. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, a prominent struggle between beauty and hideousness occurs throughout the book. Shelley uses the motif of undesirable appearances and the constant praise of beauty throughout Frankenstein to establish the theme of prejudice.

A reader's subconscious often disables their ability to notice moral foundations that the author develops through the text; thus, making it difficult for an individual to recognize the value the text holds and its importance. In the article “Why Study Literature?” the author explains that “literature teaches us better courses of action and more effective responses to situations”; essentially he or she says that literature has the ability to shape one’s morals; as it can teach us what do in certain situations and how we should act. Similarly, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the author builds morality in readers by stressing the wrongs of using one’s visual appearance to determine their inner nature. At birth the monster is abandoned for his hideousness, the monster is “endowed with perceptions and passions” (Shelley, Chapter 16) after which he is “cast[ed] as an object for the scorn and horror of mankind” (Shelley, Chapter 16). For example, the monster chases for love when he assists the poor De Lacey family in collecting their lumber, however he is driven out by their horror upon seeing the face of their secret patron for the first time. Looking at this from an aesthetic stance, Shelley appears to be examining our natural tendency to judge a book by its cover. The author manifests the importance of inner beauty rather than one’s outer beauty, for it speaks more sincerely of their qualities as an individual. Had the protagonist realized the creature’s nobility from the

Frankenstein's creation was so terrifying that even Frankenstein himself couldn’t stand the sight of him. One of the first thoughts Frankenstein had after creating the being was how atrocious the monster was. “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black… his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes… (42).” With this being said, the appearance of the monster plays a big role throughout the book because it demonstrates how he uses his appearance to instill fear in everyone you saw

The topic of appearance and judgment is greatly exemplified in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as it becomes apparent that