Rick Riordan said that “The real world is where the monsters are.” This quote shows that although people are technically human beings, their actions can be considered cruel or “monster like”. Throughout Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, the namesake of the book views his “wretch” (Shelley, 44) creation as a monster rather than a living being on par with humanity. Despite his monster-like appearance, Frankenstein’s creation is, in actuality, more human than monster. Shelley’s most famous work forces the audience to question the fine line between what makes humans “human” and what make monsters “monsters”.
One thing that makes human beings “humans” is their emotions. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein's creation shows the same emotions as other characters,
…show more content…
Throughout Frankenstein: anger, jealousy, loneliness are experienced by both characters. As the creation observes the De Lacey family, he begins to be overcome with the feeling of abandonment and loneliness. As he reads the novel Paradise Lost, he begins living through the characters in the novel and is no longer in reality. He forgets about his loneliness but soon realized that “...it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me, and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him. (120). The creature begins questioning his existence and wonders if he will ever climb out of the pit of loneliness he is currently trapped in. His loneliness and feeling of abandonment quickly cause "... the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my
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.
Another aspect of romanticism that is prevalent in Shelly’s novel is the way Frankenstein, and his creation, are controlled by their emotions. Frankenstein is continually ruled by his feelings of fear, guilt, and love throughout the novel. For instance, he works for nearly two years to accomplish his goal of creating life, only to immediately flee because of fear when his work comes to life. This was a major illustration for the reader that despite being an experienced scientist Frankenstein was still ruled by emotions. In a large portion of the novel Frankenstein seems to be completely motivated by his fear of the creature he created. When his brother died, he feared people discovering his secret so he let an innocent woman stand trial. When the monster requested a partner, his fear of the monster propelled him to try, only to have his fear of having two creatures alive stop him from completing the work. At the end of the story, Frankenstein’s anger over the death of his family members propelled him to chase the creature across the frozen waters, which lead to his death. Frankenstein was a brilliant thinker who was continually consumed and motivated by his emotions. Frankenstein’s creation was also very much controlled by his emotions. After he is created and Frankenstein flees from him, he searches across the land to find companions. The creature is repeatedly rejected because of his looks, and because of that he is self-conscience of the fact that he is
There are different types of monsters in the world one could be afraid of. There are those real monsters that do look like a stereotypical beast and then there are those humans that act like a stereotypical monster, in regards of being emotionally impacted. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the scientist Victor Frankenstein who creates the monster, is actually the real monster. “Frankenstein” is a frame story where Captain Robert Walton boat gets stuck due to an iceberg and see a man in the cold, science lover Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein then meets Walton and tells him the story of how he ended up on the iceberg. Throughout the story Frankenstein’s experiment of trying to bring the dead back to life is showcased. Unfortunately, Frankenstein's
Frankenstein's creature does not follow the stereotype of a monster that it has been traditionally thrown under. A monster is not born of innocence, and does not feel sympathise with the helpless. The array of emotions, actions, and requests that this supposed monster displays allude to his humanity flourishing within. He is an extreme of the human condition. In every person, there are horrific characteristics along side unbelievably vulnerable aspects that shape and highlight their essence, defining who they are. Someone who is a killer does not cease being human, and nor does a baby when it first born. The creature is as human as a murderer, and as innocent as an infant.
The monster is in need of help from his creator, for he is new to the world and does not know anything about living yet, but instead, he has nobody and is forced to figure life out by himself. Readers understand the monster’s emotion because he says “I sat down and wept”. By understanding his emotion, it will cause readers to feel sympathy for him. This also proves one of the larger themes of the novel, that people should treat others with empathy, because as his creator, Frankenstein should have been able to understand and share his feelings, for he was often alone and left to teach and fend for himself during his studies. Frankenstein’s reject to his creation is what caused the monster to feel so alone, and ultimately, what led to both of their destructions.
Another feeling that comes into play is his feeling of love and possession toward his creature. Frankenstein sees that the creature is good natured and means no harm, but he is still reluctant to accept him because of the consequences of that would follow from his fellow men due to their fear of him. When the creature forces Frankenstein to listen to his story, Frankenstein feels pity and feels conflicted because he created the creature only to have him live like an outcast. This contributes to the overall tones of confusion and betrayal in the book. The readers expect Frankenstein to love and care for his creature, but his desire to conform interferes and results in his betrayal and abandonment of the creature, which in turn results in the creature betraying and killing people. It shows readers that the desire for love and acceptance is dominant over loyalty and a sense of duty to
Frankenstein is a novel by Mary Shelley that challenges the reader to consider what it really means to be human, specifically when impacted by loneliness and isolation. In the opening letters of Frankenstein, Captain Robert Walton craves a real connection with someone while out at sea, and feels sad and isolated as a result. Later in the novel, Victor Frankenstein is disconnected from the outside world and feels misunderstood, so he recreates life in his isolation. Most importantly, however, the creature is provoked by his isolation and loneliness to act out against the world around him. His actions are driven by his experiences with humanity, and although he is not actually a human, the creature experiences real human emotions. The creature desires to be accepted, loved, and understood, and when these desires become unattainable, he feels lonely, bitter, and angry, just as any human would.
Frankenstein’s monster is one of the most universally misrepresented characters in literature; in popular culture, the monster is known as an evil, soulless killer. However, in Frankenstein, he is revealed to have human emotions, the capability for compassion, and initially good intentions; his experiences in human society turned him into a true monster. When Frankenstein meets his monster, the monster reveals himself to be human in nearly every way. However, his alarming appearance makes it impossible to fit into society. Because his outward appearance is that of a repulsive monster, people treat him as such regardless of his actions or intentions. For instance, when the monster saved a young girl from drowning, the townspeople, who believe that he is trying to murder her, shoot him. As he tells Frankenstein, “I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound with shattered the flesh and bone.” Because of many experiences like this one, the monster eventually turns resentful and bitter towards humanity and kills Frankenstein’s younger brother out of rage at Frankenstein. In short, by refusing to accept the monster based on his appearances rather than his character, society molded the monster into a true monster with evil intentions and a lust for blood. Had even one person shown compassion to the monster and been able to see past his appearance, the monster might not have become the killer that he did—in mind and soul, the monster seemed very much human and had the potential to become a productive member of society.
The monster rose from the table. He stared at the creature whom he had created, then ran away in terror. He ran away because the monster looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before; it was monstrous and utterly terrifying. He thought it would harm him as monsters are commonly portrayed to do. What would any human do in a situation like that? Prejudice is not an emotion in itself; it is an offshoot of fear. He feared the monster, which is why he acted out of prejudice and judged the monster simply based on its appearance.
Like most horror stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has a wretched monster who terrorizes and kills his victims with ease. However, the story is not as simple as it seems. One increasingly popular view of the true nature of the creature is one of understanding. This sympathetic view is often strengthened by looking at the upbringing of the creature in the harsh world in which he matures much as a child would. With no friends or even a true father, the creature can be said to be a product of society and its negative views and constant rejections of him. Although this popular view serves to lessen the severity of his crimes in most people’s eyes, the fact remains that the creature is in fact a cold-hearted wretch whose vindictive nature
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.
Who is the monster in Frankenstein? Humans. Human beings are capable of committing monstrous actions. We are not totally evil or totally good, but sometimes circumstances bring out one’s darker nature and lead on to act cruelly. Ultimately, the creature should not be dignified as the monster, but Victor Frankenstein should be due to his negligence.
To see if Frankenstein is a real monster we would have to know what a monster is, you can look at pictures, check the definition or as people what a monster is. I am going to use definitions for this project and the Google definition of a monster is “an imaginary creäture that is typically large, ugly, and frightening.” Frankenstein fits into these categories, except is he really a monster? We read an excerpt from the Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and from there we had a socratic seminar and discussed our thoughts about it. As a class we thought Frankenstein wasn’t a monster.
Inevitably the creature felt as if he had a friend he could feel acknowledged and upbeat. He battled with the advocate of his inclination and knew about his disparities. Frankenstein demanded to fit in and be much the same as other individuals. He needed Victor’s acknowledgment for having been made the way he was, a beast, without wanting to be. All things considered, he was put on this plane of presence by a pompous and goal-oriented psycho.
Frankenstein portrays a decline of the Creature’s personality towards a pessimistic, hatred state by the end of his period of maturation. The Creature is rejected