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In works of literature, authors use characters whose traits directly contrast those of the protagonists’ in order to emphasize an important part of the main character. In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the character Justine, who is faithful and responsible, is used to showcase Victor Frankenstein’s lapse in morality and his lack in concern to nurture and protect life even though he is able to create life. Through the scene of Justine’s sentencing to death, the thematic message of one needing to accept parental responsibility and fulfill the nurturing role in another’s life is revealed through this stark contrast in Victor’s thought processes and actions compared to Justine’s. In the novel, Justine is the Frankenstein family’s maid and is treated as an equal
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She is virtuous and loved by all, and she also has an unwavering faith in a higher power. Through her strong faith, Justine easily blames herself and takes responsibility for things that are not her fault, such as the death of William. Mary Shelley does not describe the physical aspects of Justine, which allows readers to focus on her personality and morals. By doing so, the differences between Victor and Justine become clear. Unlike Justine, Victor holds little faith in anything. His faith in science wavers once he steers off of the path of traditional, institutionalized methods, and he is left to discover his own path with nothing to put faith in other than in himself. Victor has chosen a more lonesome path, one that concerns only his affairs and no one else’s. By choosing this isolated path, Victor has also inflicted social isolation upon his creation which in turn causes the monster to harm others. The monster is, in fact, the true murderer of William. To cover up his tracks, the monster has chosen to frame Justine as the culprit by putting a photograph that William had been carrying into her pocket. Victor Frankenstein’s monster thinks that no woman
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is an old classic that has been enjoyed by many generations. Despite the fact that the novel was written over a hundred years ago, it is not only beautifully written but also enthralling and well composed. At the young age of eighteen, Mary Shelly raises questions about education and knowledge to which are answered through the well written characters in the novel. The Monster, who is a creation of another character, is highlighted as an individual who goes through an intellectual change.
In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor and his creature share many characteristics although they are opposing forces because of their differences. Even though our perception of Frankenstein is a creature created by a mad scientist during dark stormy day, waiting for a lightning bolt to strike the creature and yelling “It’s Alive!” the actual story in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, has more depth and meaning to what Frankenstein and his creature really is. The story takes place during the late 18th century during Robert Wilson voyage through the Arctic Ocean. After many weeks at sea his ship suddenly gets stuck in ice, and becomes stranded as they wait for the ice to thaw out Wilson and his crew see a man on the verge of death on
Justine Moritz, a servant of the Frankenstein family, is the first female character to be used as nothing more than a plot device. Overall, Justine’s character is calm and tranquil, yet passive to a fault. During Victor’s
James Whale's Frankenstein is a VERY loose adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. The spirit of the film is preserved in its most basic sense, but the vast majority of the story has been entirely left out, which is unfortunate. The monster, for example, who possesses tremendous intellect in the novel and who goes on an epic quest seeking acceptance into the world in which he was created, has been reduced to little more than a lumbering klutz whose communication is limited to unearthly shrieks and grunts. Boris Karloff was understandably branded with the performance after the film was released, because it was undeniably a spectacular performance, but the monster's character was severely diminished from the novel.
...ctor Frankenstein, while Victor gains monster-like traits, Frankenstein gains human-like traits, this journey is particuallary evident in the early development of the two characters and their acquirement of knowledge. While the reader generally gravitates towards the monster, through empathy they experience disappointment in Victor Frankenstein, this leaves the reader is left in confliction. The reader is unsure whether in today’s appreance focused society it will be viewed as appropriate to feel empathy towards a ugly monster. This confliction ultimately results in the reader reflecting upon the extent of which they wish to conform to society.
When Justine is put on trial for murdering William, Frankenstein dose not tell his family that it is the creature, but allows them to be the “first hapless victims to my hallowed arts” (Shelly 71). This shows that he does not care about the damage that could be done to his family by not telling them. Also, by not telling them, it leads to the deaths of two of his family members. Later when Frankenstein finally finds the creature again, it mocks at him saying “I grasped his throat (William’s), and in a moment he laid dead at my feet.” (Shelly 122) This confirms his suspicions of the creature killing William and shows how much the creature hates Victor. It also shows that if he would have told his family about the creation of the creature William may have survived along with Justine. Also Victor tells Elizabeth he has a “tale of misery and terror” that he will tell her “the day after our marriage” (Shelly 167) This was a start for Victor towards telling his family by telling his soon to be wife about the creature. However, it was to little to late as it did not stop her from dying by the creature’s hands. By refusing to tell his family about the monster he further endangers the lives of his family and takes blame off of himself for creating the being that has killed his family
Justine was killed because Victor Frankenstein’s younger brother, William, was murdered. An item that William was wearing during the night of the murder was found on Justine, leading everyone to believe that Justine is the murderer. When Victor arrives back to Geneva and hears that Justine has been accused of the murder, his reaction was, “Justine Mortiz! Poor, poor girl, is she accused? But it is wrong; everyone knows that; no one believes it, surely.”.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
He made the choice to create life without considering the possible outcome of the experiment. As soon as Victor’s finished, he says: “but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room”(Shelley 58). Frankenstein did not seek responsibility for the monster; instead he ran away from his responsibilities and neglected his own creature. Abandoned by his creator the monster learns how to survive on his own for a few months. One day, the monster comes upon little kids at recess, and sees a boy he thinks would be willing to be his companion. As the monster grabs for the boy, the boy shrieks with disgust and disappoints the monster. In this moment the monster finds out the boy happens to be a Frankenstein, William Frankenstein, and anger rages inside of the monster. The monster takes his hurt feelings of being neglected by Victor Frankenstein out on William. The monster strangles William to death. The monster’s actions of strangling William were due to Victor Frankenstein’s failure to take care of the monster. In result of Williams death, Justine Mortez, a loyal family friend of the Frankenstein’s, was convicted
The life of Victor Frankenstein is a painful and strenuous one, and it only becomes much worse with the introduction of his creation. As he recalls the highs and lows of his story to Captain Robert Walton, the description of both his character and the monsters changes as the story progresses, changing from a contrasting relationship to a near reflective finish. In the beginning, they share almost no similarities and act as the dramatic foil to one another. However, as the story advances, the characters gradually become more like the same entity. They develop motives and perspectives that closely resemble, until their actions being to truly reflect one another’s. This persists throughout the entire novel, including the ending, where they transform
“I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation, but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 48) Sickened by the sight of his creation, Victor attempts to sever all ties to his monster and denies its very existence. He wishes to destroy it to maintain his secret. This obsessive desire to maintain secrecy takes over as Victor’s life starts to crumble around him. The murder of his brother William by the monster and the subsequent blaming of Justine are a direct result of his refusal to disclose his actions at Ingolstadt. During Justine’s trial Victor laments “It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow beings: one a smiling babe full of innocence and joy, the other far more dreadfully murdered, with every aggravation of infamy that could make the murder memorable in horror” (Shelley 75) Even when facing the death of an innocent such as Justine, Victor remains
Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein there are many female minor characters. Some view these minor characters as passive and subordinate, the epitome of a delicate woman, that reflect the gender roles during the author’s era. This simplifying view of the intricately complex female characters does not accurately represent the powerful and firm importance of their underlying, yet commanding, voice. One of these characters is Justine Moritz who, although charmingly modest and gentle, is a testament to the dignified power of women. During her short appearance in the novel, it is clear Victor Frankenstein fears her for the bravery and strength she exquisitely exhibits through her unjust trial. In addition, the contrast between the characters is distinct. Evidently Victor fails to posses such courage and admirable traits reflecting the insufficiency of supposed male dominance as compared to feminine vigor. Mary Shelley’s minor character Justine is a subtle yet potent force who depicts the perseverance and strength of women by illustrating the considerable lack of such traits Victor Frankenstein.
The novel’s protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, emphasizes the importance of having an identity by exemplifying the dissatisfaction that accompanies contorted character-to-character relations. What makes his relationships particularly perverse however, is Victor himself as a person and family member. Often, male “participants in a moral conflict,” such as Victor, “may invoke ‘justice’ and insist on theoretical objectivity” to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, c...
In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein secretly creates a monster without considering the consequences. After the creation of the monster and throughout Victor’s life he and the monster suffer constantly. Because Victor keeps his monster a secret from his family, friends and society, he is alone and miserable. The monster is also alone and miserable because he is shunned by society due to his grotesque appearance.
Gothic novels often include highly emotional characters, tragic females and tyrannical males. Elizabeth, Frankenstein’s lifelong friend, is in distress; she is lonely and misses Victor. Elizabeth is the damsel in the story. She needs to be rescued from this unknown threat coming from monster. Victor is a cruel character who brings this creature to life only to turn away from him in disgust. Victor is unable to save Elizabeth, from his creation. He seeks revenge, and wants to destroy the monster. Victor is ultimately overcome with grief, as he blames himself for the death of his loved ones. Frankenstein’s monster has an intense passion of anger and anguish. He acts on impulse, and doesn’t think of the consequences of his actions. These characters are perfect models of characters illustrated in gothic novels.