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Frankenstein character analysis essays
Frankenstein character development
Frankenstein character development
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In the previous chapter, Frankenstein describes his rejection from the family which he observed, and the emotional impact which this has on him is outlined in this chapter (8). Frankenstein describes the factors which fuel his rage, and his desire for revenge, as he acts out violently and destructively. The chapter begins with Frankenstein explaining his emotions, saying, “The cold stars shone in mockery, and the bare trees waved their branches above me; now and then the sweet voice of a bird burst forth amidst the universal stillness. All, save I, were at rest or in enjoyment; I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me, and finding myself unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to …show more content…
Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.” (pg.143). Another interesting point introduced in this chapter is Frankenstein’s connection with nature, which is something he shares with Victor. The weather and surroundings described seem to have a huge impact on the behaviour and/or moods experienced by both characters. For instance, Frankenstein describes the harsh weather and nature around him, which reflects his moods/thoughts: “Nature decayed around me, and the sun became heatless; rain and snow poured around me; mighty rivers were frozen; the surface of the earth was hard and chill, and bare, and I found no shelter. Oh, earth! How often did I imprecate curses on the cause of my being! The mildness of my nature had fled, and all within me was turned to gall and bitterness.” (pg. 141-2). Later, fair weather is described, and Frankenstein seems uplifted: ”. . . the day, which was one of the first of spring, cheered even me by the loveliness of its sunshine and the balminess of the air. I felt emotions of gentleness and pleasure, that had long appeared dead, revive within
After hearing the monster’s side of the story Frankenstein started to show some compassion for the being and agreed to it’s desire for a mate. Now that Frankenstein has learned the full story of his creation he feels the need to take responsibility for it now with the line, “did [he] not as his maker owe him all portions of happiness” (Shelley 125), less the monster start to attack humanity out of
Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein is a novel narrated by Robert Walton about Victor Frankenstein and the Monster that he creates. Frankenstein grew up surrounding himself with what he loved most, science. He attended Ingolstadt University where he studied chemistry and natural philosophy, but being involved in academics was not enough for him. Frankenstein wanted to discover things, but did not think about the potential outcomes that could come with this decision. Frankenstein was astonished by the human frame and all living creatures, so he built the Monster out of various human and animal parts (Shelley, 52). At the time Frankenstein thought this creation was a great discovery, but as time went on the Monster turned out to be terrifying to anyone he came in contact with. So, taking his anger out on Frankenstein, the Monster causes chaos in a lot of people’s lives and the continuing battle goes on between the Monster and Frankenstein. Throughout this novel, it is hard to perceive who is pursuing whom as well as who ends up worse off until the book comes to a close.
The monster is so hurt by what Victor wrote about him, that it wounds him deeply, in a way that only his creator can inflict. In this passage, Mary Shelley so articulately illuminates the theme of rejection. In this moment of vulnerability, the monster describes to Frankenstein that his desire to be loved is so strong that he must either be loved or he will inflict rage. Through the monster, Shelley explicates the theme of rejection and the truth that someone can only be rejected so many times before they begin to act out.
On his search for Victor he came across the little brother of his creator and kills him. “‘Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim’…and in a moment he lay dead at my feet” (Shelley, 131). He killed the little boy to force Victor to feel all of the pain that he had felt. He did not show anymore compassion because all he wanted was revenge from Victor and to make him feel the same way that he had felt. The desire for revenge only strengthened as he approached
Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, follows the story of Victor Frankenstein, his self-driven seclusion from society due to his fixations on life and death only stimulating his madness: “I paused, examining and analyzing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the change from life to death, and death to life… I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect… that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret” (Shelley 38). Frankenstein always had a passion for gaining knowledge. His feelings and actions were based on reasoning, which deeply contrasted against his more romantic-thinking family. In his years leading up to going to university, he found a new passion for alchemy. While attending the University of Ingolstadt, he became entranced with the studies of alchemy along with natural philosophy and modern sciences. This ardor would eventually be his downfall after his fixation on life and death in relation to science led to the construction of an eight-foot behemoth. Frankenstein exemplifies the effects of
I took their word for all that they averred, and I became their disciple” (21). Frankenstein embodies the movement in science to understand everything, and that is not necessarily a good thing (Storment 2). Frankenstein only understands that this train of thought is bad when he reaches the pinnacle of knowledge and produces the creature. The fruits of Frankenstein’s labor end up costing him the lives of his friends and family, as well as his own sanity. The feeling of guilt thrives in Frankenstein because he knows his work was the direct cause of the chaos in his life.
In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, cruelty is a frequent theme and different acts of cruelty are committed almost every chapter. Victor Frankenstein abandoned his creation because of its grotesque face and destroyed any chance if the monster getting a mate, and the monster kills everyone Frankenstein loves out of spite. In Frankenstein, the different acts of cruelty that are imposed onto Frankenstein and his creation help reveal their true character
Can you imagine losing all of your loved ones to an evil beast? Or being abandoned by everyone you came in contact with? Mary Shelley portrays numerous emotions in Frankenstein. Sympathy and hatred are two that are constantly shown throughout novel. Mary Shelley enlists sympathy and hatred towards Victor and the monster by presenting them in different viewpoints. The views of sympathy and hatred towards the main characters change as the narration changes in the novel Frankenstein.
An idea becomes a vision, the vision develops a plan, and this plan becomes an ambition. Unfortunately for Victor Frankenstein, his ambitions and accomplishments drowned him in sorrow from the result of many unfortunate events. These events caused Victors family and his creation to suffer. Rejection and isolation are two of the most vital themes in which many dreadful consequences derive from. Victor isolates himself from his family, friends, and meant-to-be wife. His ambitions are what isolate him and brought to life a creature whose suffering was unfairly conveyed into his life. The creature is isolated by everyone including his creator. He had no choice, unlike Victor. Finally, as the story starts to change, the creature begins to take control of the situation. It is now Victor being isolated by the creature as a form of revenge. All the events and misfortunes encountered in Frankenstein have been linked to one another as a chain of actions and reactions. Of course the first action and link in the chain is started by Victor Frankenstein.
After the family attacks him, he says he “wished to tear the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin” (117). He also kills William for saying he was related to Frankenstein (122). The monster then kills Clerval (150) and Elizabeth (166) to get revenge on Frankenstein for not finishing his companion and allowing him his happiness. Arguably, it is not the monster’s fault that he acted so cruelly. Because of his creator’s abandonment and society’s mistreatment, he did not understand how to control himself. So, he reacted in the only way he knew, with hatred in his
Victor Frankenstein is shown to be an individual that is unable to hold himself back in the presence of his own “rage and hatred” (68) as these emotions tend to “overwhelm him” (68) in his entirety. When these sorts of intense emotions are brought to the surface, Victor is incapable of acting in any manner sort of a “furious detestation” (68) as he, in a sense, is controlled his instinctive passions. It is only after the release of his anger will Victor be able to come to a state where reasonable and coherent thoughts are able to be produced. However, this stage never came to be, seeing as these feelings were never able to fully subside. Victor allowed himself to become a slave to his own emotions as he continually sat in the passenger seat while his feelings lead him straight to his own personal hell. He had done nothing but sit aside and watch his emotions take possession of the wheel in which they would use to drive him down a continuous and inescapable path of anger and remorse. In the likelihood of Victor taking the wheel and steering himself away from his emotions will he begin to grow in terms of his
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein centers around a creator who rejects his own creation. The plot thickens as Victor Frankenstein turns his back on his creation out of fear and regret. The monster is cast out alone to figure out the world and as a result of a life with no love, he turns evil. Shelley seems to urge the reader to try a relate with this monster and avoid just seeing him as an evil being beyond repentance. There is no doubt that the monster is in fact evil; however, the monster’s evilness stems from rejection from his creator.
The fact that Frankenstein’s monster kills out of revenge and anger is a form evil but one can understand and to a certain extent sympathise with his inability to reason right from wrong. Many examples of this inability are shown, for example, the creature strangles Frankenstein’s innocent young brother because he cannot under...
Victor Frankenstein's upbringing in a perfect society ultimately led to the destruction of his life which coincided with the lives of those emotionally close to him. Victor was raised in an atmosphere where beauty and physical appearance define one's quality of life. This superficial way of life results in a lost sense of morals and selfishness, which in turn produces a lost sense of personal identity. This can cause a feeling of failure and resentment in the later stages of life which, in Victor's case, can be externalized into a form of hatred directed toward himself.
From the time Frankenstein created his monster, he finds little comfort in the beauty of nature. One passage that I find particularly striking was when Victor exclaimed, "Dear mountains! My own beautiful lake! How do you welcome your wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?" (106). It is as if Victor is offended by the beauty and calmness of the landscape simply because it conflicts with the inner turmoil he is feeling inside. He continues through the story to "pass through many beautiful and majestic scenes [with] eyes fixed and unobserving" and "shunn[ing] the face of man; all sounds of joy or complacency [being] torturous to [him]; solitude [being his] only consolation -- deep, dark, death-like solitude" (210). One probable reason why he finds beautiful, peaceful scenes offensive can be found in the passage where Victor laments, "Nothing is more painful to the human mind, than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows, and deprives the soul both of hope and fear" (127).