How can such disparate characters, that are even resentful towards one another, be so consubstantial? Though Victor and the monster do not share the same physical or social traits, they have many of the same personality traits. Victor and the monster are analogous with their desire for knowledge, relationships with nature, and with desires for family. The author uses complex diction, symbolism, and syntax to emphasize these similarities. Throughout the plot, these similarities become more apparent and as this occurs their relationship worsens. Victor and the monster both crave knowledge. Walton recalls Victor stating, “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.” (Letter 4) This is important because this desire to learn drives most of their actions and the decisions they make. We can see examples of this in the text for both Victor and the monster. For example, Victor read lots of literature on the natural sciences, and then went to a university to further his knowledge of the field. (pg. 45) As for the monster, we can see that he was driven to learn French so he would be able to communicate with others. The monster is also very well spoken; he says, “I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs.” (ch.13) The diction the author uses to portray the monster also contributes to his apparent intelligence. Throughout the novel, both characters become particularly knowledgeable about the world around them. Victor and the monster are also similar in their relationsh... ... middle of paper ... ...r began to alienate himself from his family, he became more similar to the monster. This is where both characters really began to resent one another. Since the monster killed people close to Victor and Victor refused to make the monster a wife, their relationship with one another deteriorated further. This is in spite of the fact that they could have a close companionship with one another. Their increased similarities led to further animosity towards one another. While Victor and the monster are divergent physically and socially, they have many identical characteristics. Even as they become increasingly similar, their relationship only exacerbates. They are similar in their desires for knowledge, relationships with nature, and with desires for family. These defining characteristics are what shape these characters, their actions, and ultimately the plot of the novel.
Throughout the history of literature, instances will always occur where themes repeat themselves constantly. One of these instances appears in the classic novel Frankenstein, where two characters, whom one would originally classify as opposites, truly possess many similarities to one another. Victor and the Creature share and oddly large amount of similarities between them. One of which being their drive to obtain knowledge, no matter the topic. With Victor, he typically is driven to discover things no one else has. The Creature however, constantly tries to find out how the world works and to find his place in society. Another similarity found in the novel would be the two characters isolation throughout the novel, self-inflicted or forced. For Victor, he always kept to himself,
Both the monster and Victor hate their own lives. The monster hates his life because he is a social outcast and has extremely ugly physical features. Victor hates his life because of all the deaths he has to suffer fr...
The monster, enraged by the fact that Victor destroyed his female companion, kills Henry and Elizabeth. These deaths causes Victor to fall deeply into despair; his hatred for the monster and his deep grief grows until it completely controls his personality. Victor’s id took hold of his decisions in the form of revenge. Victor states that, “revenge kept me alive; I dared not die and leave my adversary in being.”(171). His id made the decision that Victor should hunt down the monster and kill him at all costs. Without thinking rationally or about the dangers he rushed after the monster into a land of ice and snow. As he chased after the monster he didn’t think rationally or use his superego and ego. His id had overpowered his two other psychic zones and this caused his personality to be unhealthy and unbalanced.Watson was with Victor on his deathbed and he wrote, “His voice became fainter as he spoke; and at length, exhausted by his efforts he sunk into silence...he pressed my hand feebly, and his eyes closed for ever.”(182). Victor unhealthy psychic zones and the stress he put on his body during his chase lead to his
Victor feels more threatened and begins to see the monster differently instead of being closer to him like a son, The Monster becomes more of a arch enemy or a villain that is always watching Victor’s work. The Monster felt abandoned and betrayed at first but he later on finds himself to be angry and spiteful. He feels that Victor is intentionally trying to ruin his attempt at happiness by destroying the progress he made with recreating a female monster for The Monster to live with “You have destroyed the work which you began” said The Monster (Shelly
The creature resembles Victor, “but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance.” Although the monster’s personalities are similar to his, people don’t judge Victor because of his human appearance. The creature is judged because no one looks like him. The creature is a realistic version of Victor, revealing his true identity. Both of them have similar personalities, because of course, Victor wanted his creation similar to him. At the beginning of the novel, they both react to problems the same way. They both have the same perspective of death. “My life will flow quietly away, and in my dying moments, I shall not curse my maker.” They both understand that life is sacred, but the creature specifically knows that he shall not condemn his
The characterization of Victor’s creature, the monster, in the movie although somewhat dramatically different from Mary Shelley’s portrayal in the novel Frankenstein also had its similarities. Shelley’s views of the monster were to make him seem like a human being, while the movie made the monster out to be a hideous creation. The creature’s appearance and personality are two aspects that differ between the novel and movie while his intellectual and tender sides were portrayed the same.
Andrew McCulloch suggests that Victor “has risen to the physical challenge he set himself, but he is woefully ill equipped to cope with the much greater emotional and spiritual challenges that lie ahead” (#). Because he was so self-centered, Victor failed to relate to the emotions and feelings of other people. He was not prepared for the impacts of creating the monster and showed no responsibility for taking care of the needs of his creation.
The monster does not resemble Victor physically; instead, they share the same personalities. For example, Victor and the monster are both loving beings. Both of them want to help others and want what is best for others. Victor and the monster try to help the people that surround them. Victor tries to console his family at their losses, and the monster assists the people living in the cottage by performing helpful tasks. However, Victor and the monster do not reflect loving people. The evil that evolves in Victor’s heart is also present in the monster.
Mary Shelley shows how both Victor and the monster create sympathy for one another. They are both victims, but they are also wrongdoers. They bring a great burden of suffering to each other lives, causes hatred to be created for the characters.
This truly is remarkable, two novels of different time periods, with characters of startling resemblance. God and Frankenstein's creations stunningly resemble each other. The monster relates to Satan, Adam, and Eve. Victor quotes, "You may render me the most miserable of men, but you shall never make me base in my own eyes," this is when the monster asks for a companion, Victor refuses. The monster also shows that he will go to any extent to be happy and complete vengeance when he goes on a murder spree.
Shelley conveys the contrast between the personality traits of Victor and the “monster” to shape the reader’s response towards him. Victor is shown throughout the story that he has a lot support and love from
In the story Frankenstein, both Victor and his creation slowly become very similar in a multitude of ways. Victor begins to become more and more like the creature as they both have a thirst for knowledge that would ultimately cause them both despair, they both had a desire to be around and connect with a family, and they both gain a desire for revenge.
In the novel, Victor is raised up by two happy parents in caring and indulgence. He receives a sister, an education, affection, and a wife from his family. However, unlike Victor, the Monster does not have any maternal or paternal figure to care and teach him values. When the Monster first escapes from Victor’s apartment and enters into the forest, he lives like an animal. He eats berries, drinks water from the streams when he gets thirsty, and sleeps in anywhere. These actions illustrate the Monster’s natural impulse for needs of food and shelters.
My duties towards the beings of my own species had greater claims to my attention, because they included a greater proportion of happiness or misery“ ( passage #1, lines, 24-27). Victor, even when he dedicated so much of his life to this, when it succeeds, he leaves it for trash, neglects it. “ When I run over the frightful catalogue of my sins, I cannot believe that I am the same creature whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent visions of the beauty and the majesty of goodness” ( passage #2, lines 13-16). This shows that the creature sees himself in a different life from when he was mindless and a “monster”. You should care about the similarities and differences between the creature and Victor, because they are so close to the same person. Victor strived for a passion after his mother’s death to cure death. The creatures passion was for love and affection to fall onto him. Both wanted it and didn’t get it. Victor sadly is the bigger monster, because he keep denying the creatures request for a female companion. Victor almost finished the female creature then came to the self realization, that this is bad, even though the creature would leave Victor alone, forever. Therefore, I believe Victor is the true monster of this story,
Victor has a lack of respect for the natural world that leads him on the path to becoming a monster. In creating the monster Victor is trying to change the natural world. He is trying to play the role of god by creating life.