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The dichotomy between nature and nature in Frankenstein
Nature and romanticism in Frankenstein
Nature and romanticism in Frankenstein
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American psychologist and well renowned author Jerome Kagan states “Genes and family may determine the foundation of the house, but time and place determine its form.” The topic of nature vs. nurture is highly known to the English literature community and is classified as a major aspect of gothic works. In the novel Frankenstein the author Mary Shelley uses the monster’s constant rejection from society to demonstrate that an individual’s traits are affected more by their environment and their surroundings than by nature. The theme of nature vs. nurture is highly debated in the field of psychology and is quite a prevalent topic of the novel Frankenstein. Nature vs. nurture is a psychology term related to whether hereditary genes or the environment …show more content…
Mary Shelly first deals with Victor’s childhood in a supportive household. Victor and his family are identified as exceedingly wealthy and kind hearted. He labels himself as being born “a Genevese” and “wealthy fortunate child” with a family that is “one of the most distinguished of that republic” (Shelley 18). This use of characterization of Victor in such an early stage in the novel is to identify the social and financial stand point of the house he was born into. Victor later explains that his ancestors, for many years, had been “counselors and syndics” (18). He carries on in stating his family with words such as, “honour, wealth,” and “integrity” (18). These strong words are carefully used by Shelley to focus on the structure and provide a description on Frankenstein’s family. Frankenstein’s prestigious history of powerful ancestors directly is …show more content…
The monster is seen as the complete opposite of Victor Frankenstein. This is due to the creature being alone, having to face the challenges of life while being at the mercy of the environment surrounding it. The creature’s young life is most influenced by nature. But the nature of the creature first starts before the creature is even created. Shelly’s uses complex and strong diction to provide the reader with a vivid picture of the inhuman way Victor created the monster. Victor saw the body parts needed to create the creature as “raw materials.” This unethical deed “had no effect upon [his] fancy, and the churchyard was to [him] merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of life,” (Shelly 38) Victor states. The nature of the creature is that of the action needed for the creature to be created; a disgusting, dishonorable act. Victor resents his creation from the first moment it is produced. He describes his emotions toward the “demoniacal corpse to which [he] had so miserably given life to” (40). Shelly’s delivery in this description of the creature is utterly shocking and very complex. Her phrasing of a depressing tone creates a melancholy atmosphere that foreshadows coming events in the creature’s life. Also the words “demoniacal corpse” causes an aggressive and miserable representation of this creation to the reader. The only
Mary Shelley put a new outlook on nature versus nurture in human development. By making the monster’s being a blank slate, and morphing his personality based on the different events that shape his life, Shelley clearly states her support for the nurture side.
In the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, the relationship of external apperence and internal feelings are directly related. The creature is created and he is innocent, though he is seaverly deformed. His nature is to be good and kind, but society only views his external appereance which is grotesque. Human nature is to judge by external apperence. He is automatically ostracized and labeled as a monster because of his external apperence. He finnaly realized that no matter how elequintly he speaks and how kind he is, people will never be able to see past his external deformities. Children are fearful of him, Adults think he is dangerous, and his own creator abandons him in disgust. The creature is treated as a monster, therefore he begins to internalize societies view of him and act the like a monster.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a truly famous novel that has been revisited by many, as well as revised by the author in the many years since its original publication. Within this novel Shelley conveys the tragic fictional story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster that he thoughtlessly brought to life, as well as the lives of those affected by his hideous creation. Throughout the novel it is made quite apparent that the monster was not inherently evil, in fact the monster was quite benign, however through its interactions with society the monster is slowly shaped into a being that can truly be called just that, a monster. All of the aforementioned change to the monster are brought about in part by the societal standards of the time period
A child's first steps are taken in the home. These experiences shape their existence for the rest of their lives. Jean Hall says that “The family may help the child grow up...loving...or a tyrant”. This fact holds ground in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as Victor and Elizabeth's childhood and the Creatures “childhood” are vastly different, which push them down very unlike paths. These differences are made so to connect the book to Mary Shelley's overall messages she wants to articulate about: Society's emphasis on wealth and appearance, and Nature vs Nurture.
In Frankenstein, various themes are introduced. There are dangerous knowledge, sublime nature, nature versus nurture, monstrosity, and secrecy and guilt. I chose a main theme as nature versus nurture. Nature is some traits that a person is born with, and nurture is an environment that surrounds a person. The novel indirectly debates whether the development of individual is affected more by nature or by nurture through Victor and the Monster.
Man versus nature is a significant conflict in literature and in real life. This type of conflict is a problem in which nature is the antagonist, or villain, and the human protagonist , or good guy, is pitted against it. Nature is considered storms, climate, temperature, or the sea. It is also called man versus environment. This situation happens commonly in literature, such as books, the arts, such as paintings, and in life, now and earlier.
As Victor Frankenstein recounts his informative tale to a seafaring Robert Walton, he makes it known that he was a child of nobility; however it is sadly transparent that, combined with insufficient parenting, Victor’s rare perspective on life pushes him towards a lifestyle of conditional love. Children are considered symbolic of innocence, but as a child Victor’s arrogance was fueled by his parents. With his family being “one of the most distinguished of the republic,”(Shelley 17), Victor’s parents saw him as their “plaything and their idol, and something better-their child, the innocent and helpless Creature bestowed on them by Heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me,”(19). “The Social Order vs. the Wretch: Mary Shelley's Contradictory-Mindedness in Frankenstein Sylvia Bowerbank.” Bowerbank, "The Social Order vs. the Wretch", knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/bower.html.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is a novel of interpersonal struggle between inborn traits versus the self determined willingness to work for success. The author demonstrates the contrasting personalities of Victor and the Creature specifically in regard to the nature they are born with in contrast to who they made of themselves. Innate aspects hinder personal growth for the Creature although he works hard to become a self-made man, whereas nurturing miens obstruct growth for the dignified Victor despite his fortunate nature. Shelley demonstrates sympathy with a Creature who tries to overcome his monstrous form more than a gentleman who abases him in order to convey that no matter how hard he tries to overcome his nature, personal choices can only take him so far. Through contrasting Victor’s and the Creature’s innate personas and willingness to achieve success, Shelley is allowing the reader to question whether or not a person is able to work past his genetic boundaries and inherent instincts to become whoever he wants to be, or, if he is stuck having the same success level of his parents due to his intrinsic nature. Both scenarios play a key role in the character’s lives; if Shelley had not embedded this “nature versus nurture” theme into the plotline, then the plot would have ceased to exist due to a lack of conflict on the Creature’s part.
Mary Shelley, with her brilliant tale of mankind's obsession with two opposing forces: creation and science, continues to draw readers with Frankenstein's many meanings and effect on society. Frankenstein has had a major influence across literature and pop culture and was one of the major contributors to a completely new genre of horror. Frankenstein is most famous for being arguably considered the first fully-realized science fiction novel. In Frankenstein, some of the main concepts behind the literary movement of Romanticism can be found. Mary Shelley was a colleague of many Romantic poets such as her husband Percy Shelley, and their friends William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, even though the themes within Frankenstein are darker than their brighter subjects and poems. Still, she was very influenced by Romantics and the Romantic Period, and readers can find many examples of Romanticism in this book. Some people actually argue that Frankenstein “initiates a rethinking of romantic rhetoric”1, or is a more cultured novel than the writings of other Romantics. Shelley questions and interacts with the classic Romantic tropes, causing this rethink of a novel that goes deeper into societal history than it appears. For example, the introduction of Gothic ideas to Frankenstein challenges the typical stereotyped assumptions of Romanticism, giving new meaning and context to the novel. Mary Shelley challenges Romanticism by highlighting certain aspects of the movement while questioning and interacting with the Romantic movement through her writing.
In the Romantic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the selection in chapter five recounting the birth of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster plays a vital role in explaining the relationship between the doctor and his creation. Shelley’s use of literary contrast and Gothic diction eloquently set the scene of Frankenstein’s hard work and ambition coming to life, only to transform his way of thinking about the world forever with its first breath.
One of the most influential contributions in the formation of the monster’s character is Victor’s failure as a creator and a father. As a creator, Victor has the responsibility of providing for his creation, just as God provided for Adam and Eve. At the same time, Victor also falls under the role of a father, and should therefore seek to strengthen the familial bond between the two of them. However, Victor fails in both of these endeavors, because he cannot accept the monster in his deformity. “Frankenstein’s sole regret… is that he did not create an aesthetically pleasing being” (Bond). Victor, due to his skewed vision of humanity, believes outer beauty to be a reflection of inner character, and that because of the monster’s hideous appe...
...e that his creation may be, in fact, a monster, not just a creation. Frankenstein, throughout the entire novel, has free will and it was his foreseeable decision to go through with his efforts. Although his creation goes rogue, Frankenstein’s retribution far exceeds his “crime” committed. He did not deserve to lose so many family members and friends as well as his own life. Frankenstein portrays human beings as both ambitious and fallible. Victor’s dream of altering society through his creation of a new life form is tainted by his desire for glory, making his ambitions fallible by ignoring the consequences, exemplifying the characteristics of a tragic hero. Victor so badly desires to become “a creator,” but disappoints his own monster when he is unable to fulfill his responsibilities as a creator, ultimately, leading to his own death and the death of his creation.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic science fiction novel written in the romantic era that focuses on the elements of life. The romantic era was sparked by the changing social environment, including the industrial revolution. It was a form of revolt against the scientific revolutions of the era by developing a form of literature that romanticize nature and giving nature godliness. This element of romanticized nature is a recurrent element in Frankenstein and is used to reflect emotions, as a place for relaxation and as foreshadowing. Frankenstein also includes various other elements of romanticism including strong emotions and interest in the common people.
Which is more powerful science or nature? Author Mary Shelley shows us exactly what could happen when science and nature are pitted against each other in her novel “Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus”. In the novel the life of a scientist named Victor Frankenstein spirals out of control after the death of his mother. He consequently becomes dangerously obsessed with death. His mission becomes to go against nature in order to figure out the science of life. In his journey of giving a “torrent of light into our dark world” (Shelley, 61) Victor Frankenstein is faced with the consequences going against nature. I believe that Mary Shelley was against science that went over the bounds set by nature.
Nature vs nurture debate is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. It is the scientific cultural, and philosophical debate about whether human culture, behavior, and personality are caused primarily by nature or nurture. Nature and nurture are both equally important. They are the two are major influences that affect the person you grow to be and will determine what your children will be tomorrow. Nature refers to heredity, which are traits and features that are inherited from your parents and ancestors. At birth you, as a person, inherits 50% of each parent 's genetic material that are passed along through the chromosomes found in the DNA. Hair color, height, body type, and eye color are some examples of characteristics