The creature's decline into the hate of all mankind is a ever-present theme
throughout this novel and the movie. The decline is a less gradual one in the novel but a
decline none the less. In the movie, we see hate for mankind right from the beginning.
Can we really blame the creator though? Never even named by his creature, his being of
unimportance, and his identity is worthless in the eyes of his creature Frankenstein. In fact
he has no identity, he is looked upon as a monster that was never given the opportunity to
transform himself as a being. We see a defenite theme throughout both the movie and the
novel of the creator never getting the opportunity of trying to fit in.
Frankenstein is fully aware of his mistakes. He knows the outcome of his actions.
He says in the book, "Rather let me say such the words of the fate - enounced to destroy
me
thus ended a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny"(Shelley 40). He
calls his dilemma, a hell of intense tortures.
Ironically, Frankenstein brought his disrupment upon himself. Frankenstein is
quoted "solitude was my only consolation- deep, dark, deathlike solitude"(71). The
relationship between the two Frankenstein and the creature is in a sense a combination of
power. Frankenstein forced the creature into a life of
solitude against his own will. "Hateful day when I received life
accursed creator
I am
solitary and abhorred"(106). Yet by creating him, he had pulled himself into the same path
of loneliness. His powerful use of knowledge of creation has in turn role reversed the
approval between leader and suppressor.
The creature's monstrous build and frame has made him strong and evil. His
dislike for mankind has created a path o...
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And so, the total destruction of lives has been complete. The creature is brought
down alone with his creator. Frankenstein's wished to be happy and worthy, yet it was
forever imposed in his situation. The outcome of the creature was not the initial intension
of Frankenstein. However, through evil deeds and wrongdoing tragedy was destined to
strike. The life of Frankenstein was ill- fated from the begging of his plans to make a
creation, Frankenstein lost his loved ones and never got the chance to live a life full of
flourished goals and dreams. Rather a life of torture and self-destruction.
Frankenstein is loosely based on the novel by Mary Shelley. Gone are a number of key
elements of the written work: the endless arctic chase, the concept of a speaking monster,
the friendship with the blind man, and the creature's desire for companionship.
him live. The monster didn’t know this until the end. He found out that to
The creature was created with the intention of goodness and purity but because of this, he wasn’t equipped to deal with the rejection of his creator. After Victor Frankenstein’s death, Robert Walton walks in to see the creature standing over his friend’s lifeless body.
Victor Frankenstein and his creation are very much alike. Both are abandoned by their creators at a young
...ions toward one another. However, Frankenstein’s uncaring, negligent-parent approach to his creation who emotionally resembles a lost child, allows Shelley to establish the conflict between scientific discovery and moral consequence, as well as the greater conflict between right and wrong. She allows the audience to question who the true villain is in the story, and allow each reader to determine for themselves if the “parent” Frankenstein or the “childlike” monster is truly to blame for all the evil deeds that occur. Today, our society should view Frankenstein as a cautionary tale of the possibilities and consequences of scientific discovery mixed with greed.
After several days and nights of laboring, he “succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter." Frankenstein set out to create a superior living being, hoping to eventually discover a formula for eternal life. In his research Frankenstein determinedly collected human remains from charnel-houses and cemeteries. Then, "on a dreary night of November ... I beheld the accomplishment of my toils": an eight-foot monster. Applying electricity to the "lifeless matter" before him, Frankenstein saw "the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and convulsive motion agitated its limbs." And at the result of his creation coming to life, Frankenstein was appalled. "Breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." He thought that he had created a freak. Exhausted, Frankenstein fell into a deep sleep, seeking a "few moments of forgetfulness.
Frankenstein's selfish intentions showed when he saw the culmination of his work at its finished stage. He, "desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now he was finished, the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled his heart.
Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has grown to become a name associated with horror and science fiction. To fully understand the importance and origin of this novel, we must look at both the tragedies of Mary Shelley's background and her own origins. Only then can we begin to examine what the icon "Frankenstein" has become in today's society.
The creator of the monster, Victor Frankenstein is a man full of knowledge and has a strong passion for science. He pushes the boundary of science and creates a monster. Knowledge can be a threat when used for evil purposes. Though Victor did not intend for the being to be evil, society’s judgement on the monster greatly affects him. As a result he develops hatred for his creator as well as all man-kind. Victor’s anguish for the loss of his family facilitates his plan for revenge to the monster whom is the murderer. While traveling on Robert Walton’s ship he and Victor continue their pursuit of the monster. As Victor’s death nears he says, “…or must I die, and he yet live? If I do, swear to me Walton, that he shall not escape, that you will seek him and satisfy my vengeance in his death…Yet, when I am dead if he should appear, if the ministers of vengeance should conduct him to you, swear that he shall not live-swear that he shall not triumph over my accumulated woes and survive to add to the list of his dark crimes” (pg.199). Victor grieves the death of William, Justine, Clerval, Elizabeth and his father. Throughout the novel he experiences the five stages of grief, denial/ isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. Victor denies ...
In Frankenstein, Shelley creates two very complex characters. They embody the moral dilemmas that arise from the corruption and disturbance of the natural order of the world. When Victor Frankenstein is attending school, he becomes infatuated with creating a living being and starts stealing body parts from morgues around the university. After many months of hard work, he finishes one stormy night bringing his creation to life. However, “now that [Victor] had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart” (Chambers). Right after Victor realizes what he has done, he falls into deep depression and must be nursed back to health by his friend. Victor spends the rest of the story facing consequences and moral problems from creating unnatural life. When he realizes that the ‘monster’ has killed his brother, even though no one believes him, he feels responsible for his brother’s murder because he was responsible for the existence of the ‘monster’. Also feeling responsible, Victor...
and by the end of his tale and the novel, we have gradually learnt to
The wise Uncle Ben once told Peter Parker, “remember, with great power. Comes great responsibility.” There is no greater power than that acquired by the infamous Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when he discovers the secret to creating life. Shelley’s Frankenstein is a tale of creation that depicts acts of human conception and discovery. The Oxford English Dictionary defines creation as “the action or process of bringing something into existence from nothing by divine or natural agency; the fact of being so created.” It defies the natural order of things and creates a world of its own. The multiple acts of creation and discovery bring upon a certain set of responsibilities and implications as depicted by David Collings who analyzes the responsibilities that come as a result of these acts in his essay “The Monster and the Maternal Thing: Mary Shelley’s Critique of Ideology”. The main act of creation is evident through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the Being which is depicted most prominently in the novel. However, there are multiple other acts of creation and discovery that may not be apparent at first sight. One of the most important being, Victor’s discovery of the knowledge required to create life. Apart from initially creating the Being, Victor also plays a critical role in the Being’s evolution into a raging and vengeful creature. Perhaps above all other acts of creation and discovery is Victor’s personal creation of himself into a monster. As stated by Collings most of these acts of creation on Victor’s part are subconsciously brought upon because of their lack of a maternal figure but also in part because of his desire for fame and glory. However, he is blinded by his motives and forgets that with his...
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, explores the monstrous and destructive affects of obsession, guilt, fate, and man’s attempt to control nature. Victor Frankenstein, the novel’s protagonist and antihero, attempts to transcend the barriers of scientific knowledge and application in creating a life. His determination in bringing to life a dead body consequently renders him ill, both mentally and physically. His endeavors alone consume all his time and effort until he becomes fixated on his success. The reason for his success is perhaps to be considered the greatest scientist ever known, but in his obsessive toil, he loses sight of the ethical motivation of science. His production would ultimately grieve him throughout his life, and the consequences of his undertaking would prove disastrous and deadly. Frankenstein illustrates the creation of a monster both literally and figuratively, and sheds light on the dangers of man’s desire to play God.
The monster of Frankenstein is thrust into life as an adult. He was not granted a childhood full of mis...
Although humans have the tendency to set idealistic goals to better future generations, often the results can prove disastrous, even deadly. The tale of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, focuses on the outcome of one man's idealistic motives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation of horrific creature. Victor Frankenstein was not doomed to failure from his initial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it was his poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation's thirst for the vindication of his unjust life. In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so the creation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever be entirely received by the people who inhabit it. Not only failing to foresee his faulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey, consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting he himself that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being and the quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable for his own death than the creation himself.
With the creation of something that is thought as to be magnificent turns in to a dreadful reality, man’s ending effects are a dark and sad path. The author of the Review of Frankenstein gives clarity to his statement of,” We hope, however, the writer had the moral in view which we are desirous of drawing from it, that the presumptive works of man must be frightful, vile, and horrible: ending only in discomfort and misery to himself” giving clear evidence that man’s efforts can turn utterly wrong.