Creator versus Creation
Friedrich Nietzsche once said that “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.” This concept is implemented in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, as the story follows a young man named Victor Frankenstein who was born in Geneva from a very affluent family, Victor is the eldest son of Alphonse and Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein. This is until the Frankenstein family take in an orphan who they name Elizabeth and the birth of William Frankenstein who is the second son of Alphonse and Caroline and is seven years younger than victor. Furthermore, as Victor ages he becomes obsessed with the study of alchemy
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This concept is evident in the fact that no one in the story has ever seen both Victor Frankenstein and the “monster” alive in the same place.
However, this is not true because in the book Frankenstein Walton states “He paused, looking on me with wonder; and again turning towards the lifeless form of his creator” (Shelley 216). In this quote, Walton is describing the creature finally discovering that Victor is dead, here Walton sees both the monster and Victor in the same room, and although technically Victor is not alive here, his body is there. Another critic named Christy Knorr argues that the creature is the real monster in Frankenstein as she notes
When the creation discovers that the boy is Victor’s brother, he strangles him and his “heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph” (Shelley 123). The being then becomes externally and internally, ultimately confirming society’s previously groundless
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"The Myth of the Monster in Mary's Shelley's Murder Mystery,
Frankenstein." Journal of South Texas English Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, Spring2011, p. 1. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-sav1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=72371633&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Cornillon, Claire, et al. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary,
Analysis and Reading Guide. BrightSummaries.com, 2016. Book Analysis. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-hgro.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1236939&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 08, Dec. 2017.
Knorr, Christy. Frankenstein's Monster: The Victim of a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2017.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble, 2015. Print.
Urizar, David O. The Real 'Monster' In Frankenstein.2016.EBSCOhost, proxygsu- sav.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ir0 0501a&AN=gkr.augusta.620919&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 09, Dec.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: the original 1818 text. 2nd ed. Ed. D.L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf. Peterborough: Broadview, 1999.
In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein the protagonist Victor Frankenstein creates a monster. The monster in the novel is deprived of a normal life due to his appearance. Like the creature, some serial killers today are killers due to the same rejection. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warns that a childhood of abuse and neglect will often result in evil actions.
With this passing thought, the monster leaps from the ship into the ice filled sea, and is never seen again. At first it is seen as a story about man and the evils he can do, yet. Frankenstein is actually about the friendship of the soul. Without this basic need, the body either withers away and dies or turns to another source, like murder or drink, to fill the hole. Both fatalities can be seen in the story, with Victor's friendship and the monster's anger.
As a tragic hero, Victor’s tragedies begin with his overly obsessive thirst for knowledge. Throughout his life, Victor has always been looking for new things to learn in the areas of science and philosophy. He goes so far with his knowledge that he ends up creating a living creature. Victor has extremely high expectations for his creation but is highly disappointed with the outcome. He says, “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 35). Frankenstein neglects the creature because of his horrifying looks, which spark the beginning of numerous conflicts and tragedies. At this point, the creature becomes a monster because of Victor’s neglect and irresponsibility. The monster is forced to learn to survive on his own, without anyone or anything to guide him along the way. Plus, the monster’s ugly looks cause society to turn against him, ad...
In the novel ,Frankenstein, Shelley shows that Victor and the creature may not be physically identical, but their personalities are nearly parallel. Proving that no matter what one looks like on the outside, it does not affect what its true nature would be.
...s creation as a way of revenge and payback for all the distress he brought to the creature. The creature, beginning as the most innocent, is alienated by his creator and every individual who witnesses his presence. Finally, Victor isolates himself from his beloved ones in order to fulfill his ambitions. All these misfortunes are caused by the lack of moral decision making. Unfortunately, these decisions ruined the life of many people involved in Victor’s life. All these events are the proof of what people’s actions can result into when isolation is a major theme in one’s life.
Baldick, Chris. In Frankenstein's Shadow: Myth, Monstrosity, and Nineteenth-Century Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print.
“I now hasten to the more moving part of my story. I shall relate events that impressed me with feelings which, from what I was, have made me what I am” (Shelley 92). Frankenstein’s Creature presents these lines as it transitions from a being that merely observes its surroundings to something that gains knowledge from the occurrences around it. The Creature learns about humanity from “the perfect forms of [his] cottagers” (90). Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein offers compelling insights into the everlasting nature versus nurture argument. Her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, “Treat a person ill, and he will become wicked.” Shelley believes that the nurture of someone, or something, in the Creature’s case, forms them into who they become and what actions they take. While this is true for Frankenstein’s Creature, the same cannot be said about Victor Frankenstein.
Throughout Frankenstein, one assumes that Frankenstein’s creation is the true monster. While the creation’s actions are indeed monstrous, one must also realize that his creator, Victor Frankenstein, is also a villain. His inconsiderate and selfish acts as well as his passion for science result in the death of his friend and family members and ultimately in his own demise. Throughout the novel, Shelley investigates the idea of monstrosity. She makes the point that a monster does not have to be genuinely evil in order to be considered monstrous.
Although “Frankenstein” is the story of Victor and his monster, Walton is the most reliable narrator throughout the novel. However, like most narrator’s, even his retelling of Victor’s story is skewed by prejudice and favoritism of the scientist’s point of view. Yet this could be attributed to the only view points he ever gets to truly hear are from Victor himself and not the monster that he only gets to meet after he comes to mourn his fallen master.
Baldick, C. "Making Monstrous - 'Frankenstein', Criticism, Theory - Botting,F." Review Of English Studies 45 (1994): 90-99.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
“The doctor [Victor Frankenstein] and his monster represent of one another and their relationship mirrors that of the head and the heart, or the intellect and the emotion. In this context, the monster’s actions have been viewed as manifestations of the doctor’s—and Shelley’s—repressed desires” (Bomarito and Whitaker). The motif of doppelgänger is established when Victor created the creature. As Victor is alone and obsessed with science, he resorts to creating a “being of a gigantic stature, that is to say, about eight feet in height, and proportionally large” (Shelley 38). Whenever the creature comes to life, Victor is frightened and flees from the creature, even though he does not realize, that he has subsequently created a double of himself.
Brachneos. “Frankenstein – a Literature Essay on Social Context Comments.” Writinghood . N.p., 3 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. .
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the motif of monstrosity to convey the theme that a person’s outward appearance is not what makes them a monster but rather their actions or inactions that classify true monstrosity. Despite the fact that the monster Victor Frankenstein creates is a literal example of monstrosity in the novel there are many parts that give meaning to monstrosity within character’s actions. Although Victor appears normal, since he is human his ambitions, secrets, selfishness, and inaction makes him a monster himself. Along with monstrous characters the pursuit of knowledge that is seen in Victor, his monster, and Walton in Frankenstein prove that knowledge can be a monstrosity. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is created using the life stories of different characters in the novel. The novel itself could be seen as a monster created similarly to Victor’s monster.