English Coursework: Frankenstein doesn’t have any heroes or villains,

English Coursework: Frankenstein doesn’t have any heroes or villains,

only victims. Do you agree with this statement?

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, started being written in 1814 and was

finally completed in the summer of 1816, at a time when gothic genre

was extremely popular. It was then released in 1818, but Shelley

decided to release it anonymously. It is a gothic horror novel that

concentrates on isolation and ambition. The idea for the novel was

supposedly first invented when Shelley was at a friend’s house when a

competition was created as to whom could create the best “tale of

terror” story. It is about a man, Victor Frankenstein, who tries to

“play god” and creates a living “creature” that is then ostracised and

consequently commits a series of murders throughout the novel.

The characters involved can be viewed as heroes, or as villains,

depending on the different perspectives of the reader. Frankenstein’s

creation of the creature can be viewed as heroic, as he is seen to

push the boundaries of science further than ever before: “A new

species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and

excellent natures would owe their beings to me.” Frankenstein also

sacrificed the safety of those he loved to prevent the risk of the

creatures killing others when he destroyed the female creature, which

angered the male creature. He was also very ambitious in the way that

he chased the creature to the North Pole to put a stop to his reckless

behaviour, where he met the explorer Walton, who is a hero as far as

leadership and ambition are concerned, by trying to travel as far

North as possible. Walton’s ambitious attitude is made clear when he

says “My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, ...

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...rought on himself. The novel shows the

shallowness of people in society by showing what the monster had to

endure because of his appearance, as well as the moral

irresponsibility of Frankenstein as a scientist. Frankenstein was

always the villain deep down as he attempted to play God, which I

don’t think should be attempted by any human being. He was obsessed

with the fact that he could create life, but never once to considered

if it was the right thing to do. I think Shelley is basing the whole

novel on, not what Frankenstein actually did, but what he fails to do.

The way the creature is portrayed in 3rd person narrative allows us to

see the creature as a hero, villain and a victim. I believe that the

creature viewed Frankenstein as a father figure and was mentally

tortured when his own creator neglected him. He had nothing to live

for, except revenge.