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Critical analysis of the novel frankenstein
How Shelley constructs the character of Victor Frankenstein
Mary shelley's frankenstein character analysis and development
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In 1818, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was anonymously published. In the story, the title character brings to life a monstrous creature that reflects his own feelings of worthlessness and destruction. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein compares himself to a blasted tree when he says, ‘But I am a blasted tree’ (Shelley 114-115). Ironically, this quote relates more to the life of the creature than Victor Frankenstein’s life. Mary Shelley uses the metaphor of a blasted tree to emphasize the destruction of not just Victor Frankenstein’s but also the creature’s ties to humanity, his self-worth, and his failure. Just like a blasted tree, the creature was struck by “lightning”, which figuratively gives him life. The lightning that Victor uses …show more content…
Yet, the creature still has hope that he can be loved, so he reveals himself to the DeLacy family. However, when he reveals himself, he does not get a positive response. Instead of them being friendly and kind to him, they are shocked and Felix De Lacy attacks him with a stick. The creature feels anguished and states, “I was like a wild beast that has broken the toils; destroying the objects that obstructed me” (Shelley 95). At this point, the creature loses all hope of being happy or loved. A blasted tree’s canopy of leaves is ruined by a lightning strike. The leaves are the ultimate source of energy and seeds and thus a future for a tree. Once blasted, the tree’s leaves and seeds are destroyed, and the tree has no hope for survival or starting a family. The lightning that brought the creature to life also made him so ugly and deformed that he scared the DeLacys. He finally realizes that he has no future, no chance of finding love or having a family. The DeLacys were the creature’s final hope for the sustenance that may have saved him. But when the DeLacys leave their cottage, it is like when a tree has no water and slowly withers
Within the book Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, there are many moments of tragedy and loss, as well as certain moments where joy and love are present. A number of these scenes contain a connection to nature. Since the Romantics viewed Nature as a source of emotional experience and spiritual renewal. However Mary Shelley was not solely a Romantic, she also took literary cues from the Gothic tradition as well. This second impetus also stressed the importance of nature, especially the darker aspects of it. Particularly the rageful and turbulent characteristics of nature, this manner of guiding the emotions using nature is very obvious and abundant in Frankenstein.
There was no one left to provide the creature with companionship and was forced to isolate himself from society once again. When the family moved out of their cottage, the creature decided to go on his own adventure and seek out his creator. Upon doing so, the creature encountered a young girl who was about to drown near a lake. When the creature successfully saved the little girl, an older man confronted the creature and shot him in the shoulder. Because of what happened, the creature explained to Frankenstein that his, “...daily vows rose for revenge-a deep deadly revenge, such as would alone compensate for the outrages and anguish [he] had endured.” (Shelley 61). With this burning rage, the creature decided to take his revenge out on his creator, Frankenstein. One by one, Frankenstein’s relatives and closest friends were murdered by the creature, but his father’s death, was the final push. Frankenstein believed that he was the cause for all the murders and that he had to destroy what he created. He told Walton that, “...as [he] awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge.” (Shelley 88). The only way to stop future deaths, was to hunt down the creature and kill him. Fueled with hatred, Frankenstein traveled for months in hopes of finding the creature. However, in his final days, Frankenstein was no longer able to continue his search, and passed away due to malnutrition. Upon discovering what had happened, the creature came out from hiding, and decided to explain his side of the story to Walton. Now that Frankenstein was dead, the creature decided to wander off and slowly die, isolated from the
What is a monster, really? Is it really a Creature that has three eyes instead of two, with pus seeping out of every crevice in his face and an abnormally large form? Or is it someone with a mind so corrupt it rivals that of Satan? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story within a story that centers on the tale of a man with an immense thirst of knowledge and a fetish to imitate the Creator. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a lot like the Greek mythological tale of the Greek God, Prometheus, and his brother, Epimetheus, who were assigned the task of creating man. The story captivates the theme of monstrosity. Mary Shelley wrote the novel in a form so the reader’s opinions never stray far from sympathy for the monster and apathy for Victor Frankenstein. The novel looks at “Monstrosity” and “Humanity” in a deeply analytical way.
From beginning with a harsh winter and abandonment of the monster and shifting to a much lighter season of spring. Shelley represents the change in heart the monster makes. During winter many plants are suffocated by the darkness and heaviness of the weather which causes much foliage to die and wait for anew, which comes during spring. Spring allows for the vegetation to experience regrowth. The monster, although has never been able to experience love, he was still able to notice the need of a family and put them before himself, for example, “I remember the first time that I did this, the young woman, when she opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great pile of wood on the outside.”(Chapter 12, page 130). Shelley uses this as a form of symbolism with nature which causes an emphasis on the monsters new perspective and shows rebirth in mind and
There was no one left to provide the creature with companionship and was forced to isolate himself from society once again. When the family moved out of their cottage, the creature decided to go on his own adventure and seek out his creator. Upon doing so, the creature encountered a young girl who was about to drown near a lake. When the creature successfully saved the little girl, an older man confronted the creature and shot him in the shoulder. Because of what happened, the creature explained to Frankenstein that his, “...daily vows rose for revenge-a deep deadly revenge, such as would alone compensate for the outrages and anguish [he] had endured.” (Shelley 61). With this burning rage, the creature decided to take his revenge out on his creator, Frankenstein. One by one, Frankenstein’s relatives and closest friends were murdered by the creature, but his father’s death, was the final push. Frankenstein believed that he was the cause for all the murders and that he had to destroy what he created. He told Walton that, “...as [he] awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge.” (Shelley 88). The only way to stop future deaths, was to hunt down the creature and kill him. Fueled with hatred, Frankenstein traveled for months in hopes of finding the creature. However, in his final days, Frankenstein was no longer
The novel narrates the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist, who obsessed with ‘unfolding to the world the deepest mysteries of creation’, achieves to animate a creature made of dead bodies (p. 38). Nevertheless, terrified by his own work, Frankenstein abandons the monster to his fate. Consequently, the being embarks on a journey in search of human acceptance and affection. Unable to satisfy his yearning, the creature seeks for revenge and turns Frankenstein’s life into one marked by destruction and death.
The Creature has scared the De Laceys when seeking for help, and they decide to leave their cottage. He reflects on this news in his hovel “in a state of utter and stupid despair He, mad with their decision, burns down their cottage. He knows that they left because of his appearance and most likely them knowing he has been watching them for time. After leaving his hovel at De Laceys place, he travels to Geneva and sees a boy outside his hiding place.The Creature decides that this boy isn't old enough to realize ugliness and picks him up. The boy struggles and exclaims that his ‘dad’, M. Frankenstein, will save him. The Creature is enraged at this child, “‘Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy - to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.’ The child [William] still struggled and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart; I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet” (131). After Victor and Elizabeth’s wedding, Victor tells Elizabeth to retire so he can go find the creature because he thinks the creature is after him. Soon after, Victor hears a shrill scream, and runs back to Elizabeth and finds “the murderous mark of the fiend’s grasp was on her [Elizabeth] neck, and the breath had ceased to issue from her lips … A grin was on the face of the monster; he seemed to jeer, as with
Though Shelley and Lovecraft’s monsters are characterized by their physical appearance, the outer appearances of their monsters do not determine the monstrosity of their characters. The true monster of the stories is the character that does ugly actions regardless of if their exterior is ugly. While Frankenstein’s creation is described by Victor as “hideous” (chapter 5), and the creation is referred to as a monster multiply times, he himself is not the true monster of Shelley’s novel. Victor, who is responsible for the wickedness of his creation, is the true monster of the story. By creating a hideous individual and shunning him, he forces the creation to survive on his own with a forced handicap; Victor becomes evil. This evilness is equivalent to breaking someone’s legs in the middle of the forest, with no way of getting home, and then leaving them alone. Victor creates ...
Frankenstein and his abominable creation are two characters inexorably linked with eachother, as father and son, as inventor and invention, and even as reflections of eachother. Their conflict deals with themes of the morality of science and the fears of child birth, and their characters are drawn from a wealth of experience and reading. Shelley’s doppleganger of mankind is like a twisted vision of reality; based in some sense on reality but wildly taken out of proportion, the monster is so inhuman that it cannot reconcile itself with its master or the world of humanity. Its tragic story serves as a warning of what mankind could become as well as a reflection of Shelley’s own personal demons, and her creation has changed the face of literature.
Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the reader is lead to sympathize with the monstrous creature, which was created by Victor Frankenstein. Despite any internal contradictions, the creature has the indisputable outward appearance of a monster, one repulsive to even his own creator. Inevitably, the appearance becomes the creature’s most significant quality, which eliminates any recognition of other, more human, qualities. As a result, any possibility of acceptance within human society are completely destroyed. The creature himself even recognizes this fact. Expressing many human qualities, such rejection and the consequential loneliness has a tremendous impact on the creature, especially in the impressionable years after his initial animation. With the psychological effects caused by these factors, the creature is sent on a rampage, causing tragedy throughout the course of the novel. Many may question Victor’s culpability and lack of responsibility over his creation; however, the ultimate blame for the events must be placed while considering the situation on a larger scale. Without a structured beginning to life, the creature is subjected to the harsh society around him, whose reactions only lead the creature to exile and psychological torment, justifying his wrongful actions.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is ‘one of the pioneering works of modern science fiction’, and is also a frightening story that speaks to the ‘mysterious fears of our nature’. Mary Shelley mocks the idea of “playing God”, the idea that came from the Greek myth of Prometheus, of the Greek titan who stole Zeus’ gift of life. Both the story of Frankenstein and Prometheus reveal the dark side of human nature and the dangerous effects of creating artificial life. Frankenstein reveals the shocking reality of the consequences to prejudging someone. The creature’s first-person narration reveals to us his humanity, and his want to be accepted by others even though he is different.
The Creature, Victor Frankenstein’s creation, is shaped into a monster through its experiences, instead of the nature of itself, which is more expected. Victor Frankenstein, on the other hand, is shaped into a monster because of his mind’s power-hungry nature. Victor treats his creature poorly and he himself becomes wicked. While the Creature also becomes wicked in the end, its actions are more justified because multiple people treated it poorly, causing the Creature to lash out. Even though Victor Frankenstein and the Creature both turn into wicked monsters, to some extent, only one of
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a nineteenth century literary work that delves into the world of science and the plausible outcomes of morally insensitive technological research. Although the novel brings to the forefront several issues about knowledge and sublime nature, the novel mostly explores the psychological and physical journey of two complex characters. While each character exhibits several interesting traits that range from passive and contemplative to rash and impulsive, their most attractive quality is their monstrosity. Their monstrosities, however, differ in the way each of the character’s act and respond to their environment. 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.
Victor Frankenstein and his creation are alike in several ways, one of them being their appreciation of nature. Victor embraces the nature for the quick moment that he escapes the creature as it “filled me with a sublime ecstasy that gave wings to the soul and allowed it to soar from the obscure world to light and joy” (Shelley 84). Vict...
The creature is born into the world with a fully functional brain; however, he has no knowledge of anything. As the story progresses, the creature quickly learns the language, culture, and customs of the world he lives in. Since he is horribly ugly, he is rejected by the people of his society, this is the motivation behind his need and desire to learn about himself and the society he lives in. As the creature obtains more and more knowledge, he finally discovers his origins and birth from Victor. As a result, the Creature becomes a wretched monster, who now has no sympathy for anyone or anything. The Creature becomes fixed on the idea of needing a companion, and due to this obsession, he turns Victor’s life upside down. The Creature is able to torment Victor by killing his family members, then quickly vanishing so Victor can not tell who or what he saw. The Creature and Victor finally meet again and the Creature tells Victor of his stories and struggles. Throughout the novel, the Creature remains in the same state of being, he persistently harasses Victor and maintains a watchful eye on him. At the beginning of the novel, the Creature is an innocent being, made purely for science. In the end of the novel the reader sees what the Creature truly becomes when Victor has died and the Creature is having his last words, he says: “I felt the cheering warmth of summer, and heard the rustling of the leaves and the warbling of the birds, and these were all to me, I should have wept to die; now it is my only consolation”(pg. 166). This explains how the Creature is aware of how he has changed from start to beginning. The society that he lived in, causes him to shift from an innocent and loving creature, to a hopeless and wretched