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Shelley's views on women in Frankenstein
Shelley's views on women in Frankenstein
Mary shelley's frankenstein character analysis and development
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In Frankenstein the monster remarks, “There is love in me the likes of which you've never seen. There is rage in me the likes of which should never escape. If I am not satisfied in the one, I will indulge the other” (154). The duality presented by the monster showcases the complexity of its nature, and the human nature inside of him. Although established over one hundred years after her death, Shelley develops Frankenstein’s monster, though not inherently human, parallel to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This suggests that monster developed psychologically similar to how modern research suggests humans develop, with human nature supplying his needs and Victor’s rejection nurturing his violence. Shelley also portrays the monster as a conscious …show more content…
Victor assembles his creation from the remains of deceased humans, with the end result being an eight-foot tall, yellow-skinned monstrosity (58). The monster, however, had gained consciousness and become alive. Encyclopaedia Britannica roughly defines consciousness as the “mental stuff” that makes up the person (“Consciousness”). The combination of both human body parts and human mind would make the monster seemingly human, yet he is different. German psychologist Kurt Koffka pioneered the Gestalt school of psychological thought, in which he preached “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (qtd. Myers 245). The monster is more than just the bones, organs, and brain Victor assembled. He resides as being capable thought and emotion, similar to humans. Therein also lies some evidence of the monster’s past life had come into play. The monster adapts to the world much quicker than any human child could in the same timespan, even explaining to Victor how he had learned read the works of Dante and Milton (110). This reading would be far too advanced for any child in the same developmental age as the monster, leaving evidence for his past life. Myers describes this phenomenon in humans as priming, the ability of people to respond more easily to stimuli they have seen before, whether they remember or not (454). The monster, on a subconscious level, had read before, and therefore could learn more quickly. This is not to say the monster had a completely full subconscious beforehand. While Shelley does not go into detail about how Victor obtained the body parts necessary to erect his creation, it can be assumed that Victor obtained the body parts from the dead around the university (54). This meant that the people in that area would be more likely educated than other places in the country. This indicates that Victor more likely “gathered” the brain of an educated person.
As Frankenstein is enroute to his pursuit of gaining more knowledge, he states, “I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit of my nature, should be completed” (Shelley 41). Frankenstein’s decision in allowing his intellectual ambitions to overpower everything else in his life leads him to be blinded to the dangers of creating life. He isolates himself from his society when creating the monster, letting himself be immersed in his creation while being driven by his passions, allowing nobody to be near him. The fact that he allows this creation of a monster to consume his total being reveals how blinded he is to the immorality of stepping outside the boundaries of science and defying nature. His goal in striving to achieve what wants to in placing man over nature makes him lose his sense of self as all he is focused on is the final product of his creation. He starts to realize his own faults as after he has created the monster, he becomes very ill and states, “The form of the monster on whom I had bestowed existence was forever before my eyes, and I raved incessantly concerning him” (48). His impulsive decision to make the monster leads him to abhorring it as it does not turn out to be what he has expected. Because he chooses to isolate himself in creating the
Like most horror stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has a wretched monster who terrorizes and kills his victims with ease. However, the story is not as simple as it seems. One increasingly popular view of the true nature of the creature is one of understanding. This sympathetic view is often strengthened by looking at the upbringing of the creature in the harsh world in which he matures much as a child would. With no friends or even a true father, the creature can be said to be a product of society and its negative views and constant rejections of him. Although this popular view serves to lessen the severity of his crimes in most people’s eyes, the fact remains that the creature is in fact a cold-hearted wretch whose vindictive nature is brought through the killings which take place throughout the story. Regardless of his unfortunate upbringing and life, however, the creature is a being determined to ruin the life of Victor, through being the master of Victor’s life and every day existence, almost in a slave and master scenario, who feels remorse but continues to kill anyway and is therefore deserving of the title, "monster".
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the demented scientist, Victor Frankenstein, drives himself mad after creating a paradox that ultimately destroys his life as well as the lives of those he loved the most. Frankenstein tells his story to a captain he meets by the name of Robert Walton as a warning not to meddle into the unknown. Victor tells him how he wanted this beast to look to him as its God, and how that stimulated his fixation from the very beginning. He allows the power to consume his whole existence.
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 Frankenstein, Victor’s monster suffers much loneliness and pain at the hands of every human he meets, as he tries to be human like them. First, he is abandoned by his creator, the one person that should have accepted, helped, and guided him through the confusing world he found himself in. Next, he is shunned wherever he goes, often attacked and injured. Still, throughout these trials, the creature remains hopeful that he can eventually be accepted, and entertains virtuous and moral thoughts. However, when the creature takes another crushing blow, as a family he had thought to be very noble and honorable abandons him as well, his hopes are dashed. The monster then takes revenge on Victor, killing many of his loved ones, and on the humans who have hurt him. While exacting his revenge, the monster often feels guilty for his actions and tries to be better, but is then angered and provoked into committing more wrongdoings, feeling self-pity all the while. Finally, after Victor’s death, the monster returns to mourn the death of his creator, a death he directly caused, and speaks about his misery and shame. During his soliloquy, the monster shows that he has become a human being because he suffers from an inner conflict, in his case, between guilt and a need for sympathy and pity, as all humans do.
Monsters embody brutality, twisted morality, and irrationality—the banes of human existence, yet the children of man’s inner demons. Monsters are, in short, projections of man’s wicked id. The term creature may suggest monstrosity, and Frankenstein’s creation in Mary Shelley’s novel may be perceived as a personification of the Freudian id. In this case, however, the creature also mediates between its neurotic creator and societal values, just as the Freudian ego, conditioned by the reality principle, mediates between external reality and inner turmoil through practicality. The ego is the psyche’s driving force and, arguably, the real protagonist of Frankenstein. But in the fierce tug-of-war within the ego between the id and its law-abiding opposite—the superego—lies the true battlefield of Shelley’s novel. For ironically the man of science embodies an ego-ridden id, a man-monster, but creates a monster-man that embodies his counterpart: an id-ridden ego. In the wake of his mother’s death, Frankenstein’s tinkering with reanimation unconsciously shapes a symbiosis between himself and his creation—between two tortured halves of one neurotic mind. In fact, Shelley’s novel sinks deep into the crevices of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, oozing into pits of neurosis, repression, parapraxes, dream symbolism, and the Oedipus complex.
Claridge explains, “In early chapters, Victor‘s quest for knowledge is a difficult one, and when he finally discusses his learning with his father, he is told to not waste his time on "sad trash". Victor is then left on his own to pursue knowledge, much like his monster”(Claridge). The monster and Victor are both on their own in the world. Victor is obsessed with science because of his father. The readers get the sense that Victor does not stay close to his home for a reason. That reason would be his father talking down on his knowledge and creations. The only difference between the monster and victor is that Victor had a family and friends, unlike the monster. The monster had no one to turn to when he was left
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly explores the concept of the body, life, ‘the self’ and most of importantly humanity, which is repeatedly questioned throughout the novel. The definition of humanity is the quality of being humane or in other words someone that can feel or possess compassion. Despite all the facts against the “monster” in “Frankenstein” he is indeed what one would consider being human. Humanity isn’t just about ones physical appearance but also includes intellect and emotion. Some people argue that the “monster” is not a human for he was not a creature that was born from “God” or from a human body. That being said, the “monster” is not only able to speak different languages, he can also show empathy - one of many distinct traits that set humans apart from the animals. Both the “monster” and his creator, Victor, hold anger and feel a sense of suffering throughout the novel. Victor is a good person with good intentions just like most individuals, but makes the mistake of getting swept up into his passion of science and without thinking of the consequences he creates a “monster”. After completing his science project, he attempts to move forward with his life, however his past – i.e., the “monster” continues to follow and someone haunt him. While one shouldn’t fault or place blame on Frankenstein for his mistakes, you also can’t help but feel somewhat sympathetic for the creature. Frankenstein just wants to feel accepted and loved, he can’t help the way he treats people for he’s only mimicking how people have treated him, which in most cases solely based on his appearance. Unlike most of the monsters we are exposed to in films past and present, the character of the “monster” ...
After his creation, Frankenstein’s monster is left in isolation, cursed to endure people’s hatred towards him. This revulsion met by onlookers is merely based on the creature’s hideous looks. The monster is not actually a monster at all. He displays more humanity than many other characters in Frankenstein. The ultimate irony is that the prejudicial belief is what caused the reanimated human to become a monster. In the nature versus nurture debate, proponents of the nature theory believe that a person is unchanging and that one’s experiences do not affect that person’s behavior. If this were true, the monster would not change as a result of his interactions with humans. It is undeniable that the creature does immoral things, but when Frankenstein’s monster saves a little girl from drowning, Mary Shelley takes a clear stance that the creature was naturally noble but became monstrous as a result of interactions with humans.
“Allure, Authority, and Psychoanalysis” discusses the unconscious wishes, effects, conflicts, anxieties, and fantasies within “Frankenstein.” The absence of strong female characters in “Frankenstein” suggests the idea of Victor’s desire to create life without the female. This desire possibly stems from Victor’s attempt to compensate for the lack of a penis or, similarly, from the fear of female sexuality. Victor’s strong desire for maternal love is transferred to Elizabeth, the orphan taken into the Frankenstein family. This idea is then reincarnated in the form of a monster which leads to the conclusion that Mary Shelley felt like an abandoned child who is reflected in the rage of the monster.
In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster are connected in a complex relationship. Frankenstein’s monster is submissive to his creator, Victor, who is the only man with the knowledge of creating another of his kind. On the other hand, Frankenstein is passive to his creation, because physically, it is stronger than he and has the capability of murdering his entire circle of family and friends, and it doesn’t take much effort for him to do so. Their relationship is not marked by a “Super-Hero” pattern.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley portrays an individual in a unique situation trying to overcome daily interactions while being faced with inconceivable misfortunes. Created by Victor Frankenstein, who set out on a journey to bring life to scrapped pieces of waste, he was then abandoned and left to fend for himself in a world he was abruptly brought into. After being abandoned by his creator for his less than appealing looks, this then sparked his inevitable desire for revenge. Eventually leading to the destruction of those associated with his creator. Knowing that he will never fit in, the monster began to act out in hopes of getting back at his creator for what he did. His vulnerability due to missing guidance and parental figures in his beginning stages of life contributed to his behavior. The books and article Family Crisis and Children’s Therapy Groups written by Gianetti, Audoin, and Uzé, Victim Of Romance: The Life And Death Of Fanny Godwin by Maurice Hindle, and Social Behavior and Personality by Lubomir Lamy, Jacques Fishcher-Lokou, and Nicolas Gueguen support why the monster acts the way he does. The monster’s behavior stems from Victor’s actions at the beginning of his life and therefore is not to blame. The creature in Frankenstein is deserving of sympathy even though he committed those murders because the lack of parental guidance, lack of family, and lack of someone to love led him to that. All in all his actions were not malicious, but only retaliation for what he had been put through.
“I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe.” Mary Shelley's Frankenstein explores the life of fictional character Victor Frankenstein and his psychological struggles of aspiration and consequence. Frankenstein, as a world renowned literary work has been dissected for interpretation by many professors and common readers alike. A popular interpretation of the work revolves around main character Victor frankenstein's deranged mind, and belief that the “monster” may in fact not exist as a tangible being but rather an alternative personality manifested from Frankenstein’s deepest desires, desires for his mother. Frankenstein’s monster is not truly brought to life but rather awoken
In his case, he was left without any understand or knowledge of language and communication. With the mind of a baby’s, body of an adult’s, and deformities of a monster’s, all odds were stacked against his opportunities at an emotionally healthy life. From creation, there is an unexplainable connection to a creator. Mothers constantly caress, comfort, and cuddle the child as positive physical and mental associations form for both parties. The monster’s first meaningly physical interaction with another human being was being kicked and attacked by Felix, whom the monster loved: “I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope. But my heart sank within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained” (Shelley). Meanwhile, Frankenstein has thought of this living being he created as only a burden and feels hatred, anxiety, and hope that he has terminated his own existence. Because Frankenstein chose to fear his creation rather than help assimilate it into the world, he is to blame for the monster’s misfortunes. Without subtlety, the monster also blames his creator for the wretchedness that has happened to him: “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred” (Shelley). It is up to the parent’s to equip their children with tools that shape personality, social skills, and emotions. As the monster had watched the DeLacey family, he realized how different his life has been from that of civilized humans. He had learned how to speak, how to read, how to write, and history all from these people who had no idea he existed. The DeLacey’s were the only nurturing figures in the monster’s life, yet
Mary Shelley in her book Frankenstein addresses numerous themes relevant to the current trends in society during that period. However, the novel has received criticism from numerous authors. This paper discusses Walter Scott’s critical analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in his Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Review of Frankenstein (1818).