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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein promotes the truly violent reality of the natural world through its deployment of gothic literature styling, primarily death and gloom. Victor’s creature evolves through its struggle to survive after its escape from Victor’s apartment, its initial care for humanity eroding into the most natural and primitive solution present in nature - violence. Shelley’s novel also touches upon the medieval code of chivalry, making use of high levels of emotion to portray Robert Walton as a chivalrous knight who dismisses the concerns of the lower classes in pursuit of personal glory, only to have his glory denied by said commoners. Victor’s creature begins in the world with a clean slate. His first encounter with humanity however, …show more content…
The fearful villagers “attacked [the creature], until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, [he] escaped” (pg. 109). This engagement taught the creature the violent methods of both the primitive and civilized world, and the creature would soon adopt this violence. After the assault by Felix, the same boy who the creature assisted for some time, the creature finally embraces the solution he experienced upon his contact with the villagers and “unable to injure anything human, [it] turned [its] fury towards inanimate objects” (pg. 140). The creature burns down the cottage previously occupied by Felix. Victor’s creature proceeds to further apply this authentically primitive solution to wreak havoc on the life of the supposed cause of his misery - Victor Frankenstein - by murdering William, Victor’s brother, and framing Justine, a close family friend. While the trickery articulates a much more complex system of problem solving when compared to simple, primitive violence, the initial murder of William contained natural, unadulterated savagery. The creature details in its account to Victor how it strangled William after encountering him in the forest and learning …show more content…
As Walton sets out for his expedition to the North Pole he remarks how he “greatly need[s] a friend” (pg. 20). Yet, he possess very specific requests for said friend, requiring an educated, and consequently of similar social standing (at the time one needed wealth in order to secure an education for their children) companion, as seen in his rejection of his lieutenant. Walton recalls the man’s exceptional story, which included the donation of his fortune to a woman he loved and her lover in order to ensure their happiness. Yet Walton views the man as “wholly uneducated” and thus refuses to befriend the man (pg. 21). This portrayal of Robert Walton reflects that of chivalric knight in the Middle ages; a man refusing to associate with his lowers. The chivalric code notably only applied to nobles, with the lower classes consequently receiving no protection from rape, robbery, and massacre (Bonenburger). While he would not rob and murder his crewmen, Robert Walton also failed to consider any of the other common sailors surrounding him worthy of his friendship due to their socioeconomic standing. Later in the novel Walton expresses how the crew’s request to return to England after a particularly perilous encounter with the ice “troubled [him]”, and he then wondered “could I, in justice, or even in possibility, refuse this demand?” (pg.
The start of Robert Walton and the monster’s final conversation, this paragraph near the end of Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein uncovers the untold perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s creation. Revealing to Robert that Frankenstein’s misery was not the only casualty of the novel, Shelly’s utilization of the monster’s pain illustrates mankind’s hatred and abandonment of the artificial being. Moreover, directing spiteful words towards Victor Frankenstein, Felix De Lacey, and even himself, the monster’s narration reflects the being’s unresolved emotions that have emerged because of society’s cruelty. Although science fiction, the narrative of Frankenstein’s monster exemplifies the literary reproduction of England’s monarchy deserting its own
There are not many horror works can withstand a long period of time. However, one of these fictions, the gothic story "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, has existed for nearly two hundred years and is still popular among the modern society. In the book, there is an interesting character that can be easily ignored by readers but actually establishes the success for the Frankenstein. Robert Walton, as in this long lasting story, plays a role not only as a narrator, but also a parallel, or reflecting, character to Frankenstein and the creature, as well as a trait for romanticism.
in Frankenstein: Contexts, nineteenth century responses, criticism. By Mary Shelley. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. Norton Critical Edition.
This novel supports Shelley’s thought about society’s attitude toward female authors and how they were considered inferior. She demonstrates how female authors are shunned by society, just like the creature is shunned. The creature embodies the feminist ideals Shelley weaves into the novel and highlights societies unfair treatment of women. In some ways Shelley identifies with Victor because both of their creations were not what they expected them to be and were worried about the criticism they would receive for it. They both hid their creations for a while, Shelley did not immediately claim the novel and Frankenstein did not claim his experiment
Victor’s life was made miserable after creature killed every person he loved. Creature was also seen as an outsider with a lack of self-identity, which can explain many of his actions. This archetype is shown through the monster because every person rejected him. The monster was excluded because of his appearance and was banished from every place. For instance, at the Delaney’s home, Felix attacked the m...
In the novel Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley the motif of cruelty functions as a motive and mode of retaliation. Both Victor and the Creature portray the roles of the perpetrator and victim of cruelty as seen through the rejection the Creature receives from the humans, Victor’s betrayal to the Creature, and the revenge sought out by the Creature.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, values of society are clearly expressed. In this particular society and culture, a great value is placed on ideologies of individuals and their contribution to society. In order to highlight these values, Shelley utilizes the character of Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein is the main character of the novel, and with his alienation, he plays a significant role that reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values of individualism and use in society. This is done through Victor’s actions of self-inflicted isolation.
Works Cited for: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. a. a. a. a. a J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
‘Frankenstein’ or ‘The Modern Prometheus‘ is a 19th century gothic novel written by Mary Shelley. Shelley’s interest in the physical sciences had led her to writing a novel that is based on creating human life in an unnatural way. Victor is one if the narrators who has an unnatural obsession with the sciences led him to discover the secret of life; creating the abomination that is his monster. Walton serves as the neutral narrator that has no personal impact on Victor’s and the monster’s tales. It is through Walton that the monster was able to express his feelings at the death of his creator.
Mary Shelley employs violence consistently throughout her novel Frankenstein. The majority of violence happens to the monster or because of the monster. Shelley uses scenes, such as when the monster is shot or when he strangles William to show the monster’s similarities and differences to humans.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a direct correlation to the males of the specific time period which she lived in. Shelley lived in a society that valued male domination over women’s rights. Women were looked at as less then and that they had no other right except for to be a wife and a mother. This story provides facts about how a patriarchal society was intimidated by the idea of women's independence. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor violates nature, steals reproductive abilities from women, and endangers the lives of his female loved ones.
Romantic writer Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein does indeed do a lot more than simply tell story, and in this case, horrify and frighten the reader. Through her careful and deliberate construction of characters as representations of certain dominant beliefs, Shelley supports a value system and way of life that challenges those that prevailed in the late eighteenth century during the ‘Age of Reason’. Thus the novel can be said to be challenging prevailant ideologies, of which the dominant society was constructed, and endorsing many of the alternative views and thoughts of the society. Shelley can be said to be influenced by her mothers early feminist views, her father’s radical challenges to society’s structure and her own, and indeed her husband’s views as Romantics. By considering these vital influences on the text, we can see that in Shelley’s construction of the meaning in Frankenstein she encourages a life led as a challenge to dominant views.
The next morning, Victor woke up to the creature standing over him. Victor jumped out of his bed and ran out of the room, completely frightened. Victor’s original thought was that his own creation was trying to kill him in his sleep. Victor peered around the corner to see what the creature was doing. He saw the creature sitting on his bed looking confused and upset. He walked over to the creature, and the creature in a broken sentence asked for water and food. Victor felt foolish for thinking his creature would want to kill him. Victor made the creature breakfast and helped him learn how to use a fork and knife. Victor could not help but laugh when he saw how funny and abnormally large the creature looked sitting at the table.
Tragedy shows no discrimination and often strikes down on those undeserving of such turmoil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a creature more repulsive than one can imagine is brought to life by a young scientist. Although this creature is horrifying in sight, he is gentle by nature. Unfortunately, the softer side of the creature is repeatedly overlooked and the so called “monster” is driven to a breaking point. Even though the Creature committed many crimes, Mary Shelley’s Creature was the tragic hero of this story because of his efforts rescue the life of a young girl and helping destitute cottagers.
Mary Shelley’s world renowned book, “Frankenstein”, is a narrative of how Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant chemist, succeeds in creating a living being. Although Frankenstein’s creation is benevolent to begin with, he soon turns murderous after being mistreated by humans. His anger turns towards Frankenstein, as he was the one who brought him into the world that shuns him. The Monster then spends the rest of the story trying to make his creator’s life as miserable as his own. This novel is an excellent example of the Gothic Romantic style of literature, as it features some core Gothic Romantic elements such as remote and desolate settings, a metonymy of gloom and horror, and women in distress.