While there are various differences between Victor and the monster, there are also many similarities between Victor and the Monster in the novel, Frankenstein;or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, and as the novel progresses these similarities become more apparent. For instance, both Victor and the Monster have similar emotions throughout the novel. In addition, both characters are intellectually similar and have similar interests in knowledge. Finally, both Victor and his Monster commit similar actions as the novel escalates. To commence, Victor and the Monster share emotional similarities, For example, Victor and the Monster’s ideas of happiness are similar. In the novel, Frankenstein;or, The Modern Prometheus, the author states …show more content…
For example, both characters yearn for knowledge. In the novel, Victor, can be described as being obsessed with knowledge. Victor also went to a prestigious university in order to become more intelligent. In the novel, the Monster stays in a cottage near the DeLaceys’ home and learns how to speak from Felix teaching Safie the French language. In the novel, both the Monster and Victor have a downfall when gaining knowledge. Victor’s downfall with knowledge occurs when he creates the Monster. “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health...I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”(Shelley 56). Victor wasted his time and worsened his health and is horrified of the Monster’s appearance which in turn starts his downfall because of his want for knowledge. The Monster’s downfall starts when he learns of Victor abandoning him. The Monster then learns the reality that humanity is cruel and untrustworthy. To add on, Victor and the Monster gain knowledge throughout the novel. After Victor leaves Ingolstadt, the Monster starts to learn of nature. The monster learns of fire and learns how to pick berries in order to eat. When he stays at the DeLaceys’ home, the Monster learns how to speak and think for himself, he also reads literature such as Paradise Lost. On the other side, Victor learns how to create life and learns of other philosophers from his instructors, M.Waldman and M.Krempe. It is important to state that, Victor starts his pursuit for knowledge after reading a book by the German physicist, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. While Victor and the Monster are intellectually similar, both characters also share similar
Like a mother, Victor brings new life into the world, technically making him the father of the creature. The fact that Victor describes the creature as,
Victor and Manfred share an important similarity: the desire for radical autonomy. The paths the two characters embark on to follow this desire differ, causing Manfred to be seen a as an admirable protagonist, while Victor’s continuing attempts to attain a defiant autonomy prove to be self-defeating, and he is unable to attain a complete independence because of his responsibility for the monster, which grows and transforms into a dependency of the monster. Although the shared drive of being defiant in their independence is a key factor for the outcomes of both stories, Victor’s inability to be accountable for the responsibility he holds presents a critique of the Byronic hero in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein demonstrating that without the ability
Both characters from the novels Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein were similar because they were both intelligent. Victor loved science, he used to go on journeys to seek more information about life and death, because at home he had nobody to teach him.” My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a child's blindness, added to a student's thirst for knowledge. Victor Frankenstein quotes on education. And he even studied abroad to gain more knowledge on his favorite subject.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor and the monster go through a journey filled with love, betrayal, and ambition. However, there are key differences between the two of them. Victor leads a good life, but has an inner spark within him that leads him to rebel against the normal world and seek glory. The monster starts off with derelict beginnings and simply wishes for the basic needs that every human gets to experience such as love, affection, and friendship. Eventually, they both face problems, and as a result, devise evil plans, and yet their motivations and rationale cause the reader to have more sympathy for the monster than Frankenstein.
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 this essay I will be looking at the differences between the creation of the first and second monster, how Mary Shelley portrays the feelings of Victor and the monster and the different myths and legends that she refers to within the novel. Victor Frankenstein had a wonderful life as a child: 'No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself' (p.39) He was loving and cared deeply for his family, especially for his foster-sister, Elizabeth, who he looked upon as his own, and saw as a 'more than sister' (p.37). Victor always had an 'eager desire to learn' (p.39) about 'the secrets of heaven and earth' (p.39). When he was thirteen years old he started studying the works of Cornelius Agrippa and the fact that his father called it all 'sad trash' (p.40) fuelled his curiosity and enthusiasm and caused him to study even more which was to him, 'the fatal impulse that led to my [his] ruin' (p.41).
In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who studies the dark sciences, creates an eight-foot tall, hideous monster. Victor does not think about the horrible effects that this monster will soon create for everyone and everything who crosses its path. Mary Shelley does a fantastic job of throwing in plenty of symbols and similarities between characters throughout the story. The two characters who share the most similarities are Victor and the monster.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, many similarities can be seen between the creature and his creator, Victor Frankenstein. While Victor and the creature are similar, there are a few binary oppositions throughout the book that make them different. The binary oppositions in the novel serve as thematic contrast; and some of the most illustrative oppositions between the two characters are on the focus of family, parenthood, isolation and association with others.
At first glance, the monster in Frankenstein is a symbol of evil, whose only desire is to ruin lives. He has been called "A creature that wreaks havoc by destroying innocent lives often without remorse. He can be viewed as the antagonist, the element Victor must overcome to restore balance and tranquility to the world." But after the novel is looked at on different levels, one becomes aware that the creature wasn't responsible for his actions, and was just a victim of circumstance. The real villain of Frankenstein isn't the creature, but rather his creator, Victor.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the monster, share so many fundamental qualities that they may as well be the same being. Both Victor and the monster are goal-oriented and tend to work towards one goal until it is accomplished. Early in the novel, Victor is thoroughly consumed with the pursuit of knowledge. In his childhood, Victor reads work after work by old alchemists and philosophers, despite many an affirmation that those works are obsolete. Victor finds himself inspired by these works to further his education in university and ultimately create his monster. Likewise, the monster, after his creation, does his best to learn all he can about the world he finds himself in. The monster finds shelter
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
From even before the monster is created, readers see Victor begin to slowly but surely lose himself. Victor changes from a very determined and ambitious young adult, to a completely different adult driven by all the wrong reasons. After the creation of the monster, Victor’s actions cause a direct reaction back to him, and the reactions all stem from the creature. Once Victor had made it clear that he would give no attention or companionship to the creature, the creature wanted Victor to feel the same emptiness that he did. Victor began to lose those he loved, the first being his younger brother William Frankenstein. Rather than letting the authorities know what had happened, and who the true murderer was, Victor allowed for his cousin, Justine Moritz, to be framed for the murder and ultimately put to death. While reading this in action, readers patiently wait for Victor to do what is right and ultimately save a family member while he still can and confess that there is a vengeful creature out there and that it was his creation, yet Victor never does. The events that take place after this completely snowball, and it is all because Victor refuses to do what is right. The death of Justine was followed by the death of Henry Clerval, Victor’s closest and dearest friend. The marks on the bodies resembled strangling, and Victor knew that the creature was the murderer of both victims. However, no authorities were ever notified that there ever was a creature, so the rampage continued. The creature was destined to make sure the emptiness was felt by Victor, and so far it didn’t appear to be enough. Victor was selfish enough to allow his younger brother and best friend to be killed, and this was not the end. Following the deaths of Clerval and Justine, came the deaths of Elizabeth, Alphonse, and Victor himself. Once Victor traveled
Characters from different novels have similar personalities. As creators of another creature, God and Victor Frankenstein are very similar, in that they both lose part of their "family," and they let the war between them and their creations go on too long. Victor says, "I collected bones from charnel houses; and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame." This shows that he creates the monster out of corpses, just as God creates Satan. Furthermore, Victor is disgusted with his own creation, "the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart."
The life of Victor Frankenstein is a painful and strenuous one, and it only becomes much worse with the introduction of his creation. As he recalls the highs and lows of his story to Captain Robert Walton, the description of both his character and the monsters changes as the story progresses, changing from a contrasting relationship to a near reflective finish. In the beginning, they share almost no similarities and act as the dramatic foil to one another. However, as the story advances, the characters gradually become more like the same entity. They develop motives and perspectives that closely resemble, until their actions being to truly reflect one another’s. This persists throughout the entire novel, including the ending, where they transform
Monsters can come in various physical forms, but all monsters share the same evil mentality. A Monster is a being that harms and puts fear within people. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of how appearance does not determine whether a creature is a monster or not. In the story, Victor Frankenstein tries to change nature by creating a super human being. The being appears to be a monster. Victor becomes so obsessed with his creation and then rejects it. Victor is the real monster because of his desire for power, lack of respect for nature, and his stubbornness.