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An essay on depiction of monsters in literature
What makes a monster
An essay on depiction of monsters in literature
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What is a monster? The word "monster" causes one to imagine a hideous, deformed or nonhuman creature that appears in horror movies and novels and terrifies everyone in its path. More importantly, however, the creature described generally behaves monstrously, doing things which harm society and acting with little consideration for the feelings and safety of others. "Thus, it is the behavior which primarily defines a monster, rather than its physical appearance"(Levine 13).
Alhough Victor Frankenstein calls his creature a monster, and considers it disgusting and abhorrent, it is in fact Frankenstein who behaves monstrously. He claims to have created the creature for a noble purpose: to defeat death. However, it is clear that his motives are largely selfish, as he states: "I was surprised that among so many men of genius who had directed their inquiries towards the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret" (36). He creates a living being without considering the consequences, without acknowledging that the grisly nature of its creation and ph...
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
In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s world, however, things couldn’t get much worse with the main figures, knowing that the end of them is programmed in the title of the play. As adaptation, ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead’ happens to be locked in the end set in the initial play. This causes a deep pessimism sense in the play that cries over the absence of change and action, based on the knowledge of the audience that the only change possible will happen to cause the protagonists death.
Examine the Concept of Monsters and the Monstrous in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Miss Hutton “Frankenstein” has a variety of monsters and monstrous things/incidents within it, however I am jus going to focus on some main aspects of the monsters and monstrous. Shelley got the idea for “Frankenstein” whilst she was on holiday. AS well as being challenged by Lord Byron to produce a horror novel, she was also influenced death many times; she was abandoned and had a literacy upbringing. Shelley relates her story to fears which were carried by many humans at that time.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a play centered on a theme which tries to explain the basic mysteries of the world. Our two main characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, find themselves in almost the entirety of the play, in confusion, and lacking basic knowledge, for example, their identities. The play starts off with our two heroes unable to remember their destination, the purpose for their journey, and a constant misunderstanding and confusion of the world around them. This constant confusion and lack of understanding results in the demise of our heroes.
Victor Frankenstein is originally a happy character that loves to learn and read a large variety of books. He was a fiery individual who sought to understand all knowledge; regardless of how practical the information was. Evidence of this is when his father tells him not to worry about fictional writers like Cornelius Agrippa. Yet, Frankenstein states, “But here were books, and here were men who had penetrated deeper and knew more. I took their word for all that they averred, and I became their disciple” (21). Frankenstein embodies the movement in science to understand everything, and that is not necessarily a good thing (Storment 2). Frankenstein only understands that this train of thought is bad when he reaches the pinnacle of knowledge and produces the creature. The fruits of Frankenstein’s labor end up costing him the lives of his friends and family, as well as his own sanity. The feeling of guilt thrives in Frankenstein because he knows his work was the direct cause of the chaos in his life. In Frankenstein’s case, his goal of total enlightenment led to his pitiful demise. Frankenstein’s creature was not originally a monster. He is born with good intentions and is a gentle- although atrocious looking- being until he learns of the sins of the human race. The ultimate factor in the creature’s progression from harmless to
The wise Uncle Ben once told Peter Parker, “remember, with great power. Comes great responsibility.” There is no greater power than that acquired by the infamous Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when he discovers the secret to creating life. Shelley’s Frankenstein is a tale of creation that depicts acts of human conception and discovery. The Oxford English Dictionary defines creation as “the action or process of bringing something into existence from nothing by divine or natural agency; the fact of being so created.” It defies the natural order of things and creates a world of its own. The multiple acts of creation and discovery bring upon a certain set of responsibilities and implications as depicted by David Collings who analyzes the responsibilities that come as a result of these acts in his essay “The Monster and the Maternal Thing: Mary Shelley’s Critique of Ideology”. The main act of creation is evident through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the Being which is depicted most prominently in the novel. However, there are multiple other acts of creation and discovery that may not be apparent at first sight. One of the most important being, Victor’s discovery of the knowledge required to create life. Apart from initially creating the Being, Victor also plays a critical role in the Being’s evolution into a raging and vengeful creature. Perhaps above all other acts of creation and discovery is Victor’s personal creation of himself into a monster. As stated by Collings most of these acts of creation on Victor’s part are subconsciously brought upon because of their lack of a maternal figure but also in part because of his desire for fame and glory. However, he is blinded by his motives and forgets that with his...
We again view his ignorance and irresponsibility when after spending two years of work on his creature he disowns and abandons the creature. He runs out of the room after seeing the creature come to life. He fled the room because he thought the creature was so hideous, even though he had chosen all the best body parts for its creation. When Frankenstein returns to the house when he “became assured that my enemy had indeed fled, I clapped my hands for joy”(55). Even after all his work he is ecstatic that this horrible beast has left him.
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
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.
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. Throughout the novel, Shelley investigates the idea of monstrosity. She makes the point that a monster does not have to be genuinely evil in order to be considered monstrous.
A monster is usually viewed to be a supernatural creature that humans judge based on looks and not necessarily on personality. In the novel, Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, the monster is a creature Victor creates but abandons immediately because he is horrified by his own creation. Due to the monster’s appearance, society does not give the creature a chance to show his true self. Therefore, the monster faces an external conflict because of Frankenstein’s and society's rejection, making it difficult for him to blend into his new life. Victor creates the monster because of his unusual compulsion of aspiring to be like God. However, Victor does not know how to treat or be responsible for his creature. Victor Frankenstein is the true monster
We bring upon ourselves “intellectual darkness” by blindly following prescribed church dogma, similarly we become enlightened when we have the courage to think for ourselves. All of these situations involve a choice, or in other words free will. Kant was revolutionary in his time by believing that humans have the power to think for themselves and that we are more then machines controlled by the laws of nature. Kant talking about free will states, “it affects the principles of government, which finds it to its advantage to treat men, who are now more than machines, in accordance with their dignity.” Kant believed that men are machines when they do not think for themselves. He would equate the church or government (anything in which people surrender their freedom of thought) to the laws of nature and that when men surrender their freedom of thought they merely become a cog in a giant machine controlled by these powerful organizations. Kant calls for a rebellion against against these giant organizations and demand that people do not simply surrender that in which they only have to give—their reason. However, according to Kant society can only achieve enlightenment
Obviously, there is a major difference in the level of academic responsibilities between high school and college. In terms of expectations and responsibilities placed upon you in high school, they are more of a guideline and carefree, whereas college it is more complex and is individually based. What I mean by this is that in high school you can count on parents and your teacher in order to guide you in setting priorities and remind you of your responsibilities. It was part of your parents’ and teachers’ responsibility to make sure that you succeed in high school. Students have fewer duties to worry about, and fewer requirements where they could depend on others for help. In class, you are usually told by the teacher about what you need to study and how you are doing with your grades and attendance. Furthermore, in high school, many of the classes are assigned to you, and you are supplied with many of the materials and books. It’s an entirely different story once you enter college. In college, you have to set your own priorities and have much more responsibilities to carry out. Students ar...
In Act III, Scene I, he says, “To die, to sleep.—ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off his mortal coil, must give us pause.” This theme undoubtedly shines through Hamlet’s soliloquys. This theme is also apparent in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The “game of question” evokes deep thought in the reader. Questions such as “Is there a God? “ (43), “Is there a choice?” (43), and “Who do you think you are?” (44), are posed. As the rules demand that only questions are uttered, none of the questions posed are truly answered. This game provides the spectators with a new viewpoint to the existing theme of uncertainty and meaninglessness. Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s deaths are not incorporated in either of the plays, thus leaving the audience to question what had truly occured. The meaninglessness in their deaths reveal the lack of control they have over their own fate is more evident in Stoppard’s play. They recognize the lack of answers in their lives and are constantly questioning their surroundings. In the final scene, Rosencrantz expresses frustration that no explanation is provided about their lives, nor their deaths. Upon realization that Guidenstern’s life is as meaningless as his death, he attempts to kill the Player. As he runs a sword through the Player, he shouts “If there are no explanations for us, then let there be none for him” (Stoppard 96). Even the certainty of death is meaningless and Stoppard’s play aids in the exemplification of this theme though the in-depth depictions pf Rosencrantz and
A monster is defined as an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. By this definition, Victor’s creature who is depicted to be eight feet tall and hideous