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Frankenstein literary analysis
Frankenstein by mary shelley analysis
Rousseau's human nature
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Who is the monster - Frankenstein or his creation?
"Frankenstein" written by Mary Shelly, was first published in 1818.
The book has sold millions of copies and has become deeply rooted in
today's society by films and other versions of the books.
The main bulk of the story is about Victor Frankenstein's horrendous
adventure. However there are sub-plots throughout the story, Robert
Walton's journey to the North Pole, and the time the monster spends
with the DeLacy family.
The definition of a monster is, "something of unusual size or
appearance, a huge terrifying creature or an evil person." [Chambers
School Dictionary] All of these definitions can be related to both
Frankenstein and the creation. To the creation, a huge terrifying
creature and of unusual size and appearance, and to Frankenstein an
evil person, powered by his hatred of the monster.
Mary Shelly's life was very similar to the story of "Frankenstein".
Her child, also called William, died at a young age. Her mother died
at childbirth and possibly gave the sense of abandonment felt by the
creation, "My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did
this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my
destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to
solve them." This showed that the monster was confused about himself,
yet had nobody to ask and to confide in. Much like Mary Shelly.
When Mary was writing Frankenstein she was reading a book called Emile
by John Jacques Rousseau. In this text, Rousseau argued that men are
by nature harmless, (i.e. children are naturally innocent) but are
made cruel by society, thought the things they have done to them.
Rousseau's quote was, "Men become monsters because...
... middle of paper ...
...e a second monster, the bride for the
creation. However half way through Frankenstein destroyed the corpse
and thus angered the monster further, when Frankenstein could have had
the monster out of his life for all eternity. This is also a good
example of Frankenstein's selfishness as it shows that he was only
thinking about himself as he believes that the creation well use this
second monster to reek havoc upon the world, "Three years before, I
was engaged in the same manner and created a fiend whose unparalleled
barbarity [Once again we see that he is being biased towards the
monster as he never tried to reason with the monster and any time.]
had desolated my heart and filled it forever with the bitterest
remorse. I was now to form another being of whose dispositions I was
alike ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant
that her mate".
Mary Shelley is the original playwright of 'Frankenstein' and it has been adapted since then by Phillip Pullman. Mary wrote it in 1818 and it was first performed in 1988, at the Polka Children's theatre in Wimbledon. In the play, a doctor called Victor Frankenstein created life from an experiment, a monster, and although Frankenstein had intended the monster (who wasn't to be called 'the monster') to be a kind, caring and loving creature, the way the villagers treated him and turned away in disgust when they saw the monster, was the reason that the monster became evil.
“Are you who I think you’re?” I regained my thoughts and stopped what I was about to do. I gently turned around and a stream of sweat rolled down my face. This man was studying my face extremely closely, too close for comfort. “You're the one who saved that guy from drowning in this exact river” I froze, not knowing how to respond.
Often the actions of children are reflective of the attitudes of those who raised them. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the sole being that can take responsibility for the creature that he has created, as he is the only one that had any part in bringing it into being. While the actions of the creation are the ones that are the illegal and deadly their roots are traced back to the flaws of Frankenstein as a creator.
Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley and is a gothic horror. It is an important book because it tells us about when scientists and doctors started to experiment with bringing back the dead. I will look at arguments for both sides of the question. This is an important question because there is a strong argument for both sides and in a lot of modern films about him he is portrayed as a villain who like nothing more than killing and lightening.
In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the Creature's only need is for a female companion, which he asks Victor Frankenstein his maker to create. Shelley shows the argument between the creature and Frankenstein. The creature says: "I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself " (Shelley 139). Shelley shows what the creature wants from Frankenstein and what his needs are. Shelley gives us an idea of the sympathy that Frankenstein might feel for the creature even though he neglects him. The creature confronts Victor demanding his attention and expressing his needs. I feel a lot of sympathy for the creature based on him being able to forgive Victor for abandoning him and being able to communicate with him.
We are all born into this world with innocence, but due to our human nature and the ways of society we don’t stay this way. Some people let the world corrupt them and others manage to find peace. However, none of us are been as liars and killers. Victor Frankenstein’s monster is an example of such corruption and how someone so innocent can be manipulated based on how they’re viewed by others. In the monster’s early days he is shown to be innocent without knowledge of his appearance and the effect that it will have on people.When he first encounters humans he has faith in them and is confident that he will befriend them. Then, with each human encounter his faith is destroyed. The monster is young and doesn’t understand
Friedrich Nietzsche once said that “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.” This concept is implemented in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, as the story follows a young man named Victor Frankenstein who was born in Geneva from a very affluent family, Victor is the eldest son of Alphonse and Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein. This is until the Frankenstein family take in an orphan who they name Elizabeth and the birth of William Frankenstein who is the second son of Alphonse and Caroline and is seven years younger than victor. Furthermore, as Victor ages he becomes obsessed with the study of alchemy
Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein, deals with the major dilemma of the creation of man. Rousseau deals with the topic of abandonment in Emile, which stemmed the thoughts of creation for Shelley in 1816 upon reading Rousseau's opinions. Rousseau blames the problems that children inhibit solely upon the parents shoulders (Mellor). Mary Shelley is able to relate to this statement on a personal level due to the parenting (or lack of) within her life. This in turn leads to a broader question concerning Shelley's Frankenstein; is the monster really the sole person to blame for his murderous actions? According to Rousseau's theory, the monster is not the sole problem. Victor Frankenstein is his creator or "father" figure thus giving him the responsibility of his monster.
In the Bible, the book of Genesis 1:27 states that "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Creating both men and women in His image, God is the only person who can do this successfully, giving us unconditional love and never abandoning us throughout our journey in life. On the other hand, Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist creates a life form due to his love of natural sciences. His desire to create this life form only for an experimental purpose unknowingly leads to disastrous outcomes for both Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the monster. In Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein uses his knowledge where he violates ethical principles by playing God and creating a life form that he is ultimately ashamed of.
and in this essay I will explore who the monster is in the novel. The
“We make our own monsters, then fear them for what they show us about ourselves” (Mike Carey). Victor Frankenstein revives a life, an innocent creature but was disgusted and ran away from it. Frankenstein, a graphic novel from Mary Shelly. Victor made a creature, a “monster” but who really was more monster? Victor Frankenstein is more monster because he created a creature but ran away and not giving the creature a chance in society.
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.
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.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or; The Modern Prometheus, published in 1818, is a product of its time. Written in a world of social, political, scientific and economic upheaval it highlights human desire to uncover the scientific secrets of our universe, yet also confirms the importance of emotions and individual relationships that define us as human, in contrast to the monstrous. Here we question what is meant by the terms ‘human’ and ‘monstrous’ as defined by the novel. Yet to fully understand how Frankenstein defines these terms we must look to the etymology of them. The novel however, defines the terms through its main characters, through the themes of language, nature versus nurture, forbidden knowledge, and the doppelganger motif. Shelley also shows us, in Frankenstein, that although juxtaposing terms, the monstrous being everything human is not, they are also intertwined, in that you can not have one without the other. There is also an overwhelming desire to know the monstrous, if only temporarily and this calls into question the influence the monstrous has on the human definition.
With a slow dawn I remembered. Had I slipped or had he hit me with something? My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I relived the figure advancing towards me. It was dark. The street light that shone from behind the man in the faceless thickset man in the grey hoody ensured anonymity. Now he was coming. How long had I been here? My head ached as I struggled to assess my surroundings.