Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Mary Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein, was published in the early 19th
century. At the time, experiments involving electricity and anatomy
were being carried out. The writer, Mary Shelly, makes us feel
different emotions towards the creature. She does this by having the
story told by the two main characters, Victor Frankenstein and
Frankenstein’s monster, for each half of the story. When Frankenstein
is telling the story you either feel fear or hatred towards the
creature because of the things he calls is like “devil” and “wretch”
and the way he describes the monster as if its some kind of beast.
However when the creature tells the story in his own words he makes
you feel sympathy towards him and he says how he is treated and feels
like an outcast or freak.
Mary Shelly creates a state of fear towards the reader in the part of
the story were Frankenstein brings his creature to life. Frankenstein
is the narrator here and starts by saying, “It was on a dreary night
of November,” Having the completion of the creature and it being given
life at night would give a scary thought to any reader “and my candle
was nearly burnt out,” so it was going to be hard to see anything that
may be shocking, scary or fearful in this scene. Then he jumps
straight into the creature’s rebirth by saying, “I saw the dull yellow
eye of the creature open” for a lifeless body to have its eye just
open and look around, especially for a creature such as this one with
its enormous stature and fearful design it would give the impression
that something scary is going to happen. Frankenstein then goes on to
describe the creature and wonder ...
... middle of paper ...
...bered the previous words
spoken by the monster “I will be with you on your wedding night” and
now he realized that it wasn’t to be his last night on earth it was to
be his one true love.
The story is well put together and I congratulate Mary Shelly on her
well-written story. I don’t think that the story could have been told
in a more suited way, obviously this way may not work for other
stories at each story will have its own way of telling itself. To have
Frankenstein tell one half of the story to give us the sense of fear
towards the creature and make us want to hate and detest the beast was
the best thought up idea and for the other half of the story have the
creature himself tell you about his travels and how he longs for a
friend or companion to talk to about his misfortune was also a
fantastic idea.
Compare and Contrast the episodes of the creation of the monster and the creation of the second monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Mary Shelley finished her first edition of 'Frankenstein' in 1816, when she was nineteen years old. Since then her "monster" has become so popular in the twenty-first century that he appears in films, advertisements, comics and even computer games. So how is it that as such a young age she was able to write such a gripping novel, which has become more famous than any other work of 'Romantic' literature, and indeed, her own? It could have been a result of an intellectually stimulating childhood due to having free access to her fathers extensive library and literary connections; or it could have been a result of her being emotionally undernourished as a child. Whichever way, she has succeeded in writing a novel that 'speaks to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror' (p.8 - author's introduction), as she wanted; and she has included many personal ideas about politics and familial relations as well as moral, philosophical and scientific ideas on the creation and 'elixir of life' (p.42).
Frankenstien Many punishments for crimes are often given to innocent people. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, there are several instances in which the punishment is given to an innocent person. Justine, a maid at the Frankenstein residence, was killed for a crime she did not commit. Felix, a character the Monster encounters, was exiled from his country, for helping an innocent man escape from jail. Lastly, Victor himself was jailed for a murder, which he did not commit.
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.
Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, was written during a period of dramatic revolution. The failed French Revolution and Industrial Revolution seriously mark the novel with hints of moral and scientific revolution. Through Frankenstein, Shelley sends out a clear message that morally irresponsible scientific development can unleash a monster that can destroy its creator.
We as humans want to be with each other. We actively pursue this goal be finding friends and significant others. While a moderate amount of solitude can be good we crave togetherness with others. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein isolation is a key theme in the novel. The creature created by Victor Frankenstein is driven into isolation from society based on people’s fear of him. Both the creature and Victor experience first hand the effects that isolation have on the creature's actions. Thus Frankenstein shows very clearly how lifelong isolation keeps someone from developing a moral compass and in turn makes them do wrongful deeds.
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, is a book in which men pursue their goals against hopeless odds. Robert Walton’s decision to turn the ship around at the end of the novel is questioned by many. This essay will discuss the interpreted views on Robert Walton’s decision to retreat by Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley and myself. Although, some may disagree ultimately Robert Walton made the right choice to turn his ship around at the end of the novel and is therefore not a failure.
Knowledge accompanied by wisdom, is a blessing. Knowledge helped scientists. make the most destructive weapon known to mankind, a nuclear bomb. It was lack of wisdom that caused United States of America to use it as a means of mass destruction, as illustrated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Knowledge not accompanied by wisdom, is a curse. Victor Frankenstein, protagonist in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is awed by the science of chemistry and natural philosophy. His desire to gain knowledge leads him to research the secret of life, and after years of research, Victor is convinced he has discovered the meaning of life. With knowledge as his most powerful weapon, Victor embarks on a journey to create something extraordinary out of old body parts. One desperate night, Victor brings his creation to life. However, one glance at the creature was enough to make him realize that he had not created something beautiful, he created a monster. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein demonstrates how knowledge can be dangerous by the damage caused by both the monster and Victor.
“Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to a man,” said 19th century author and philosopher, Thomas Carlyle. Humans are naturally empathetic; without any external human stimulus, the human psyche has no outlet of which to vent this empathetic ability, and the subtle laws that govern our most basic morals and natural tendencies begin to fall apart. In Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, author Mary Shelley incorporates the theme of overwhelming obsession to weave the meaningful and momentous tale of true outcasts that are subjected to the agony of isolation. Victor Frankenstein’s lust for forbidden knowledge leads to the creation of a monster, which he ultimately shuns and abhors with passion. The monster, like a newborn child, is malleable to the world, and as the object of disgust and loathing, is corrupted and driven to murderous deeds by his absolute misery of his lonely isolated life. In Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley creates a powerful story of torment and obsession through the skillful use of the literary devices of symbolism, irony, and foreshadowing.
BIRTH AND CREATION: One of the main issues in the novel, and also in Victor Frankenstein's mind. One of the reasons for creating his monster, Frankenstein was challenging nature's law of creation. That is, to create a being, male sperm and female egg must be united etc.. He was also fraught with the mystery of death and the life cycle. He created something in defiance of our understanding of birth and creation. However the similarity of Frankenstein's creation and a baby's creation is that both need to be held responsible for, and consequences dealt with, from the moment of birth. Frankenstein failed to do this with his creation.
Mary Shelley wrote the book Frankenstein sometime in the 1810s. She was born in London in 1797 (Biography). Her mother was an author of prime literary stock who was trying to encourage women to pursue their ideas and strive to earn the status as equals. The Scientific and Industrial Revolutions that were taking place around Mary Shelley certainly influenced her while she was writing the book. The creation of machines and experiments at the time made people wonder what the limit of human technology was.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a very complex book riddled with underlying messages. From the characteristics of each individual to the main storyline Shelley depicts a world of opposites. Victor Frankenstein, a privileged young man, defies nature when his obsession with life and death has him attempting to bring someone/something to life. He succeeds and quickly goes from obsessed over its creation to disgust with its form. He then rejects his creation, which sets the stage for the terrifying events to come. This is the embodiment of a modern novel as it contains alienation, disillusionment, and a critique of science.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly Part One = == == === A main theme in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is that of birth, childhood and parenthood, this is explored through Shelly’s choice of frame narrative and structure for the novel.
Obsession is a state of troubling preoccupation, and is a mental state prominent in both Frankenstein and Rebecca; one which has extreme causes and effects. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with creating life, which later turns to obsession with destroying his creation. While in Rebecca, the main antagonist Mrs De Winter is obsessed with the deceased Rebecca. This unhealthy obsession later consumes the second Mrs De Winter.
The novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley involves the complex issues with the creation of life through an inanimate life. Shelley uses these character archetypes to develop a deeper meaning of the characters intentions. Shelley does an excellent job at allowing the reader to have a peak at the characters inner thoughts and feelings. The archetypes presented in Frankenstein allow readers to identify with the character's role and purpose.
he had the look in his eyes that he gets when he is about to go off on