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Anthropocentrism In Frankenstein

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Ecocriticism, the connection of literature and nature, has become a vital tool in understanding novels. The terms that are a part of it help the reader not only to understand larger themes in the story, but also to understand the characters. Anthropocentrism is one of these terms and refers to a human centered point of view. Another is biocentrism, a view where humans are a part of the ecosystem that is nature. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, these terms can be used to understand the main character, Victor Frankenstein. By analyzing the text, it is apparent that Frankenstein is more anthropocentric than biocentric due to his view of nature as a resource for him to utilize and manipulate rather than a system that he is part of. Victor’s aspiration to …show more content…

However, when one analyzes the text through an ecocritical lens, it is clear that he is not an amazing intellectual, but rather a selfish person who cares only about his own gain rather than what is good for the entirety of the natural world. To begin, Victor desires to uncover “the secrets of nature”-even though they may not be his to discover. By setting out on the task to discover Earth’s mysteries, he depicts his belief that he is in control and has the right to find out what it is hiding. While his curiosity may be justifiable, his methods are not. He does not simply want to uncover the secrets, but rather to “penetrate” them. This aggressive diction reiterates Frankenstein’s belief that he has power over the natural world as one cannot force its way into something without having a tight grasp on it. Rather than holding the belief that he is a part of nature- the biocentric view- he sees himself as above it and as a resource for him to manipulate. Victor’s dedication to understand the world is recurrent throughout the story.

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