Kevin J. Rodriguez English 10 Due Feb. 9, 2015 Frankenstein: Opposition and Degradation Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the quintessential portrayal of how humans tend to forge their own demise. The protagonist of the story, Victor Frankenstein, is a very clear manifestation of that very message. He so passionately seeks to bestow life upon the dead and it is this passion which drives him over the edge. Victor’s opposition of the fundamental laws of nature through him bringing life to the lifeless is what ultimately leads him to his own tragic downfall. One of Victor’s professors at the university of Ingolstadt, who was named M. Waldman, motivates him to pursue his callings in natural philosophy, which is seen as a dead form of natural …show more content…
While Victor is in Ireland, attempting to create a female companion for the creature , he gives up on his efforts, which ends up angering the creature and leading to the death of his beloved friend Henry Clerval. Victor basically wants nothing to do with the creature and this makes the creature furious, because when looked upon from a religious point of view, the creator is obliged to take care of the being created. This is significant, because if Victor had just followed the creatures wants for a female companion, or not even create him in the first place ,his friend Henry would still be alive, and the ordeals of death wouldn’t keep following Victor. Tragically for Victor ,the creature vows to be there at his wedding day to take the life of his loving Elizabeth. The creature’s persistence to take away everything Victor loves and everything he couldn’t have himself, is what drives the monster to make Victor’s life a living hell. Victor is tormented by the creatures ambition and this leaves Victor a void of his former self, subject to anything he puts his mind to and it is this form of himself that leads him ever so closer to the end of his days. Left a hollowed out version of himself, Victor is unable to cope with the loss of all of his friends and family through the hands of his own creation and seeks to right all of his
There will always be a controversy amongst the human race whether or not humans are innately good. If so, then the influence of society plays a major role on maintaining one’s good will. The theme humans are innately good is evident in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein through the actions and character development of the creature. Initially, the creature is innately good even though his creator abandons him, he continuously proves to be good through is acts of kindness and generosity, although, he is corrupted by rejection from society and his creator, turning him into a real monster. The creature holds onto his innocence and remains good even after being abandoned by the one person he is supposed to depend on as his teacher and caregiver, Victor
1.) In our first chat session of the semester (way back in late January, the 22-26), one of the things we talked about was how Tim O’Brien favored the intangible over the tangible in his story, “The Things They Carried.” Tangible things are physical objects that a person could hold in their hands or something he or she could actually see, something with actual weight and mass – in O’Brien’s story, this could be things like weapons, helmets, equipment, and the like. Intangible things are non-physical objects that can’t be put on a scale to be measured, like emotions, fears, hopes, and the like. In “The Things They Carried,” why does O’Brien place more emphasis on intangible things than tangible things? And, how do these intangible things affect
American actress Belle Thorne said, “Everyone suffers some injustice in life, and what better motivation than to help others not suffer in the same way.” Throughout life, everyone will experience different traumatic events, whether it is the loss of a loved one, being isolated, or experiencing a terror act. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein the creature experiences many hardships and changes that shape the character. The creature is abandoned right from creation, attacked, isolated, and then experiences trauma in the ending. It is an individual’s motivation that will dictate how the individual responds to life and its many hardships; one’s motivation may not always be the same, but may change with new experiences in life.
Victor denied the monster it’s power by not allowing it to have what it asked for. This refusal caused the monster declare it’s dominance through threatening Victor to do as it says or he will be punished. After Victor refuses to allow his creation to take control, it goes mayhem and reacts with hatred. The creature tried to gain it’s power by deteriorating Victor’s life killing many of the friends and loved ones close to Victor. This pulls the final straw for Victor, he attempted to hunt the monster down and destroy it before it could hurt anyone else.
Despite the creature's remorse, Victor denies its plea for a companion, pushing it to seek revenge (Shelley, Chapter 17). Victor's refusal to grant the creature's request for companionship reflects his ongoing cruelty and lack of empathy. His rejection perpetuates the creature's feelings of worthlessness, intensifying its resentment towards humanity. Victor's denial of companionship mirrors society's rejection of the creature, reinforcing the notion that it is a product of its circumstances. This rejection strengthens the creature's belief that it can only find solace in vengeance against its callous creator.
He was beginning to see a positive outlook on the world again, having a big plan to live in peace and seclusion with his new companion. This was all because of Victor, as he was the one making the new female and allowing his other monster have happiness. Victor’s mentor-like influence gave the monster hope. This is very significant because it is the destruction of this very happiness that leads to the horrors that were to be endured by both of the main characters soon afterwards in the
The evil spirits that were supposed to bring him aid in enacting his vengeance do nothing for him except to bring him further suffering until in the end he dies without having kept his promise of revenge. In the end, Victors attempts were futile in bringing the monster to its demise, it is rather the opposite in fact. After Victor's death, the monster sees his master dead and vows to kill himself in a funeral
Victor begins to use his knowledge of anatomy and natural decay to find a way to restore life upon the Creature: “To examine the causes of life, we must first have recourse to death. I became acquainted with the science of anatomy[...] I must also observe the natural decay and corruption of the human body” (30). Victor uses his knowledge to research and develop a way to reanimate the Creature, using his knowledge for the wrong reasons, which is to gain the God-like power of life and death. This unnatural use of knowledge creates many consequences, the main one being isolation from society and righteousness, which throws him into a dark depression and sways him off the path of good.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the theme of responsibility for one 's creation and the actions of that creation shows up at several points. The responsibility of Victor Frankenstein to his “Creature” and its actions is similar to the responsibility of a parent for their child’s actions. In the United States, parents are legally responsible for their children in some capacity until the child is a legal adult at 18 years old. By this time the belief is that the child is mature enough to make their own decisions and assume responsibility for their actions.
Death was nothing but a recurring theme for Victor Frankenstein until his own. However, it is not the death of him that tells his story, but rather the journey he takes in life. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor created a monster, who brought him pain and torment by taking the lives of his loved ones. These trials pushed Frankenstein to the edge of insanity, but in the long run he emerges successful after a long journey of hardships. Like many heroes, Frankenstein’s expedition follows a uniform sequence of events, known as Joseph Campbell 's hero’s journey, to prove his worthiness.
While people may have good intentions, these intentions may not always lead to good consequences. Early in the book, Victor has just created and found the secret to life. He originally tried to use his discovery to help the world, but he was naive. Victor proclaims, "No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.
Victor becomes madden and sick from seeing how his creation looks. As the book goes on the reader can see Victor becoming inhuman as the monster is becoming human. There are a lot of consequences that Victor has to face not only with himself but also his family and the monster. Victors has an internal conflict with himself, he blames himself for creating a creator that kills his family and friend (Oates 3). When Victor's first family member,William. is killed by strangulation Victor automatically thinks the monster kills him and in truth the monster does kill William.
Doctor Frankenstein’s Biggest Regret The greatest minds have the potential to cause the greatest harm. This is evident in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, as the main character, the brilliant Doctor Frankenstein, through discarded body parts creates a monster, which results in harming the people that mean the most to him. In Doctor Frankenstein’s innocent efforts to figure out the key to life, he ultimately unlocks a tragic door for himself and others. Behind this door, he finds that the knowledge he searched for should have stayed hidden, exemplifying his tragic flaw.
The criticisms that are found in the novel of Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley are discussed by Sherry Ginn. Professor Sherry Ginn is the author who wrote the criticism in Frankenstein. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Women’s Studies Program at Wingate University in North Carolina. Sherry also teaches psychology at rowan- Cabarrus community college. She acquired her PhD in general experimental psychology from the University of South Carolina.
“Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which should I first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world” (Shelley 32). In this moment, without consideration of his fate. As result of his capability of free will, Victor is deciding on which unknown realm should pour light in first. This choice right here will have deep consequences of fate later on. Most of Victor’s choices are made to satisfy his curiosity and desires.