Character Development In Frankenstein

In the modern world, when a person hears about Frankenstein, they think of an abhorrent and detestable monster, but that is not the case. In the book, “Frankenstein”, by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein is a scientist that pursues his dream of reviving a human. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, conducts a series of experiments and creates a monster. Abhorred by his creation, he leaves the monster. Through desolation and isolation, the monster is driven by society and Frankenstein to commit crimes.

In Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, the reader is presented with multiple viewpoints. Although it starts from an outside character, the main viewpoint is that of Victor Frankenstein as he presents Walton and in effect the reader of his vile creation and history. This instills the reader with a negative opinion of the monster which is changed when the narrative switches to the monster's account of what happened after his abandonment. The viewpoints the author gives help change the readers opinion about the monster. Our first record of the monster is from Victor Frankenstein, who describes the disgusting amalgamation from such beautiful body parts that now animated are in contrast with each other.

Undesirable qualities, although unwanted, are necessary in the main characters for character development and advancement. Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has attributes that are still discussed, researched, and theorized about today. This fact is no small feat, considering Mary Shelley had no prior knowledge of modern psychology. He suffers from Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and depression; these two disorders are evident throughout the novel. A reader can analyze through Victor’s actions and decisions.

Frankenstein Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is a novel that incorporates religious morals, scientific perspectives and political ideologies in a way that no other horror novel can. Whether it be paganist allusions reflecting morals from Paradise Lost; the cycle of the creator and the condemnations of his creation. Or the correlations with The Myth of Prometheus; the creator being punished for his creation. This remarkable piece intrudes the reader's mind with concepts like: alchemy, chemistry and electricity. The novel’s main character Victor decides to bring back the dead and create a creature of his own.

When Victor’s lack of judgement leads him to create a misshapen being, his self loathing for the results of his creation becomes hatred. Victor procrastinates in dealing with the monster for as long as possible, but to no advantage. When Victor returns to the apartment, he notes that ‘I imagined that the monster seized me.’ Victor’s lack of guidance and nurturing towards his creation is the predominate reason why, ‘[He is] malicious and miserable’ and is at the forefront of Shelley use of Victor to show that avoiding the responsibilities of a creator is a serious sin that will destroy himself and others. Shelley does not condemn creation, knowledge, or science.

In mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” the morally ambiguous Victor Frankenstein plays a pivotal role that contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole- the allure of power. The moral ambiguity of the central character Victor Frankenstein is present throughout the text due to the mercurial nature of his morals and selfish tendencies. At the start of the novel victor Frankenstein is presented as an ambitious, mad scientist, in pursuit of his life goal- to create a being by giving life to an inanimate body. Following his success are a mix of oddly contradicting emotions.

Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, is about one man’s desire to create life, and how it later becomes his demise. Parallels can be drawn between Shelley’s life and her novel. One distinct connection between Shelley’s life and Frankenstein is the resemblance of Shelley’s husband, Percy Shelley, and Victor Frankenstein. While the connection between Victor and Percy has been previously made by literary scholars, this essay will further explore the idea. To begin with, Victor Frankenstein had a passion for natural philosophy, but he also believed in controversial ideas about the subject.

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley tells a fictitious tale of the scientist Victor Frankenstein executing his dream of forming life. As soon as his creation awakens, Frankenstein sprints away full of disappointment and dread. Consequently, this sparks the beginning of the creature’s infamous attitude of anger. Despite him carrying around the stereotype of emitting evil, the creature counters it throughout the novel. Part of the novel examines his immense kindness and his unavoidable loneliness.

Throughout Frankenstein, Shelley uses Victor to warn the reader of the dangers of aspiring to godliness, and the consequences one faces in the aftermath doing so, even going as far as to compare Victor to Satan, tempting the crew of Walton’s ship, in the book’s final pages. The Victor Shelley creates is very similar to the Satan created by Milton in his book, Paradise Lost, which explores the biblical tale of Adam and Eve. In Frankenstein, Victor speaks of his desire to create the Creature, saying, “I deemed it criminal to throw away in useless grief those talents that might be useful to my fellow-creatures.” (152). Shelley’s diction choices, such as the word “useless” exemplify Victor’s excessive hubris, portraying him as a man who creates his Creature for, in his mind, the good of society.

The Creature in Frankenstein Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein” is an inspirational work of horror and science fiction; it is the narrative of an unorthodox act of creation, of a monster which torments his miserable creator. The author puts forth ideas, and reinforces it through the development of the plot, that mankind is capable of both good and evil. Shelly demonstrates the ‘humanity’ of the creature; his actions and his inclination are like those of mankind. Indeed, even the negative aspect of his character, demonstrated through his quest for revenge, has a parallel in the actions of his human creator. In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” the creature is represented as being vicious and murderous but he is not inherently evil or malicious.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has thousands of layers, an infinite amount that one could spend their lifetime studying without once running into the same idea, this novel has many varied possibilities of perception. This essay in particular questions Frankenstein's choices and the idea of ethics running unrestrained throughout the novel. Firstly, Victor Frankenstein is inspired to advance the field of science by attempting to resurrect the dead. The story portrays the events after Victor’s success of creating life and playing the role of god, can lead to undesirable consequences. Further into the story, Victor alienates his creation as if he does not exist.

ENG-3U0 November 20 2015 Frankenstein: The Pursuit of Knowledge Throughout the course of their individual journeys, Victor Frankenstein’s extreme passion for gaining knowledge about creating life, Robert Walton’s curiosity to discover land beyond the North Pole and the monster’s eagerness to obtain knowledge about humans was the principal cause of each of their suffering. As such, In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the pursuit of knowledge is a dangerous path which leads to suffering. Victor Frankenstein develops a keen interest in discovering knowledge about living beings which ultimately results in his personal suffering as well as others suffering. To begin with, Victor embarks on an assignment through combining body parts and following various

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein carries a multitude of deep and pressing themes. When explored, one can ponder and consider many of the controversial issues that plague the world today. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein uses acquired knowledge to create an intelligent, emotional, and cunning creature. However, Victor becomes an arrogant and selfish individual, and by foolishly ignoring the circumstances of his scientific actions, ultimately causes the death of his entire family. In the process, the theme of utilized knowledge is explored heavily within Victor and the creature.

Two major themes in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are the suppression of feminine nature and the questioning of the romanticized quest for knowledge. These themes meet when Victor finishes his story and tells the sailors, “Oh! Be men or be more than men.” (Shelley 215), thereby encouraging the self-sacrifice of Walton for knowledge. But this was not his original purpose; before his tale, Victor rebukes Walton’s quest, “Unhappy man!

In Mary Shelley’s Romantic novel, Frankenstein, an over-ambitious young scientist, infatuated with the creation of life without a female and the source of generation, breaks the limits of science and nature by conjuring life into a lifeless form constructed from stolen body parts. The young experimenter confesses his monstrous tale that defies nature to a captain who shares his desire for glory and the pursuit of knowledge. Though a Romantic novel itself, Frankenstein serves as a critique of part of the philosophy behind Romanticism, that is, the promotion of radical self-involvement that celebrates the individual’s pursuit of glory and knowledge. Both the lone captain and the young scientist seek glory from their quest for knowledge but ultimately their pursuits end disastrously. Throughout the novel, Shelley warns against excessive self-confidence, the ambitious overreaching in the acquirement of scientific knowledge, and the arrogant pursuit of glory, using the young scientist as a forewarning to the lone captain against his