Victor Frankenstein: From Fascination Passion to Unwinding Isolation
Madness is defined as “the quality or state of being mad: such as a state of severe mental illness” or “behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous: extreme folly an idea that is pure/sheer madness” (Merriam-Webster). It is also believed that madness also has varying forms and can be caused by feelings of isolation from society. A main part of being human or even most species on earth live with community. This definition of madness fits the stereotype media has placed on scientists and Victor Frankenstein is a prime example. Victor Frankenstein does portray the classic image of a mad scientist as his increased isolation from society caused him to “go mad” in comparison to Henry Clerval, The Creature and Captain Walton.
Henry and Victor spent most of their early lives together. They went to the same school and were best friends and as Victor Frankenstein grew older, he found his true passion in scientific study at thirteen. This drove him to study hard yet, his passion increasingly became obsessive. Frankenstein states that he began to spend most of his time studying and learning so that he could become famous for a finding he one day hoped to make. As he studies more intense, it becomes clearer and clearer that his development of his isolating behavior stems from his practices in his youth. It clearly seen that in comparison to Victor, Henry had a healthier childhood as he was able to grow up
Emotional and physical isolation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are the most pertinent and prevailing themes throughout the novel. These themes are so important because everything the monster, Victor, and Robert Walton do or feel directly relates to their poignant seclusion. The effects of this terrible burden have progressively damaging results upon the three.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor is fascinated by the creation and decay of life and is relentless to create him one, but turns out to be a horrifying nightmare by bringing a monster into the world. One's desire can be so great that it blinds people from the things in life they truly care about, but would not know till it is gone. Victor Frankenstein goes from an arrogant man who only thinks about his only desires to a guilt ridden man who wants to protect others after his mistake killed innocent people. Victor Frankenstein is an arrogant man who only thinks about his only desires and does not care about what people says. Since he is spoiled by his family by giving him gifts like Elizabeth “as his- his to protect, love, and cherish” (30).
Previous to the existence of the monster, readers are introduced to an ambitious, benevolent Victor Frankenstein. He exuded an excitement and passion about learning, though only for very specific subjects. “My temper was sometimes violent, and my passions vehement; but by some law in my temperature they were turned not towards childish pursuits but to an eager desire to learn.” (Shelley 19) Though his studies on creating life artificially had eventually grown tiresome—“My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had
In Mary Shelly’s novel- Frankenstein the character of Victor, creator of the daemon monster, in his obsession to create perfection is blinded to the evil he has awaken. The existence of his grotesque creation later in the development of the novel results to the misfortunes in Victor’s life. Victor Frankenstein’s youth was attended with love and care by his parents Alphonse and Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein. He delighted with joy by the mere beauty of his native country, the sight of the mountains and its (get quote). He as well at a young age demonstrated the thirst for knowledge, seeked to understand the spect of live of the human being….
Once noted, the parallels between Frankenstein’s fears and desires and the reality the monster experiences are many. Now that Victor is in university, he no longer has family and friends to fall back upon in the unknown territory of his university. Frankenstein voices is that “[he] believed [himself] totally unfitted for the company of strangers,” irrational as it may be, and believes himself solely dependent on his family and childhood friend for companionship. Without the love guaranteed to him by his family, Victor believes he is unfit to make companions by himself and destined to a life of loneliness. He places much importance on the fact that his father and Elizabeth love him and are concerned with his well-being.
As the monster grows older, his comparison to victor becomes more and more evident, and their likeness creates a conflict between the two characters. In the first few chapter of Shelley’s novel, Victor describes growing up in great detail. From his loving parents, to his great friendships, Victor Frankenstein had a very happy childhood. He even goes as far as stating that “no human could have passed a happier childhood than myself.”
It is often said that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Even Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don 't know.”. This can often lead to a yearning for more knowledge and sometimes, can be somebody’s downfall. In this case, it was Victor Frankenstein’s downfall. His love for science and his ever-growing quest to learn about the human body ultimately destroyed him, his family, his wife to be, and his best friend.
The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a bildungsroman, coming of age, novel because it recounts the psychological and moral development of its protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, from youth to maturity, when he recognizes his place in the world. Victor Frankenstein realizes in a single moment that man cannot alter death without consequences. Victor Frankenstein is a scientist from Switzerland who is obsessed with the creation of life. When he is seventeen, Victor 's family decides to send him to the university of Ingolstadt, so that he might become worldlier, but before his departure his mother dies. This loss drives Victor to start over and to become successful.
As Frank Herbert once said: “ Too much knowledge never makes for simple decisions.” This reigns true not only in Frankenstein, But also in everyday life. Coincidentally, learning too much can bring misery and dangers into your life. We can see this in scientists, like Victor, they learn too much knowledge and become mad, crazy, hurtful people. Knowledge like most things is good in moderation, when knowing too much, we become people who are darker and more wretched than our original
Mary Shelley, in her book, Frankenstein, has a reoccurring theme of isolation, in which she isolates the main character, Victor Frankenstein, from the rest of society in order to create a creature. Likewise, the creature that is created is also isolated from the rest of society as he is rejected from his creator as to his appearance. The theme is present throughout the novel as it reinforces Victor’s downfall from a normal boy to a grown man intrigued with creating life as he slowly becomes a madman that everyone soon fears. Isolation causes a loss of humanity as it affects the mind and body. Isolation from society does not teach social interaction, causes regret about oneself, provides one with negative feelings, and causes regretful actions.
There are many signs that happen in Frankenstein’s early life that’ll deflect him from pursuing his original studies, such as, his father not explaining why Victor shouldn’t read the book by Agrippa, the storm that he’s fasciated from and after he discovers the tree that was struck by lightening the night before. While, the Monster is traumatized after being abandoned by Victor. The Monster wants to be validated and loved by Victor. His need for validation leads him to seek it out whenever he can, though it proves to be disastrous.
In 1818 Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, a novel that follows Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious man on his journey to defy the natural sciences. In Volume I of the novel, Victor discusses his childhood, mentioning how wonderful and amazing it was because of how his family sheltered him from the bad in the world. “The innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me” (35). When Victor brings up his childhood, he suggests that parents play a strong in how their kids turn out, either "to happiness or misery" (35). In particular the main character was sheltered as a child to achieve this “happiness” leading to Victor never developing a coping mechanism to the evil in the world.
It is quite telling that the most severe punishment in our society other than the death penalty or torture is solitary confinement. Although, isolation is in itself a form of torture, it can drive someone to the brink of insanity. Although published nearly 200 years ago, Mary Shelley clearly understood the potential detrimental effects of isolation, as demonstrated in her famous novel, Frankenstein, where both main characters, Victor Frankenstein and his creation, suffer from and cause isolation for the other. Mary Shelley directs the reader to believe that isolation is the true evil, not the monster, Victor or any emotion inside of them. At the beginning of the novel, Victor is isolated from other people, causing to forget his scientific
Isolation and abandonment can cause many different reactions from people. In the words of William A. Sadler Jr., a sociology professor, “We often do not know how to cope. It can make us confused, distraught, depressed, frightened, and even outraged” (Sadler 105). In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, several of these effects are presented in Victor Frankenstein and his creation. They both suffer from being isolated from their creator, society, and family units.
(Shelly 42, 43) Here, the effects of his continued pursuit of knowledge and neglect of well-being is shown evidently. Once Frankenstein creates the monster, his unquenchable thirst for knowledge is frightened into silence. He then presently returns to the outside world,