In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary W. Shelly, Victor Frankenstein creates a creature. The creature and Victor Frankenstein have conflicts between each other, which is why Robert Walton is necessary to help the reader relate to Frankenstein, by having many of the same attributes are Victor Frankenstein does. Robert Walton has many similar traits to Victor Frankenstein, ultimately helping the reader greater relate to Dr. Frankenstein. Even though Frankenstein is viewed as a monster himself and Walton is considered a normal person.
Frankenstein 's arrogant and impetuous character comes back to bite him as he hastily demolishes the creatures companion, even with knowing the risk of doing so. The creature was abandoned ever since he was brought to life, and was forced to fend for himself. Not being able to fit in with human society is what provoked him to ask Frankenstein to create a companion for him. Although it took awhile to convince Frankenstein, he reluctantly agreed and began to create a new creature. However, quite abruptly “with a sensation of madness on [his] promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, [he] tore the thing on which [he] was engaged.
Not even hours after the Creature comes to life, Victor feels “mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were
After the birth of Victor’s creature, he realizes that his creation was abnormally strong and potentially dangerous. With this strength, Victor becomes scared and wants his creation dead. Victor’s creation, like all other beings, have feelings and emotions like that of an infant. He needs love and someone to teach him as one would a child. When Victor tries to kill his creature-like “Son”, the creature runs away where he is then sought after as a threat to society rather than someone looking for a companion.
In Frankenstein, Victor asks Walton for a favor as he lies on his deathbed saying, “I asked you to undertake my unfinished work; and I renew this request now, when I am only induced by reason and virtue” (157). Shelley repeatedly uses the root word “un” in the words “undertake” and “unfinished”, as the root of both words means not, directly contradicting Victor’s claim that he is “only induced by reason and virtue”. Just as Satan is notorious for being deceptive, Victor also uses deception to his advantage in an attempt to convince Walton to carry out his revenge against the Creature after he dies. Victor’s trickery is very similar to Satan’s plan to tempt Adam and Eve into pursuing knowledge. He sneaks into the Garden of Eden disguised as a snake, a creature with a reputation for being notorious trickster who uses deceptive language to play tricks on humans.
Power made him greedy, too rash with decision making, and
Man should never be allowed to play god, but creating life is something that has always been an enticing concept (American Scientist). In order to feed our fantasies about cloning and producing life, we turn to fiction novels to amaze, and sometimes to scare us. One of the best-known archetypes of this is Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Hailed as the eighth most popular English novel in history (The Guardian), the classic story of a mad scientist named Dr. Victor Frankenstein has been the basis of countless movies and parodies (Romantic Circles). Though the name Frankenstein has become very well known, the original story as penned by Mary Shelley has been overwhelmed by the numerous derivatives that were published afterward in different forms of media including movies, plays, and even comic books.
Shelly is therefore claiming that one's own nature and forms in which they were nurtured (Frankenstein) have an effect on those of others, and can even cause someone else to be more inhumane than the original person (the daemon). This is seen in human nature, where one who experiences abandonment from a parent because the parent's nature causes them to flee, this person will be more likely to commit crimes due to their loneliness and lack of direction by a parental figure. This translates directly into the plot of the story,
Furthermore, revenge does not only consume the creature, it consumes Victor as well. While the creature is not considered a “monster” at first, the desire for revenge transforms him and Victor into true monsters who have no aspirations beyond destroying each other (“Frankenstein Themes: Revenge”). As stated previously, Victor ultimately finds himself dead because of his unavoidable loathing of the creature. Additionally, at the end of the novel, the creature implies that the flame motivated him to create havoc, but now that Victor is dead, he is slowly dying. “I shall ascend my funeral triumphantly, and exult in the agony of the torturing flames”
Relationships in Frankenstein 1)Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel analyzes the life of a monster abandoned by his father and creator with no companionship in life. 2) The monster created to appear beautiful turns out ugly which leads to his father abandoning him in fear. 3) The creator, Frankenstein, recognized the monster as grotesque and ran away in fear of the monster he had created.
How do male character shape or influence the texts in The Crucible and Frankenstein? “Power is nothing unless you can turn it into influence” (Unknown), it is human nature to want power and influence. The male characters in the following texts have achieved this goal. Society has portrayed males as dominant figures. Males govern the better positions in society whereas females generally do not.
Evil by Nature? Monster stories have surfaced in nearly every culture, language, and place throughout humankind?s history. The monster stories take the form of vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and evil beings, and they are all shared themes found throughout various cultures. The common factor between these monsters is that they are all arguably monstrous and evil by nature.
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley has been a great tool of advice for those who get the wisdom out of the message that she is trying to convey to her audience through the tale of a man who seeked powers no human should ever think of. When examining the issues of desire of knowledge God-like powers that we see how a human was made for such knowledge and that due to the curiosity of “Frankenstein” that we see the effects of possessing thoughts and knowledge not meant for men that those who seek it eventually regret possessing this ability to understand. Once the main character “Frankenstein” obtains a vast amount of knowledge about biology, electricity, pseudo-genetic engineering and Galvinism and with the knowledge provided from these was he able to give life to a creature that was the destruction of his happiness and a threat to humanity with physical attributes no other creature possesses in the entire history of humankind. Throughout the novel we are able to depict Shelley’s comparison of the feminism criticism by the way she uses Frankenstein and Elizabeth specially on the way they are being portrayed and the
Frankenstein What is knowledge? Knowledge can be a good thing, but is it possible to gain too much intelligence and cross the line? The answer is yes, knowledge has a line that cannot be crossed, one just needs to know where to draw it at and not advance too far. Science and technology are quickly progressing in a positive direction every day, which is showing how knowledge is very helpful on that side of the spectrum.
The ambition for knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially if that knowledge is kept a secret. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, follows Walton who, while searching for new land, helps Victor Frankenstein and listens to his story. Victor Frankenstein is a wise character, but his passion for knowledge, his ambition, and his decision to keep his past a secret drives him and others around him to a short life. Frankenstein’s passion for knowledge drives him to isolate himself and make those around him worry. Frankenstein has a lonely life due to his pursuit of knowledge.