How Does Mary Shelley Present The Wretch In Frankenstein
The following quote is found on the title page of Frankenstein: “Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay / To mould me man, Did I solicit thee / From darkness to promote me?” (Paradise Lost, X, 743-745). This quote represents the anguish experienced by a creature who was involuntarily brought into existence only to live a life of suffering, not only at the hand of society, but of his own creator. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses examples of society’s treatment of the wretch in combination with Victor’s callous attitude to not only rationalize the wretch’s behavior, but to elicit a piteous reaction from the reader. The creature’s account of his early life shows the extent to which his dreadful encounters with humanity affect his development …show more content…
Upon the creature’s first encounter with humans, he is attacked and chased away by the people of a village he visits. After this, the wretch becomes wary of humans, relegating himself to silently observing a family through their window. Eventually, isolation and longing for companionship make the creature miserable and desperate. When the creature reveals himself to the De Lacey family and is rejected, he is devastated and vows to seek revenge against humanity, saying on page 124 “From that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me.” The anguish and loneliness the wretch experiences at the hand of human society drives him to anger and …show more content…
In this way, it is almost as if the wretch is speaking directly to the reader, allowing for a much more personal connection and sense of sympathy between the creature and the reader. An example of this technique can be found on page 131, where the creature says, “Can you wonder that such thoughts transported me with rage? I only wonder that at that moment, instead of venting my sensations in exclamations and agony, I did not rush among mankind and perish in the attempt to destroy them.” The wretch thereby poses this question to the reader, imploring that the reader attempt to understand what he is going through. This allows the reader to experience the feelings of the creature, while also contributing to the idea that the wretch’s behavior is a result of his lack of nurturing from his creator,
The Creature Is Human In Gris Grimly's Frankenstein
731 Words | 3 PagesThe creature learned what "bitter indignation" was and how to be "cruel" based on the way the villagers and his own creator treated him. The Creature is human because he has all the same emotional traits as we do, he may not look like us, but the thing that makes us human is making mistakes, " My feeling hurt. My heart aches. I cry. I feel sorry for myself.
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959 Words | 4 PagesThe Creature 's mind still of a newborn begins to observe his human neighbors as through observations and interactions the family has demonstrates the positive and negative aspects of the Creature.
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929 Words | 4 PagesA plethora of instances depicted in the novel bolsters the reader's understanding of the monster's development of empathy which originated during
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847 Words | 4 PagesThe creature is no different than humans in the way that humans can kill, be kind or be violent and miserable, which the creature shows and experiences. As the creature learns more he encounters villagers with "gentle manners" and some barbarous villagers" who treat him like trash. If humans are so called humans because of their sympathy and compassion, then humans shouldn 't be considered humans if they kill or become violent. The men the creature meets are just as defective as he becomes. Just like any human around the creature 's "heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy", but he also experiences "misery" and "violence" he is "filled with an insatiable thirst for vengeance" (190).
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1141 Words | 5 PagesThe gothic fiction novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley describes “what happens when a man tries to have a baby without a woman” (Mellor). In the novel, females are shown with vital feminine nurture and empathy. However, the monster is denied this nurture due to man’s lack of femininity. This absence of nurture leads to the monster’s violence and vengeance. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley employs the monster’s violent tendencies due to lack of nurture as a way to communicate the importance of feminine nurture in humanity.
Ambition For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1278 Words | 6 PagesThe 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.
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1530 Words | 7 PagesFirst, the creature reveals emotions of his “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust. God in pity,
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672 Words | 3 PagesThis time spent here helped to begin to develop the creature’s mind, proving he was in fact rather intelligent. The monster knew that he was different from these people, often describing them all as beautiful. He knew they would not accept him, and yet his search for belonging and family continue to surge the novel forward. While the creature is lonely and hurting, his actions slowly become malicious.
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2539 Words | 11 PagesThe 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.
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1359 Words | 6 PagesIn many novels symbolism functions as a way to reveal much of what is intended for the reader to understand about characters and the work as a whole. Symbols can be ideas, objects, or actions that constitute multiple interpretations or meanings. This is also true for many older novels including Frankenstein. Throughout the gothic fiction novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the use of symbolism and the role it partakes in the entirety of the story signifies its importance. There are many symbols throughout the novel some including light and fire, the creation story, and exploration.
The Nature Of Revenge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1240 Words | 5 PagesAn eye for an eye or the law of retaliation is the principle most people live their lives by. For the characters in Frankenstein, this concept is apparent as the main character, Victor, creates a monster and instantly abandons him which sets off the chain of events revolving around revenge. However, as Gandhi once stated, “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” (Gandhi). Throughout the novel, the creature and Victor engage in a recurring cycle of vengeance, but these acts of revenge are bittersweet as in the end it destroys both of them. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley reveals how revenge consumes and destroys those who surrender to it.
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