When an author introduces the antagonist of a novel, they usually present him as an evil character who is labeled the villain and responsible for harm, destruction, or violence. However, in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a different technique is used when writing the villain. Shelley tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, who gradually becomes obsessed with the idea of creating human life. After various studies, he finally succeeds and yields a creature that he later neglects because of his hideous appearance. The biggest villain Shelley introduces is not a person alone, or even the creature Victor created, but rather a flaw that is apparent in his character throughout the novel—pride. Throughout the novel, Victor performs various …show more content…
After Victor successfully creates his creature, he immediately begins to mistreat him because of his appearance. Consequently, the creature retaliates and murders his little brother William Frankenstein. Then, the creature went on to frame Justine for the murder of William. When the court date finally arrived, Justine was found guilty and sentenced to death. During the trial, Victor says his “own agitation and anguish was extreme” and he “believed in her innocence” (Shelley 69). While Victor knows the blood of his brother is on his hands, he let his innocent friend take the fall. In fact, Victor goes on to say, “The tortures of the accused did not equal mine. [Justine] was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom and would not forgo their hold” (Shelley 70). While some argue that confessing would make Victor look like a madman and not change the situation, even if he was accused, Justine would not have been convicted because he would then be the suspect. Typically, family would go to any length to protect each other, but not Victor. His selfish and prideful nature is shown by not taking up for Justine and withholding the truth from the people. Additionally, he believes that Justine’s death was a less harsh punishment than his
Matt Martinez Ms. Schroder English IIII 1 December 2017 Frankenstein In Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, the monster drives for power over Victor Frankenstein and people that harm him. Victor creates an ugly monster and after the creating life for victor and the monster goes downhill. The monster ends up killing a few of Victor's family members.
In particular, Justine, an innocent girl that was taken in by the Frankenstein family, was charged with the crime of murdering William. Victor knew that Justine was not the killer because he saw the creature in the woods when traveling to the funeral and trial. However, when Justine is being convicted, Victor decides to keep the creature’s existence a secret instead of proving Justine’s innocence and acquitting her of the crime. Victor narrates his decision, “I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeed every human being, was guiltless of this murder. I had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be brought forward strong enough to convict her.
Frankenstein is a novel by Mary Shelley that explores the themes of isolation, creation, and the dangers of ambition. The relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the monster is very intriguing. Victor and the monster's similarities are shown throughout the story, whether in their relationship with nature or their desires for family and revenge. Throughout the novel, Victor and the monster have several similarities, including their relationship with nature, their desires for family, and their desire for revenge. As the novel progresses, these similarities become more pronounced, and their relationship becomes more complex.
The monster kills Victor’s younger brother, as an act of revenge against his creator. The monster wants to hurt his maker, and he declares this once William tells the monster who his older brother is, ““Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy – to him
Frankenstein, written by Nick Dear, has one very prevalent theme of heroes and villains that is used to question morality discussing the idea of good versus evil. Dear cleverly chooses to display the narrative primarily through the lens of The Creature allowing the audience to view him not completely as the villain unlike Mary Shelley’s novel of the same title. Instead the audience builds a connection with the character as he garners their sympathy. There many heroic and villainous archetypes in storytelling and it can be debated which ones fit The Creature and Victor Frankenstein, they both display characteristics of many such as their ambition in relation to the ‘Tragic Hero’. I think that the ambiguity of these characters and their moralities
When an author is introduces the villain of a novel, they usually present them as an evil character who is dubbed the “bad guy,” and responsible for harm, destruction, or violence. However, in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a different technique is used when writing the villain. Shelley tells the story of a man, Victor Frankenstein, who gradually becomes obsessed with the idea of creating human life. After various studies, he finally “succeeds” and yields a creature that he later neglects because of his hideous appearance. The biggest villain Shelley introduces in Frankenstein is not a person alone, or even the creature Victor created, but rather a flaw that is apparent in his character throughout the novel: pride.
Mary Shelley’s horrifying tale of a monster and man of science is known far and wide for its captivating story, complex characters and surprising relatability. However this is where most knowledge commonly ends.. Frankenstein’s t underlying themes of isolation, human connection and balance of nature become evident through Shelley’s use of character foils throughout her infamous tale. In her 1818 novel, the monster serves as a foil to Victor Frankenstein, emphasizing Victor’s greed, poor judgement and lack of true understanding in regards to human emotion.
When people hear the word “monster”, their minds immediately turn to images of horrifying creatures from their worst nightmares: razor-sharp teeth, flesh-shredding claws, and beady, snake-like eyes that stare directly into your soul, causing your skin to crawl and the hair on the back of your neck to stand straight up. This may very well be an accurate definition of a monster; however, it takes much more than a terrifying appearance to truly make a monster. It requires the unquenchable thirst for vengeance and destruction, without any sense of empathy or compassion. In Mary Shelley’s classic book, Frankenstein, identifying which character is more human, Victor or his creation, is not as obvious as it may seem. Throughout the novel, it is very difficult to discern which character is more human after weighing their
The true villain in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is Dr. Victor Frankenstein. There are various reasons that suggest that Victor Frankenstein is the true villain of this novel. He had various malicious intentions throughout the novel. I will be focusing on 2 of those main reasons which will include evidence from the novel. He wanted to prove people wrong but in the end Victor had to pay the price, with his life.
History can have a way of glorifying some and villainizing others. Thomas Edison is a great example of that as people glorify him for his amazing scientific discoveries but villainize him for his self-centered business tactics. In the novel, Frankenstein Victor is also glorified and villainized by different characters' perspectives in the novel. Victor is seen as a hero and a villain depending on the perspective throughout the novel Frankenstein. Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors throughout history who is seen as both a hero and a villain through the media as he revolutionized the world but had ruthless business tactics.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the audience views the monster as the most sympathetic character as Shelley utilizes a basic understanding of human nature in order to emphasize the innocence of the monster and force the reader into siding with the underdog. Additionally, Shelley furthers her position on why the monster is the most sympathetic by alluding to and referencing John Milton’s Paradise Lost as well as the relationship between God and man. Through this, Shelley forces the reader to abandon the conventional narrative that the monster is evil simply because he inflicted death upon others by looking at the motives that drove their actions. Shelley’s novel follows the life of Victor Franikenstein, an aspiring scientist who is fascinated
Victor lacks love and compassion toward his ¨child¨ leaving him to teach himself how to live, read, and write by watching the DeLacey family. Victor showed negligence because the creature felt alone and was abandoned by his ¨father¨ also at the court when Justine was put on trial for being framed by the creature for killing William Frankenstein, Victor did not say anything, Justine feels that Victor is not responsible for her death and but he could of prevented the death of Justine. Henry Clerval, who is Victor's best friend said that the creature wasn't taught beliefs and it was Victor´s authority to teach him. William, who was Victor's younger brother said that Victor could not create such a thing that he was not the one who strangled and killed him it was the creature who put his hand over my mouth and grabbed my throat and killed me. When Elizabeth being asked how she died she said she was strangled by the creature on her wedding night.
Victor falsely accuses himself for Justine’s execution because he believes that he could
Again, Victor finds himself thinking about the most primitive of possibilities and fails to fully confront his issues by telling others of the true murder. This act would help him lock his mind into the id, and indicates the distance between reality and his irrational thoughts. Victor’s fear to act appropriately stems from his eagerness to move to the id. Victor decides, “My tales was not one to announce publicly, its astounding horror would be looked upon as madness by the vulgar”(Shelley 77), Victor considers sharing his knowledge regarding the murder of William, but fails to do so. His predisposition to the id, proves to be an integral cog in his current decision making skills. This shows his inability to leave the id, once he has entered.
Victor decides to keep it a secret, but when he got home, he discovered that Justine, their servant and friend, had been accused of the murder. Elizabeth believed Justine was innocent, but the rest of the family wasn't too sure. Victor was the only one who really knew the truth, and he was very sad. Victor did not expect any bad thing to happen. He calls the monster a demon and continues to call it names.